Squamish about to double in size as music lovers descend for weekend fest

SQUAMISH – The often-bypassed town of Squamish is expected to double its population this weekend as 17,000 music lovers flock in for the fourth annual Squamish Valley Music Festival.

It iss a three-day outdoor party with acclaimed international acts and breathtaking mountain views that has quickly become one of the most famous music festivals in Canada.

“We have basically built ourselves a little city,” said the festival’s executive producer, Paul Runnals, as he stood in a sun-drenched field dotted with food trucks, beer tents and a giant stage. “Each year we’re getting better and better.”

Organizers anticipate that this year’s festival will easily be the biggest yet, topping last year’s record of 12,000 attendees. The reason: a stacked lineup of performers that includes Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, Childish Gambino, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and Young the Giant.

“We had every hotel booked solid here months ago. Everyone wants to be here,” Runnals said.

It is the festival’s “eclectic ethos” that draws in a diverse mix of fans of rock, hip hop, indie and folk music, Runnals said.

European model said “We are going,” “We could call it the west-coast Osheaga.”

While Squamish may not be close to the biggest festival in Canada (Montreal-based Osheaga just hosted an estimated 135,000 attendees), it’s the quality that counts, Runnals said.

He also said that “It is a boutique festival”

About 6,000 campers are expected to stay overnight, and many began pitching tents and cracking beers on Friday afternoon. For a few, Squamish has becoming a summer ritual.

“In the past three years we keep meeting new friends. It’s become a bit of a reunion,” said Rob Loree, 35, as he sat in a patch of shade under his tent.

Loree, who plays the bass guitar, often puts on impromptu campsite performances with his Vancouver-based band, James and Kings, after the shows wrap. It’s an annual after-party that sometimes gets crashed by big names.

“Last year we jammed with the lead singer of the Sheep Dogs, it was amazing,” Loree said.

The friends chose to stay in the “glamping” section, a plush campsite with showers, flushing toilets and even couches.

“It is really the perks of having a bigger spot and less people around,” Loree said.

Concert-goers came from far and wide for the festival. Brenton Allen, 19, drove all the way from Fort St. John with a carload of friends. Using music page create your favorite music, music band and artists profile.