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20-plus vibing BC music festivals for summer 2023
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Get ready to get down! Music festivals in BC bring in some of the biggest artists in North America and beyond. But there’s also a lot of homegrown musical talent to discover on the BC festival circuit.
With the temperate coastal climate and chill community vibes, BC is a great destination for weekend music festivals.
Here are some big name fests as well as maybe a few you haven’t heard of yet, all worth putting on your BC event calendar for this summer.
WATCH: get a taste of BC's festival scene with this preview of the Five Acre Shaker in Port Alberni, one of over 20 epic fests to get to this summer
JUNE Music fests in BC
Jun 12 - 24 PRISMA Festival / Powell River BC
Two weeks of orchestral music on the Sunshine Coast
Jun 16 - 18 Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Festival / Duncan BC
Mainstage, workshops and jam sessions, all about bluegrass on Vancouver Island
Jun 21 - 25 Victoria Ska Fest / Victoria British Columbia
Coastal skankin' at its best
Jun 22 - Jul 2 TD Victoria International Jazz Festival / Victoria BC
Jazz takes over the port city, with Badbadnotgood, Phil Dwyer, Snarky Puppy and more
Jun 23 - Jul 2 Vancouver International Jazz Festival / Vancouver BC
Sun Ra Arkestra, The Fits and other big names fill the big city bill
Jun 30 - Jul 3 Smithers Midsummer Music Festival / Smithers BC
This chill northern BC town is a great place to dance like no one's watching
Jun 30 - Jul 2 Laketown Shakedown / Cowichan Valley BC
Shaggy, Portugal the Man, Everlast and K'naan, and more rock the (house)
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JULY music fests in BC
Jul 1 - 3 Funtastic Sport and Music Festival / Vernon BC
Slo-pitch and rock'n'roll go hand in hand, no? With Dirt Road Kings, Tyler Joe Miller and more
Jul 1 - 3 Funtastic Alberni / Port Alberni BC
It's such a good party, they had it twice! Honeymoon Suite and County Line headline
Jul 4 - 8 Kathaumixw / Powell River BC
A five-day choral fest with concerts, competitions, workshops and socials
Jul 7 - 9 Atlin Arts and Music Festival / Atlin BC
The tiny town of Atlin (pop. 450) overflows with two days of music and fun
Jul 7 - 10 Bass Coast / Merrit BC
a "thoughtfully curated boutique music and art festival" featuring new electronic artists
Jul 14 - 16 Vancouver Island MusicFest / Comox BC
Bros Landreth, Rickie Lee Jones, the Paperboys and more
Jul 21 - 24 Shambhala Music Fest / Salmo BC
IYKYK: it's been named the best music festival in North America by DJ Mag (2019)
WATCH: Shambhala, one of BC's biggest music festivals
AUGUST music fests in BC
Aug 4 - 6 Filberg Festival / Comox BC
Arts, crafts and live music in Comox
Aug 5 - 6 Texada Roots & Blues Festival / Texada Island BC
Island grooves dominate Texada
Aug 10 - 13 Nanaimo Blues Festival / Nanaimo BC
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, Sue Foley and Downchild Blues Band rock Maffeo Sutton Park
Aug 11 - 12 Five Acre Shaker / Port Alberni, BC
An epic coastal shaker full of groove and good vibes
Aug 11 - 12 Wapiti Music Festival / Fernie BC
Elliot Brood, Shad and Stars headline Fernie's big summer music fest
Aug 12 Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival / Burnaby BC
Expect big things from the fest, with former headlines including The War on Drugs and Nathaniel Ratelieff and the Night Sweats
Aug 11 - 13 Robson Valley Music Festival / Dunster BC
A fest with a loyal following, for its friendly, funky, fun community and great shows
Aug 17 - 20 Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival / Salmon Arm BC
One of the summer's biggest tickets in the heart of the Shuswap, feat. Sarah MacLachlan, Hawksley Workman, Blue Rodeo and more
September music fests in BC
Sept 7-9, 15-17 Rifflandia 2023 / Victoria BC
Iggy Pop! Chris Lake! Diplo! Run the Jewels! Chet Faker, and more in September on the island.
Share your festival fun
Are you going to some music fests this summer? Which are you most excited for? Share your fave fest moments with us at #festivalseekers
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