Determined music fans pulled ponchos over their best festival gear when rain poured on Friday night Sept. 13, a less than ideal start to this year's Rifflandia.

Festival goers paid no mind to the wet weather and turned up, all 6,500 of them, according to organizers. Last year's opening night brought a record 8,000 fans to the music festival.

The four areas within the festival grounds were swarmed with people, from the main stage, to the Phillips stage, Lafflandia and the Dome, each featured different artists catering to the all-ages crowd.

What's new, what's changed, what's different?

The big answer - the venue. This year's embraced the urban downtown landscape at Matullia Lands in Rock Bay. It's also the the first time that the festival is being held in one location since it started in 2008. The festival was held over two separate weekends at two separate venues in 2022 and 2023. 

We were on the ground to capture the festies making the most of the experience amid the soggy weather. 

Rifflandia wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 15 with Feist playing the last set on the Main stage to close the festival.