Are you new to the Festival? Not sure how it works? Or where to go, how much it costs, and what’s it all about? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a quick breakdown of what we have to offer and how it all works. We have a different kind of festival than your typical 3-4 day, gated event with all things included on one site. We spread out across the town and stretch over 10 days. Most things are free, some you need to pay for tickets, and it can be confusing especially if you’ve never been before. We hope the following explainer blog post will help ease that confusion.
For a digital version of our Festival Program booklet, click here! It has ALL the details about this year’s festival including artists, schedule, workshops, Children’s Day, and more. (Coming mid June)
The Very Basics
- The Festival is in Harrison Hot Springs, BC
- Our Dates this year are from July 12-21st, 2024.
- This will be our 45th Festival, which makes us one of the longest-running in BC.
- We are mostly a music festival, but branch off into other elements in major ways which you will read about below.
- For the most part, the kind of music we highlight is considered roots music, or formerly referred to as world music. But we don’t limit ourselves to that.
- The Festival is organized and managed by the Harrison Festival Society. A charitable arts organization based in Harrison.
Music on the Beach
Our Music on the Beach, or our Beach Stage as we sometimes refer to it as, is located right in the middle of town overlooking the lake. When you drive into Harrison on Hot Springs Road, go all the way to the end and you’ll see it! Just look for the big white tents!
The entertainment here is FREE and we do not have any gates or fences. You can just walk right on up, set up a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the music. For a schedule of performances, head to our schedule page. Even though there is no obligation to pay, you will see a tent and volunteers roving around selling buttons for $2. There is a new design and colour for each day. We would greatly appreciate it if you could help support us by buying a button! The costs of producing a professional festival like this is very high, and the $2 button goes directly to cover a portion of it! We can take cash or card now too! We also sell buttons for $20 that go toward all ten days. $20 bucks for over 14 professional performances is a screaming good deal!
What about seating? We do not provide seating, but you are absolutely welcome to bring your own lawn chair or blanket to veg out on! We only ask that you are courteous of others and try not to block other people’s views as much as you can.
Can we dance? Absolutely! We love it when people get up and dance at the show, and with some of the bands we have coming, it will be a challenge not to! Just like setting up chairs, we ask that you be aware of other people’s view of the show!
Click the button below, and in the gallery section, choose the Hall filter to see who is playing in the Hall this year.
Hall Performances
Every evening of the Festival we have our Hall performances. Again, for a list of what is happening and when, head to our schedule page! These events are ticketed and do come with a cost. Tickets can be purchased online here, but you can also purchase tickets at the door (if we haven’t sold out). You can also give us a call at 604.796.3664 and we can sell them over the phone! We accept cash, credit or debit (card preferred). Physical tickets are not required at the door, we keep a guest list and we’ll just ask for your name. We have multiple ways to look up purchases, but it can be handy to print out your confirmation email with the barcode at the bottom on the rare occasion something has been missed. Seating is first come first serve on a nightly basis. We have a teared riser system in the hall during the festival and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Full Hall Passes are available for purchase as well which get you in the door to all 9 of the evening shows. Whenever you see something that says” get your passes”, that’s what that refers to. No passes are required at the Beach Stage or Artisan Market.
Inside the show, we have a licensed bar and concession. Seating is provided and dancing is encouraged but not required of course ;)!
The Memorial Hall is located at 290 Esplanade Ave.
Click the button below, and in the gallery section, choose the Hall filter to see who is playing in the Hall this year.
Workshops
The Festival has plenty of hands-on workshops! Most of these take place in the Memorial Hall and the cost is only $2 with the exception of the Indigenous Drum Making. Some other workshops take place at the Ranger Station Art Gallery. Head to our Workshops page for all the finer details. Details will be posted when they are confirmed.
The Artisan Market
For over 40 years, the Festival has produced one of the longest-running markets in BC. The artisan market is free to attend, outside along the lagoon waterfront, and full of amazing juried artisans! Most artisans now accept credit and debit now, but it’s generally a good idea to bring cash too, as they love that! We usually have between 40 and 50 artisans, from visual artists, to jewelry, to woodworking and pottery. The Market only runs on the weekends of the Festival and this year, those dates are July 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21. More info here!
Children’s Day
Always on the Wednesday of the Festival (the 17th this year), we have our very own festival within a festival as we call it. We block the road beside the Memorial Hall, put up a bunch of tents, and have a whole bunch of fun games, activities, and performances. There is a main hall performance as well as a few acts that perform on the outdoor stage.
For many years, and this year is no exception, the Agassiz Lions Club has provided a low-cost concession with hot dogs, chips, and juice and pop for the kids, but everyone is welcome to bring their own food as well!
The Ranger Station Art Gallery
Every year at Festival time, we take over the Ranger Station Art Gallery and curate our own Festival Exhibit featuring a visual artist. Unlike the rest if the Fest, this display stays up all month typically, so if you miss out on it during the ten days. The gallery is located at 98 Rockwell Drive, Harrison Hot Springs, BC. For more show specific details and hours, click below.
If you have any questions about the festival, or need help with tickets, or want to confirm something before arriving, please feel free to get in touch. Email us at info@harrisonfestival.com or give us a shout at 604.796.3664. We also have a great page full of frequently asked questions, like parking, where to stay etc, how to volunteer and get involved etc… click here for more details.
