5 Reasons to Go to Squamish Valley Music Festival 2014

Five reasons why you can’t miss Squamish Valley Music Festival 2014

Music festival season may soon be coming to an end, but don’t pack in your band shirts quite yet. There’s still the Squamish Valley Music Festival (the biggest musical event in the province) to look forward to this August 8 to 10. Keep clicking for five reasons you should be as excited as we are. 

World-class Headliners

It should go without saying that the most important ingredient in any music festival is the music. So it’s a good thing that Squamish’s lineup hits all the right notes with the perfect mix of musical icons, billboard darlings and local gems. The headliners alone are worth the trip: Friday night features hit-making crooner Bruno Mars (pictured), Saturday’s headliner is Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire and ending the weekend is rap legend Eminem.

Homegrown Talent

Before you permanently station yourself in front of the main stage, be sure to check out some of the local artists who’ll be playing on the smaller stages. Even as Squamish has grown, the organizers have made sure to include artists from across B.C., and it’s an effort that does not go unappreciated. On Friday you can catch “slacker rock” band The Courtneys, who you may remember Tegan Quin mentioning in our summer issue. On Saturday, progressive pop rock trio We Are The City (pictured) will play their only local show of the summer and Sunday’s set by Shad is a must-see for rap fans. 

Campground Revelry

If you’re camping at the festival, then the last performance you catch is just the beginning of your night. Squamish’s campground parties are legendary and have been known to last long into the night. This year’s expansion means things could get even wilder. The festival will be offering four different campgrounds: Diamond, Circle, Triangle and Square, all located a short distance from the festival. For a more peaceful experience, the Square campground offers quiet/family camping and has a daily noise curfew from 10 p.m. till 10 a.m.

Food and Beer

If you dance up an appetite, you’ll be happy to know that some of the province’s top food vendors will be onsite to serve up their mouth-watering specialties, including Taser Grilled Cheese sandwiches, Salish Spoon’s bannock and Sweet Ride frozen yogurt. The 60-plus vendors will be spread across the main festival grounds, and campers in the Diamond and Circle campgrounds will have access to vendors right onsite.

Need to cool off after a particularly sweaty dance session? There will be beer gardens offering up cold brews at every main stage and in strategic spots around the festival. The nine public gardens will have enough room to seat 15,000, so you and your 14,999 closest friends will all be well taken care of.

Spectacular Scenery

Still not impressed by an amazing lineup, top-notch eats and the promise of a party you won’t forget? Then maybe the fact that Squamish Valley is seriously, seriously beautiful will win you over. A picture is worth far more than words here, but catching a show while the setting sun hits the face of the Stawamus Chief is absolutely breathtaking.

This year the festival organizers have increased their effort to keep the valley beautiful with a number of sustainability measures. They’re planning on limiting their carbon imprint, protecting local ecosystems and more. You can check out their plan here.