Borealis Music Festival ready to light up the Aug. long weekend

For the kids, they’ll have children’s activities, face painting, bouncy castles, snow cones and more.

And for people a little older, there’s something to look forward to as well.

“For those looking to let loose on the long weekend we can accommodate them with our beer gardens,” said Lancaster. I.D. is required to get in to the beer gardens.

A quarter section of the park, where the main stage will be located, is the ticketed section. This opens at 4:30 p.m. daily.

A portion of the festival will be free to the community each day. On Saturday and Sunday the free workshop stage will be going from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Multiple vendors selling clothes, food, textiles, as well as promoting community initiatives and the City of Prince Albert will be at the park for the weekend. This part is also open to the general public.

Along with the main stage, the free workshop stage, the vendors and the children’s activities will be at Kinsmen Park.

The main stage itself will shut down at 11 p.m. That’s when other venues take over, hosting the late night performances.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights the Northern Lights Casino will be holding shows in their Starlight Lounge.

Everyone is also welcome to check out the after-hours party at the Prince Albert Brewing Company.

The Mann Art Gallery will be another venue for the festival, with a live podcast on Sunday afternoon.

“That’s free for community members to check out,” said Lancaster. “It’s a cultural event … with a bunch of artists from around the world to give a glimpse of what t’s like to be a cultured artist coming to Prince Albert, and what it’s like to grow up in Saskatchewan being an artist.”

While the event is already finding success, the festival has had its share of complications so far.

“You name it, I’m sure we’ve had to deal with it,” said Lancaster. “There are bands that have broken up and all kinds of obstacles but I think this is shaping up to be a really wonderful thing for the community and to raise awareness for P.A. as a destination.”

No matter what happens, Lancaster said the goal is to remain optimistic. He said they’re optimistic about ticket sales.

“Our lineup is very competitive with the Saskatchewan festival market,” Lancaster said.

They used other provincial music festivals as a model, choosing ticket pricing accordingly.

“We wanted to make it of a desired quality to attract visitors from outside markets as well. So by doing that … the cost of our expenses goes up,” said Lancaster. But he insists, “The value is there.”

“We’ve got people coming from across western Canada for this event.”

People who are holidaying at the lake for the summer are being accommodated as well. The festival is offering a Lakeland shuttle service to and from Waskesiu, Christopher Lake, Emma Lake and Candle Lake.

A shuttle pass is $10 roundtrip for the whole weekend if you have a weekend pass. This way, vacationers can enjoy the festival daily, and are guaranteed a safe ride back to where they’re staying at the end of the night.

“Drink responsibly and have a safe ride home is the name of our game with that,” said Lancaster. “And I think that appeals to those outside market people that are staying up there.”

Lancaster said they’re very grateful to Canadian Tire for their support with the festival.

He also said it wouldn’t be possible without all the people that have come forward to help.

“We’ve got close to 90 volunteers helping us out throughout the week,” said Lancaster. “It’s just amazing to see all those people coming together.”

Tips for festivalgoers

Some recommendations Lancaster has for a safe and fun weekend at the festival include bringing sunscreen, bug spray, a hat, a lawn chair or blanket for seating and a rain poncho, in case it rains. Only hand-held umbrellas are permitted on site.

Festival goers are allowed to bring small coolers with their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. No glass bottles are permitted. Smoking is allowed in designated areas only.

Security will be onsite for the entire weekend, looking for anything inappropriate or dangerous. Anything suspicious will be confiscated.

Organizers ask that you leave your pets at home.

ATMs and Debit terminals will be onsite so people can pay for passes at the gates.

Keep up with any new updates by following Borealis Music Festival on Facebook.

Schedule of events

Mainstage – Friday July 31

5:30 p.m. Until Red
6:40 p.m. The Dead South
7:50 p.m. Andino Suns
9:00 p.m. I Draw Slow
10:10 p.m. The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer

Workshop Stage – Saturday Aug. 1

10:30 a.m. The Wolfe
11:25 a.m. Nonsense
12:30 p.m. Artificial Lift
1:35 p.m. Blue Grass Workshop – In With The Old, I Draw Slow, The Goats
2:40 p.m. Sleepwreck
3:45 p.m. Soul Shakedown

Mainstage – Saturday Aug. 1

5:30 p.m. Slow Down Molasses
6:40 p.m. Mario Lepage
7:50 p.m. Harlan Pepper
9:00 p.m. We Were Lovers
10:10 p.m. July Talk

Workshop Stage – Sunday Aug. 2

10:30 a.m. Liza Brown & Crazy Fox
11:25 a.m. Blast
12:30 p.m. Heidi Munro & Misdeal
1:35 p.m. Rohs
2:40 p.m. Allyson Reigh
3:45 p.m. Laura Lee Mcfarlane

Mainstage – Sunday Aug. 2

5:30 p.m. Jeffery Straker
6:40 p.m. Rosie & The Riveters
7:50 p.m. Fred Penner
9:00 p.m. Close Talker
10:10 p.m. Yukon Blonde

Prices

Weekend Pass – $141.75

Day Pass – $52.50

asoloducha@panow.ca

On Twitter: @alex_soloducha

by Alex Soloducha

Borealis Music Festival ready to light up the Aug. long weekend

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