Crowd size is expected to double at the Squamish Valley Music Festival this August as the venue moves from Hendrickson Fields & Logger Sports Ground to the nearby Centennial Fields.
Eminem, who rarely tours, will be a major draw for fans along with this year’s Super Bowl half-time performer Bruno Mars and Montreal’s Grammy-winning Arcade Fire.
Erik Hoffman, vice-president of Live Nation, said this summer festival will bring a new level of recognition to B.C.
“This festival absolutely puts us in a new league and it does transform the view of the province and people that travel to the province. I think it’s gonna open it up for those from Washington [state], Alberta and further,” Hoffman said, adding “This year will be a game changer.”
While the three headliners have all had major pop success, they do cross genres and Hoffman said this billing was by design.
“We definitely modelled it more off a European model in terms of going very wide in genre,” he said “We want to open it to everybody and not make it about one age group or one demographic.”
Last year the fest opened to hundreds of cars clogging access roads and the Sea-to-Sky Highway for hours and Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham said, ‘We can’t have a repeat of what happened.’
Festival attendees in 2013 complained about the lack of organization and camping space and VIP campers said the washrooms weren’t ready when they arrived.
Paul Runnals, Squamish Valley Music Festival executive producer, said the problems won’t be an issue this year.
“Understand that we've hear those concerns and we responded to that, and we responded with a great team and a commitment that that's the way things go this year,” he said.
More than 35,000 people are expected for each day of the August long weekend festival.
The festival will be cashless for the first time this year – attendees can pay for food and drinks with cards or wristbands pre-loaded with money.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Nafeesa Karim.
