The #BuyBasin Festival is in Full Swing!

Rebecca Bollwitt

Posted: Thu. Oct. 28, 2021

Part music festival, part shop local event, part arts showcase, part travelogue - the Trust's (Columbia Basin Trust) #BuyBasin Festival, delivered by FestivalSeekers, is a unique online festival like none other, celebrating the local creatives and entrepreneurs in the region.

Live music from a bike shop in Valemount, an in-the-moment nature photography workshop from the side of a river in the Rockies, a spontaneous rock and roll fashion show from Salmo, and a virtual glass blowing tutorial! These are just some of the live video experiences in the #BuyBasin Festival so far, and we’re only just over a week in.

From now through November 10th, you can tune in to live-stream videos from up to 100 businesses in the Columbia Basin region as part of the #BuyBasin Festival, presented by the Trust, Basin Business Advisors and FestivalSeekers.

During the live video event, entrepreneurs, businesses and entertainers will be broadcasting live on Facebook and Instagram with expert tips, giveaways, demos, live music and all kinds of behind-the-scenes fun.

Highlights From the Festival So Far

Do you know what bacon strips are in bike slang? Know about the latest research into the value of riding a traditional bike for exercise versus e-biking? For just a little sample of what's been happening so far, watch this LIVE from Jeff Jewett, owner of Bikes and Bites in Valemount, BC.

It's hard to beat the personal touch and passion of local business owners like Jewett. Getting to know local businesses and celebrating the communities in the Columbia Basin is a big reason for this festival.

Watch the #BuyBasin Festival! Full lineup here.

Here's another highlight from the first few days of the fest! Arcane Coda gave a full fashion show, explaining how they reduce waste through ethical sourcing and showing off some of their bespoke fashions fit for the festival scene or the ski hill.

And one more, Little Piece of Paradise Farm swung their gates open (virtually, on Instagram) to reveal how they create their herbs, looseleaf teas and medicinals.

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A post shared by Little Piece Of Paradise Farm (@pieceofparadisefarm)

There is lots still to come, of course, with the festival running through until Wednesday, November 10.

Get the full festival lineup to tune in and catch all the #BuyBasin action.

Some highlights coming up: Hit the water on Kootenay Lake with an adventure company who is a returning #BuyBasin Festival participant, and go behind the scenes at a historic printing, printmaking, and analog design studio in Fernie. Hear from bookstores, tattoo shops, photographers, artists, wellness spas and more. Get some backcountry safety tips and watch a blacksmith get to work at a forge.

All you need for admission is an internet connection.

Kootenay Grassbuster #BuyBasin Festival Castlegar lawn care

GET THE FULL #BUYBASIN FESTIVAL LINEUP!

Of course we can’t forget the live music! Coming up we have Fernie’s Ms. Anie (October 29th) and Red Girl (November 1st), Salmo’s Sly Violet (November 2nd), Nelson’s Bella Cat (November 3rd) and Zoubi Arros (November 5th) and many more.

View the full schedule here and tune in daily, Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm to catch some of these sessions.

How #BuyBasin Supports Local

Curious what the impact of the festival is? Hear it straight from some of our participants.

“I want to grow my social media and Instagram following and get some sales online,“ said Sonya Cooke of Ludic Style Co. in Nelson about why she joined the festival. “Farmers markets are usually a success in person but I would like to see the online impact.”

“I appreciate getting to do things like this,” says returning participant Nicole Cherlet of Big Mountain Kitchen + Linen. “All the different platforms change so often, it’s really great to check in with the pros, learn the latest and greatest features and get best practices then apply them to my social media plan.”

FestivalSeekers coaches (our dedicated festival programmers, in a sense) have been working on strategy and planning with the participants to maximize their reach and get them set up for success with their live videos. Let's keep cheering them on!

Keep Watching and Enter to Win with #BuyBasin

Supporting local starts with you, so thanks for participating. And as a token of our appreciation, don’t forget to enter the #BuyBasin Festival giveaway!

Tune in and share any live video and you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to the festival business of your choosing. There will be a winner picked every week of the fest and every video you share is another chance to win.

See you at the #BuyBasin Festival!