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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by Squamish Constellation Festival Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Live music is set for an extraordinary West Coast comeback as the Squamish Constellation Festival (“SCF”) returns to Hendrickson Field in Squamish, British Columbia from July 22 to 24, 2022. The lineup for the much anticipated festival has just been announced and I have a pair of weekend passes to give away!
Miss604/Alexis Miles Photo
On-site camping
On-site parking
Free local shuttles
The free bike valet, and convenient shuttles to and from both Vancouver and Whistler will return this year as well.
Headlining the three-day, two-stage event, SCF welcomes Canadian rock icons July Talk (Friday), Austin-based psychedelic rockers and Grammy Award-nominees Black Pumas (Saturday), and angelic singer-songwriter, multi-Grammy and Juno Award-winner, Sarah McLachlan (Sunday).
In the heart of the Sea to Sky Corridor between Vancouver and Whistler, the multi-genre, zero-waste music festival brings world-class talent and a new on-site camping experience to a backdrop of stunning glacial vistas.
In addition to live performances, the summer celebration brings interactive art, local-craft beverages, a signature Flowr™garden (cannabis consumption site), an artisan marketplace, food trucks, family-friendly activities and more to the festival field.
“This summer marks a welcome return for live music in British Columbia. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of Squamish Constellation Festival,” said McLachlan, who will be headlining the 3-day event Sunday, July 24. “We all benefit from live music and collectively need it now more than ever. The essence of Constellation, which brings people together in community to celebrate not only the arts, but one another, is something I deeply connect with and am proud to be a part of.”
Passes On Sale April 8 at 10:00am
Advance general admission weekend passes will be available for $285 plus taxes and fees, and $450 for VIP plus taxes and fees. Layaway plans are available. Newsletter subscribers will receive a presale code for discounted passes on April 6 and 7, 2022.
Squamish Constellation Festival Lineup
Friday: July Talk, Dear Rouge, Lights, Yukon Blonde, Moontricks, PiqSiq, Jessia, Blonde Diamond, Fake Shark, and Mauvey
Saturday: Black Pumas, Andy Shauf, Black Pistol Fire, Whitehorse, William Prince, Haley Blais, Hotel Mira, Ashleigh Ball, Lowdown Brass Band, Hyaenas, and Coastal Wolf Pack
Sunday: Sarah McLachlan, Jarvis Church, Ocie Elliott, Terra Lightfoot, Teddy Thompson, iskwē, Daniel Wesley, Old Soul Rebel, Pharis & Jason Romero, Miesha and The Spank, Skye Wallace, and Out East
Win Weekend Passes
I have a pair of weekend passes to give away! Here’s how you can enter to win:
This North Shore canyon will spring to life for Easter at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park April 14-18, 2022. The Park will be decorated for the season and will host special Easter themed activities including the Echo Eagles Scavenger Hunt.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park – Photo Submitted
Easter at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
When: Thursday, April 14 to Monday, April 18: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (3735 Capilano Rd, North Vancouver)
Tickets: Purchase tickets in advance online to avoid missing out. Visits are scheduled in 30-minute arrival increments. BC Annual Pass holders are also required to reserve their time online prior to their visit
Meet bunnies and chicks up close with Cinemazoo, and the birds of Raptors Ridge are returning to showcase beautiful hawks, owls and falcons.
Cliffwalk at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Start your day by enjoying a delicious Easter Brunch Buffet at The Cliff House Restaurant from 10:00am to 2:00pm or visit a little later to enjoy Hoppy Hour features from 2:00pm to 5:30pm daily. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Chilliwack Tulip Festival is an annual tradition that draws tens of thousands of visitors from across the region as soon as the fields begin to bloom for their brief growing season. Since it launched in 2006, it has become the largest tulip event in BC with millions of bulbs blooming across 20 acres, showcasing 30 tulip varieties, and 15 types of daffodils.
The various tulip varieties bloom at different times, so that all of the flowers can be enjoyed throughout the season, just in different locations around the fields. There will be between 7 and 20 acres of flowers in full bloom for the duration of the festival.
The first few days will feature the early blooming varieties of tulips, including the “World’s Favourite,” as well as the double daffodils, located in the far field of the farm, so those with mobility issues may wish to visit later in the festival when the front fields are in bloom.
For those wanting to capture perfect keepsake memories of their visit (or simply add incomparable bursts of colour and beauty to their Insta feed), there are several photo-op props throughout the grounds, including seven sets of swings, several raised platforms, a 1950s Morris convertible, and an antique horse cart. Guests can also enjoy the many outdoor lawn games available to play.
Additionally, The Farm Shop will be open daily, offering fresh cut and potted tulips, sunflower seeds for the garden, and tulip-themed souvenirs, along with individually wrapped frozen treats and bottled refreshments. Three food trucks will rotate onsite. Follow the Chilliwack Tulip Festival on Facebook for the latest info and updates.
Dancers of Damelahamid celebrate the 15th annual Coastal Dance Festival, showcasing Indigenous stories, song, and dance from across Canada and around the world, April 20-24, 2022 at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster.
Dancers of Damelahamid by Chris Randle
15th Anniversary Coastal Dance Festival
When: April 20-23, 2022
Where: Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St, New Westminster)
This year’s festival will participate in Canada’s yearlong Nordic Bridges initiative, fostering cultural exchange between Canada and the Nordic region through the multidisciplinary presentation of contemporary art, culture and ideas. To honour the festival’s milestone anniversary, Dancers of Damelahamid will also create a short documentary available online this summer, sharing stories about its community of dancers and highlighting themes of cultural revitalization and resiliency.
As part of Nordic Bridges, the Festival will premiere works from four Indigenous Sámi artists from Norway and Sweden. An evening dedicated to contemporary Indigenous dance – a festival first – will feature a duet from Swedish Sámi contemporary dancers Liv Aira, artistic director of the Sámi-based Invisible People Contemporary Dance, and Marika Renhuvud, a dance educator and member of Aira’s dance company, as well as Norwegian Sámi aerial acrobatic dancer Camilla Therese Karlsen, who will perform with two members of her company. Joining the contemporary program is a local Indigenous artist who will make their festival debut: Tasha Faye Evans (Coast Salish), a Port Moody dance and theatre artist, who will share an excerpt of her latest work Cedar Woman.
The festival will also present several traditional Indigenous artists, including Norway’s Sámi singer and activist Sara Marielle Gaup and Sámi singer and poet Lawra Somby, as well as introduce Theland Kicknosway (Potawatomi, Cree), an 18-year-old youth activist, influencer and hoop dancer from Walpole Island, Bkejwanong Territory, in Ontario.
Liv Aira and Marika Renhuvud by Sami Maldonado Lizarazu
In addition to signature presentations from Sámi artists from Norway and Sweden, this year’s festival welcomes performances from 15 Indigenous groups from throughout British Columbia, Washington, Alaska, the Yukon, and Ontario.
Returning to the program includes numerous festival favourites: dynamic dance group Chinook Song Catchers (Skwxwu7mesh, Nisga’a); Squamish-based Spakwus Slolem (Skwxwu7mesh); mask-dancing groups Git Hayetsk (Nisga’a, Tsimshian) and Git Hoan (Tsimshian); a family group from many First Nations Xwelmexw Shxwexwo:s (Stó:lō, Musqueam, Sts:ailes, Snuneymuxw, Nuu-chah-nulth, Skwxwu7mesh); Rainbow Creek Dancers (Haida), in celebration of traditional Haida ceremonial dances; the return of Tooma Laisa and Leanna Wilson, drum dancers and throat singers of traditional Inuit songs; the award-winning Inland Tlingit Dakhká Khwáan Dancers; Yisya̱’winux̱w, a group representing many of the 16 tribes of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw people; Chesha7 iy lha mens (Skwxwu7mesh, Stó:lō, Tsimsian), a family group of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters; Kwhlii Gibaygum, a highly energetic group representing the Nisga’a people of the Nass River valley in Northern British Columbia; and Dancers of Damelahamid (Gitxsan, Cree), whose performance will focus on the strength of Indigenous Elders in carrying artistic practices through the generations.
Dancers of Damelahamid. Photo by Chris Randle.
Coastal Dance Festival will also introduce an Artist Sharing this year, which promises to complement the festival’s signature evening and festival stage performances.
The series will serve as a platform for cultural sharing, featuring panel discussions and short presentations to deepen our understanding of Indigenous artistic practices, histories and sources of inspiration. Included in the Artist Sharing are Sámi artists Liv Aira, Marika Renhuvud, Sara Marielle Gaup, and Lawra Somby, as well as local artists Terri-Lynn Williams Davidson and Robert Davidson (Haida), fashion and jewelry designer Pam Baker (Skwxwu7mesh, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw), fashion and regalia designer and Dancers of Damelahamid dancer Rebecca Baker-Grenier (Skwxwu7mesh, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw), and contemporary Indigenous artist Andy Everson (K’omoks, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw).
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away, and the winner can choose to attend the Signature Evening Performances on either April 21st or 22nd. Here’s how you can enter to win:
The Skoden Indigenous Film Festival is back for its fourth-year March 31 to April 2, 2022 within the shared territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Skoden is a three-day student-led film festival which features exclusively Indigenous filmmakers and creatives from across Canada.
Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
When: Thursday, March 31 to Saturday, April 2, 2022
Where: Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema – SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings St. Vancouver)
The “Skoden Sampler” March 31st is at SFU Surrey from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
Used by Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast, Skoden is a unifying word that transcends a single language. Skoden is slang for “let’s go then”. It’s an attitude and a battle cry and we’ve decided to take it to heart.
Held within the heart of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Kwantlen, q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen Nations territories, Skoden Indigenous Film Festival celebrates the works of Canadian based Indigenous filmmakers and talent, and features indigenous cultural traditions, including a welcome ceremony and witness.
Founded on the principles of truth and reconciliation, Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) and Grace Mathisen created the festival in 2019. It’s organized and led by a class of students from all over SFU’s School of Contemporary Arts, and co-taught by Carr Sappier and Kathleen Mullen. This year intern Akira Iahtail will also be assisting with the festival.
Festival-goers are able to attend film programs and Q&As, celebrating Indigenous voices and cultivating more active discussions about reconciliation. The Festival welcomes new traditions and invites anyone who is interested in making the community more inclusive to come, learn, and share with them in the spirit of Skoden.
