The Beaumont Blues and Roots Festival just completed it’s eleventh year. The first five were spent in field north west of the town (soon to be a city). The current location is in town at Four Seasons Park. It’s a nifty location, right by a man-made lake surrounded by houses. I wondered about the music and the volume, how it might affect those that live in the area. The obvious is that you could sit on your deck and enjoy some great tunes, even if you may not see the stage. That and the actual answer of free tickets for each household is what has kept the BBRF in this location.
Until now, I had never been to this festival. Come to think of it, I haven’t actually been to any of the “local” festivals. Not to Big Valley, not to Edmonton Folk or Jazzfest. I usually go to these things when I am on vacation, hitting Craven or Dauphin’s Countryfest. It just doesn’t seem like a festival if I can drive home to get the sunscreen I forgot. Since I am Stony Plain based, Beaumont is still local even if it is four communities away. It’s still just over an hour’s drive.
Speaking with event organizers I find that the BBRF is a one hundred percent, Canadian content festival. This year, at least fifty percent of the performers are women. That is quite a statement and for this they are using the hashtag #foragirl. The tag is being picked up from all the issues women have in the music, well to be honest, any industry. Besides the more serious harassment that happens, they so often hear the phrase, for a girl. You are a pretty good guitar player…. for a girl and so on. A portion of sales will be donated to the sexual assault center in Edmonton.
On top of being totally Canadian, I discovered what I think is a shocking fact. Unlike most festivals that sell out weeks in advance, the BBRF is nearly eighty percent walk up crowd. That is a staggering number when you consider the money that is invested in putting an event this together. Imagine, going on vacation with a minimal amount of cash. You are depending on strangers to have your hotel covered, your meals covered, and any side trips covered. Now you get where you are going and …. NOTHING! I guess that’s the feeling organizers must have every year, as they depend on the weather and strangers to come out on show day and by a ticket. That is reason enough to stress out until the event is over.
I arrived at site early, thanks to the Edmonton Muse, media passes are at the back gate. As I head in to roam the grounds, a couple approaches me They ask if I know where they can get festival guides. I don’t, but before you go, can we chat? Somehow the couple, Roman and Becky, got through the front gate before opening time. They do have their passes, so they didn’t sneak in. They are in their mid fifties and have travelled from Cochrane, Alberta for the weekend. It’s also their first festival. I asked how they happen to come across this event. They were taking a couple of weeks in the trailer and were going to be in the area. They searched for things to do on line and TADA, here they are. We spent a lot of time talking and they agreed to help me out on Sunday. Sunday will be Fathers Day and my family has me committed to other things.
We continued to roam the space. Food trucks, a quasi beer garden, media sponsors, VIP cabanas and two stages for non-stop music. It’s a unique set up. The two stages face each other so that when one is done, you just turn your chair around and you can watch the other. The smaller community stage will offer local artists, solo and bands. While the main stage hosts the bigger names.
NO BLUES AT THE BEAUMONT BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL
Jazz Matthews