New music festival planned for Squamish

A new music festival is making its way to Squamish next summer.

Aquila Constellation Productions presented a formal proposal for an annual music and art festival to Squamish’s council on June 12th. The team behind the production are residents of Squamish and Director Kirsten Andrews says it has been their goal to bring a festival back to the community since the last one left.

“The inaugural Squamish Constellation Festival is a seedling for what we anticipate becoming a summer anchor for cultural events in the Corridor. The Squamish Constellation Festival is a family-first celebration with exceptionally curated music; art installations and expressions; local craft beverages; exquisite culinary experiences, and fun, experiential activities,” she said.

The proposal includes three days of music and events at Hendrickson Field off Logger’s Lane, including genres like alt-pop, folk, indie, big bands, and family acts. Andrews says the plan is to roll out the festival over four years, capping the daily attendance; “the first year we’re looking at probably around 5,000 to 7,500 people. We’ve got a four year plan right now, where we will gradually grow that incrementally up to about 15-16,000 by year four”.

Organizers say they recognize there is a concern surrounding unlawful camping and environmentally sensitive areas and plan to work with the District of Squamish to mitigate the issue. They say camping will not be provided but instead guests will be directed towards local hotels, hostels and short term rentals.

Aquila also plans to contract shuttle services to and from Vancouver/Whistler and throughout Squamish once festival numbers warrant as well as promoting bike transportation locally with an on-site bike lock-up.

You can listen to an interview with Kirsten Andrews on Mountain Afternoons here.