The Squamish Valley Music Festival kicks off in a few days, and organizers say the sixth consecutive event will be the biggest yet.
More than 125,000 people are expected to attend the music festival, which takes place at the Centennial Fields in Squamish August 7 to 9th – around 20,000 more than attended last year.
2015 headliners include Sam Smith on Friday, Drake on Saturday, and Mumford and Sons on Sunday. More than 70 other artists will be performing, including Of Monsters and Men, Angus and Julia Stone, First Aid Kit, Milky Chance, Slightly Stoopid, Scott Helman, and Hot Chip.
Traffic and parking have historically been problematic during the festival, with some locals leaving town as the crowds descend.
Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman joked that she was planning on going to grocery and liquor stores ahead of time to avoid “braving it” on the weekend.
“Some people leave town and that’s their choice, but we have thousands of locals that go to the event and love it,” said Heintzman. “For the most part, our community embraces this event because we realize it’s a huge promotion internationally for our community….I think people are really proud of it.”
The Sea-to-Sky corridor and Squamish region is expecting an economic impact of more than $30-million, officials say.
The Squamish Valley Music Festival officially begins Thursday night when openers - including B.C. band Current Swell - take to the stage. Around 38,000 people are expected to attend the festival each day.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst
