2013 Sunfest Music Festival featuring Alan Jackson, Thompson Square, Chad Brownlee, Clay Walker, Thomas Rhett, Dallas Smith and more
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Cowichan Exhibition Grounds, 7380 Trans Canada Hwy., Duncan
Tickets: $30-$80 daily and $180 for a festival pass in advance (additional costs for VIP and reserved tickets)
Information: sunfestconcerts.com
Sunfest has been a summer staple of the Cowichan Valley for well over a decade, but it wasn’t until 2010 that it dove head first into country music. And organizers aren’t looking back.
The annual event, which booked primarily rock acts during its previous editions, is now one of the only large-scale country music festivals in B.C. It has grown considerably since 2010, the year it made its country music switch, and is now considered a must-see music festival.
“It covers a huge cross-section of people,” said Charlotte Fisher of Wideglide Entertainment, the Duncan-based company that produces Sunfest. “We try and get something for everybody.”
The four-day festival kicks off today at 5 p.m. with a set of side-stage performances featuring, among others, Vancouver Island acts Mary Egan, Johnny Galactic and the Tumblin’ Dice. But the real draw for Sunfest fans are main-stage headliners Dallas Smith, Thomas Rhett and Clay Walker (on Friday), Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square (Saturday), and Chad Brownlee and Alan Jackson (Sunday).
In 2010, headliners Johnny Reid and Crystal Shawanda drew 7,000 fans to the Cowichan Exhibition Grounds, where Sunfest is held. Travis Tritt, Lonestar and Sawyer Brown netted organizers 10,000 fans in 2011, and in 2012 — with help from Dierks Bentley, the Kentucky Headhunters and the Charlie Daniels Band — the festival crossed the 13,000 mark.
The sky is the limit for this year’s edition, Fisher said. But there is a danger of becoming too much of a success. That runs the risk of offending longtime fans.
“We don’t want people to be crammed in or upset that there is a two-hour wait to get into the beer garden,” Fisher said. “We don’t want people to be upset that the vendors ran out of food. We try and keep all that in mind, so if we get to the point where we’re going to be close to that, we’ll go ahead and call it.”
That could be a distinct possibility this weekend, especially given its lineup of acts. Fisher said fans from across the U.S. and Canada are saddling up and making the journey to Vancouver Island this weekend.
When people travel from afar, it usually results in a lively atmosphere, she added. “We have 10 people who are coming from Norway for a family reunion this weekend, and they are huge fans of Alan Jackson. Last year, somebody got engaged at the festival, and just this last weekend, a couple got married so they could have their honeymoon this weekend at Sunfest.”
One of the main changes at this year’s festival is the site plan. The area directly in front of the stage has changed to include the Party Pit, a section of the site that gives fans the freedom to dance. With a wide range of acts on the bill, organizers implemented the Party Pit in order to keep every Sunfest fan happy.
“A lot of the artists that are coming here now want to have that energy up there,” Fisher said. “People who sit in the reserved section like to sit and watch the entertainment. But the people who want to hoot and holler aren’t usually in the reserved section. We wanted to bring that energy up to the stage, while still respecting the people who want to sit.”
As always, there is a distinct fundraising side to the festival. In honour of headliner Clay Walker, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, sales of the daily 50/50 ticket draw will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. And for the first time this year, Sunfest is holding its own market with goods from local farmers, in order to help the local agriculture community.
The Cowichan Exhibition Society will also receive proceeds from the beverage garden.
Country musicians are known for being charitable, which makes fundraising a point of pride for Sunfest, Fisher said. To date, the festival has donated more than $250,000 to various charities and organizers in the community. “We have always given back, but it’s getting a little bigger now that we have grown.”
