Music lovers can expect another golden summer in the Valley of Festivals, with some value-added surprises.
The only non-profit music festival on Vancouver Island 鈥� and the biggest, period 鈥� will add a Thursday night concert before the festival itself in Courtenay.
A popular festival in Cumberland is returning, says its promoter. He is adding a new event to coincide with the summer solstice in June and is planning to promote Xavier Rudd at the Nanaimo Conference Centre.
And the eldest of the local Big Three outdoor festivals has a new producer with new ideas in Comox.
Vancouver Island MusicFest has joined a select list of 鈥渕ust-play鈥� festivals for many musicians, says artistic director/executive producer Doug Cox.
鈥淲e are also becoming known as a leader in festivals among audience members for the unusual collaborations that take place on our workshop stages throughout the day,鈥� he says.
A trend of focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of performers will continue.
鈥淎s far as expansion goes,鈥� Cox continues, 鈥渨e are in a situation where costs are going up yet we can only grow so big, so we are trying to hit a home run this year in regards to how we run a tight ship and maximize our ticket sales.鈥�
Cox and Co. are launching one significant new item.
鈥淥ne thing we will be looking at adding this year is a very special Thursday night concert ticketed separately from our weekend passes in order to help defray the costs of running such a wonderful event.鈥�
He says the as-yet-unnamed act will be 鈥渢he biggest-name performer to ever play the Valley.鈥�
Spinoff benefits? There are many, he explains.
鈥淲hat do we contribute to the Comox Valley? Worldwide recognition as one of the finest events of its kind, anywhere for a starter.
鈥淐urrent statistics say for every one dollar spent on producing a non-profit music festival in a community, there are four to five dollars spent within the hosting community. We have a million-dollar operating budget at this point in time, and a large percentage of that is spent within the Valley.鈥�
MusicFest happens July 8 to 10 at the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds. Arrested Development, Jon Anderson and the Night Train Music Club are the first acts to be announced. Visit www.islandmusicfest.com for more information.
The Big Time Out (TBTO) will return Aug. 20 after strong response last year, promises promoter Vig Schulman.
鈥淭he response to last year鈥檚 show was the best we鈥檝e had, and the numbers have increased each year,鈥� he says.
鈥淲e are also planning a large outdoor event to coincide with the summer solstice (June 21). Our events are really distinct from other 鈥榝estivals鈥� in the area because they vary from year to year in size, location, duration and date.鈥�
Last year, Schulman promoted a one-day event, The Big Day Up on Mount Washington, in addition to TBTO.
鈥淚t is the variety of events that has become our signature and in some small way may be an ingredient in the growing success of our adventures,鈥� Schulman comments.
Schulman鈥檚 presentations have carved out their own identity, he feels.
鈥淭he main kudo that we get for our shows is the 鈥榠ntimacy鈥� that is created by presenting our concerts on a single stage. It allows us to create themes and build a flow that the entire audience can experience, which is not possible at multi-stage events.
鈥淭he other key to our success is tailoring our shows to a younger audience and focusing on beat-driven dance music being produced by younger contemporary musicians and artists. It is also the reason our shows are controversial and more expensive to manage and secure.
鈥淲e also lean heavily on the world of circus arts to complement these outings, which also gives our shows a distinctive quality.鈥�
The 2011 TBTO happens Aug. 20 in Cumberland. For updates, keep watching http://thebigtimeout.com.
Filberg Festival fans will line up again for Western Canada鈥檚 largest juried outdoor arts show at the beautiful nine-acre waterfront Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park.
New producer Susan Lewis inherits the reins this year from Sylvia Allan, the festival鈥檚 producer for almost a quarter of a century before stepping down late last year.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going into our 29th year, which is a well-established event,鈥� says Lewis, who has more than 25 years of experience staging major events and promotions.
Her marketing and event management company, Lewis & Sears, produces and manages the Party at the Pier, which has been voted Best Community and Music Festival in North Vancouver for the past five years.鈥˙esides a featured guest artisan and many visual artists, the Filberg Festival鈥檚 鈥渕usic part is a large component,鈥� Lewis remarks. Bobbie Blue returns as entertainment director.
The festival is the largest fundraiser for the society that is responsible for repairing and maintaining the heritage property and buildings.鈥ㄢ�滻t鈥檚 a treasure the Valley should be proud of,鈥� Lewis says of the park.
Artisans have until Feb. 18 to apply by visiting www.filbergfestival.com/pdf/2011JuryApp.pdf.
The 2011 Filberg Festival happens July 29 to Aug. 1. For details, see www.filbergfestival.com.
editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com
