SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS
Calgary has a limited number of days when concert promoters can safely plan an outdoor music festival , so when the weather is hot and the sun is shining , the city turns into a hub for both big and small scale music festivals . Whether fans are looking to get their fix of country , hip-hop , or opera , music festivals abound all summer long .
BY ELIZABETH CHORNEY-BOOTH
COUNTRY THUNDER AUGUST 18 - 20
One of the newest — and biggest — festivals to hit the Calgary music scene is COUNTRY THUNDER ( page 36 ), a three-day country music extravaganza taking place August 18 to 20 . The festival , which also has outposts in Arizona , Wisconsin , and Saskatchewan , debuted in Calgary last year to a sold-out audience . For 2017 the festival has made some improvements to its venue at Prairie Winds Park in Calgary ’ s north east , including a better flow for those looking to get food and beverage and more advantageous sightlines . The line-up is the real draw here , with 20,000 fans getting to see some of the genre ’ s biggest names like Blake Shelton , Brad Paisley , and Thomas Rhett .
“ It ’ s a special festival because it ’ s a city festival as opposed to the camping festivals we do in other locations ,” says Country Thunder ’ s Gerry Krochak . “ You get to go and have fun all day in a festival environment but you ’ re not sleeping in a tent at night . It ’ s our boutique Thunder — our smallest and most intimate one , with audiences at the 20,000 mark .”
CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 27 - 30
For those who like their music on the folkier side , the CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL ( page 36 ) returns to Prince ’ s Island Park from July 27 to 30 . As always , the programming skews towards an “ a little bit of everything ” philosophy , with artists like Blue Rodeo , City and Colour , Barenaked Ladies , and Basia Bulat appearing on the main stage and dozens of other bands playing the many side stages scattered throughout the island .
“ The Festival ’ s bucolic setting , programming diversity and community-based , egalitarian atmosphere and philosophy mean that all ages , cultures , backgrounds , and tastes happily co-exist ,” says artistic director Kerry Clarke . “ The site is like a small town of 13,000 a day that also includes creative artisans and the opportunity to chill in the family zone .”
TERMINUS FESTIVAL JULY 28 - 30
Not all music fans are looking for summer sunshine — those who prefer to keep things a bit darker can head to Dickens Pub from July 28 to 30 for the TERMINUS FESTIVAL ( page 38 ), a festival that specializes in dark electronic , synth , and industrial music . It ’ s a niche genre , but Terminus manages to attract bands ( and fans ) from all over the world , including acts like The Birthday Massacre , 3Teeth , and The Gothsicles .
PHOTOGRAPHS : ( TOP TO BOTTOM ) COURTESY COUNTRY THUNDER ; COURTESY TOURISM CALGARY ; COURTESY SOLOMAN MEDIA
22 where . ca JULY / AUGUST 2017