Organizers of the Desert Daze music festival in Spences Bridge say that the event is scheduled to go ahead as planned on Sept. 6–7, but they are keeping a close eye on the wildfire situation in the region.
The Shetland Creek wildfire, which was discovered on July 12, is still highly active in the area around Spences Bridge. As of Aug. 6 the community was under evacuation alert, but the fire was not threatening the town. Smoke is, however, highly visible in the area.
“We are optimistically hopeful that [by the time of the festival] any current threat to Spences Bridge and outlying regions will be completely nullified or at the least, very minimal,” organizers said in a statement on July 31. “We realize that the summer dry season is still not behind us, but we are keeping our collective fingers crossed.
“That being said, if in our judgement — as the festival weekend nears — there still remains a possible threat to the safety of the participants, patrons, and volunteers of the Desert Daze Festival we will unreservedly make the hard decision to postpone or cancel the event.”
The festival is scheduled to be held at the former elementary school site, and will feature a full line-up of music, including the Bobby Garcia Band, The Dire Heart, Flat Busted, The Bunchgrass Boys, The Melawmen Collective, The Latin Lovers, Mash Town, and nearly a dozen other musicians and groups.
There will also be vendors, a singers/songwriters in the round event, and of course the popular Big Horn Lounge, which will be serving up adult beverages throughout the festival. Events kick off at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7.
On-site camping is once again available, but this popular addition to the event is filling up fast. For more information about camping, go to https://desertdaze.ca/on-site-camping/.
Festival organizers are still looking for vendors who are interested in taking part. Food? Crafts? Art? Clothing? Jewellery? Whatever your passion, interest, or hobby, Desert Daze has room for you, and you can cruise the festival and enjoy the music at the same time. For more information about being a Desert Daze vendor, go to https://bit.ly/4dcp6oz.
Volunteers are also required for a variety of tasks over the course of the event, from set-up to take-down and everything in-between. Volunteers who work a certain number of hours will get a free pass for the event; to learn more, go to https://desertdaze.ca/volunteer-application/.
“We are looking forward to again presenting to all of our dear friends (old and new and ones we have yet to meet) the 2024 edition of the ‘Best Little Fest in the West’!” say the organizers. “See you in September!”
