By Sarah Wallace

B.E.D. Rock Festival looking to rock it bigger than last year

Jan 17, 2016 | 7:21 AM

The third annual B.E.D. Rock Festival in north Saskatchewan is looking to be bigger and better than its first two years.

Organizer Karen Cay said the festival had been talked about for a few years before it was created in 2013.

Cay said she began talking with bands, like Constant Reminder, about how young kids don’t get a lot of stage time, let alone stage time with an artist or band. 

“So we thought, why not do a rock festival? The Blue Grass Festival, which we’re also involved in, they really bring up the blue grass musicians and the kids learn to be on the stage and have classes,” she said.

“We have Ness Creek for folk music, but even though rock music is incredibly popular there’s no real festival, so we said let’s just start one.”

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The B.E.D. Rock Festival received a non-profit status in their first year, meaning any money they raise will go directly into the festival itself.

In its first two years Cay was able to put on the festival for just $500, even though there is no cost to attending the festival, other than the $5 park entry because it’s held within a provincial park.

“I’m super shoestring budget and requiring musicians to provide things for free and to play for free isn’t really what we want to do,” Cay said.

“We really want to promote the festival, promote musician and promote the idea that you pay musicians, which is ironic if you’re not paying.”

She said she’ll be applying for a number of community grants in hopes of getting a bigger budget, which will allow for more musicians to be booked.

Cay has also created a GoFundMe page, hoping that because the concert will be free it will encourage people to help by making a donation. 

 She said the expenses of the festival are for the sound and paying the musicians.

“The musicians spend all summer doing gigs away from their families and a lot of places they play, like bars and concert halls, kids can’t come. So for a lot of musicians their families never see them play. We also thought for the professional musicians this is a nice opportunity to bring their family and to play music at the same time, so they can bring their two loves together.”

She put on the rock festival last year for $500, but would like to raise more to be able to bring out more bands.

“A lot of musicians and bands aren’t able to afford to come because they need to get paid. If we had more money we could get more bands, we could have workshops … if we got the $30,000 we’d have [the festival] for two days, that’s the ultimate goal.”

Cay said a lot of the older musicians and professionals “dig helping out the young kids,” she said.

She said if the GoFundMe campaign is able to raise more than $500 she’ll be able to bring out more bands and offer more time on stage for kid musicians.

“The park was filled [the last two years], people just came and came and danced all day and all night. Younger musicians got to play with professional musicians and not just have a youth stage and professional stage, but mix everyone together.”

The festival is held at Struther’s Lake Regional Park and Cay said all you have to do is pay the $5 vehicle park fee as the festival is free to attend.

“We have it at the lake because that’s where everybody goes anyways. It’s a real family-oriented regional park.”

“It’s free, take your whole family and it’s a day at the lake too. There’s fishing, there’s a waterslide, it’s a pretty cool lake. There’s mini golf, water skiing, the whole lake experience and a rock festival, and the entry fee is $5,” Cay said.

The B.E.D Rock Festival will be held the last weekend of August on the 28th but Cay said if she’s able to raise enough money the festival will be held over the 27th and 28th instead.

swallace@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahthesquid