At Kispiox Valley, British Columbia, Canada

27/07/2012 to 29/07/2012

The Kispiox Valley Music Festival Society came into being in 1994 as a result of an enthusiastic group of individuals hoping to put on a music festival in our community. With seed money, advice and encouragement from the Bulkley Valley Folk Music Society in Smithers organizers went forward. That first year a group of talented local volunteers designed and erected a spectacular stage on the banks of the Kispiox River fronted by a natural grassy amphitheater. Valley residents spent months creating an environment for the upcoming event. They extended the camping area, worked on the community hall and stage, built a sound booth, created a third "Kids' Stage" and developed a Hospitality area in one of the existing buildings. A committee was formed to select and hire Headline Performers as well as encourage local and regional performers to apply to be part of our festival. Eventually over fifty musicians and some two hundred volunteers convened on the last weekend in July in 1995 and we had our first Kispiox Valley Music Festival. Fourteen years later planning is underway for the Seventeenth annual Kispiox Valley Music Festival. Our budget has grown from less than $20,000 to $50,000. Every year over 200 volunteers put in hundreds of hours of work assuring that yet another wonderful festival takes place on the banks of the Kispiox River. It is a family focused event with a wide range of music and entertainment for a variety of musical tastes. From a few dozen applicants that first year hoping for a Headliner position it has mushroomed into over one hundred talented groups vying to play at our festival. Our attendance has double over the interim to over two thousand attendees and I'm sure this year will be no exception.