By Charlene Tebbutt

Excited festival-goers line up early for Ness Creek

Jul 18, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Excited festival-goers lined up early this week for the Ness Creek Music Festival, beating a previous record by one day.

The first attendees began to line up for the annual event on Monday to await the start of the festival. Previously, the earliest attendees had lined up was the Tuesday before the event.

“The lineup party I think for a lot of people is a huge part of Ness as well,” said Paige Unruh, marketing and communications coordinator for the event. “There’s a lot of our die-hard concert goers that just wait overnight and get to meet everybody in the line and it’s a big part of the festival.”

The annual Ness Creek Music Festival gets underway Thursday near Big River, featuring more than 40 musical artists, food vendors and cultural activities such as a sweat lodge and powwow, family and children’s activities and a human library. Gates open Thursday afternoon.

Missing pet

'She means the world to our family': Woman seeks help in finding missing pet parrot

19h ago

BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS

Semi flips outside P.A.; one of dozens of incidents on Sask. roads due to winter weather

19h ago

NO GO FOR BUSES

School bus routes outside P.A. canceled due to spring snowstorm

Apr 18, 2024

The festival attracts more than 3,500 people each year, Unruh said. Camping is available on site with passes available for the whole weekend, or just for the day. With the festival starting Thursday, Unruh said passes are now only available at the gates and by cash only.

The musical lineup for the event includes some well-known artists and groups including The Dead South and The Sadies, but Unruh said the festival also features a host of local, Saskatchewan-based performers. The new Stage of Aquarius floating stage on Nesslin Lake is an attraction that should not to be missed, she added.

The floating stage was added last year and bussing to the lake is available during the festival.

“It’s hopefully going to be nice weather so you can just float and listen to some live music,” Unruh said.

The Ness Creek Music Festival started in the early 1990s by a group of tree planters and Unruh said caring for the environment and insuring a green event is a big part of their mandate. Food vendors at the site are asked to use compostable plates, cups and cutlery, the festival does not offer bottled water, and all attendees are asked to clean up after themselves. Organizers have also asked people to leave their glow sticks at home this year and instead, has partnered with EcoFriendly Sask to offer a glow paint tent.

Unruh said event organizers have been looking at ways to reduce waste. The festival site has stations set up for recycling, compost and garbage, Unruh added.

“There’s not really any ecologically-friendly way to recycle them,” Unruh said of the glow sticks.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt