A thicket of evergreen trees will be the backdrop for an upcoming music festival in Cultus Lake featuring 19 different artists and bands.
The annual Forest Echoes Music Festival runs June 28 and 29, and organizer Ben Thorne described it as a miniature Woodstock music festival with a "spectacular" array of musicians.
“It’s vintage festival vibes," he said. "There is a bit of an eclectic selection of artists, but it’s very wholesome, roots-inspired, earthy, acoustic."
If he could classify it as one genre, he'd call it a rock festival, but there's also folk, jazz, soul, funk and blues in the mix.
“We want to bring together music and nature and celebrate those two things together. In my opinion, it’s the best combination.”
He got the idea after he went to the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Summer Music Festival in 2017. The first Forest Echoes festival started small as a summer solstice party and grew to what it is today – two days of music and camping at Forest Echoes Cabins, just a 10-minute walk from Cultus Lake.
The musicians will be performing on an outdoor stage built by Thorne and his father. Music will fill the forest throughout the evening on Friday, plus all day Saturday.
Thorne has performed out in nature in the past and said he discovered early on "how magical it was just playing in the forest.”
All of the performers are local B.C. musicians except for BA Johnston who's from Ontario. Thorne describes him as having bits of comedy in his act, even though it’s all music. B.C. bands include Brass Camel, Tayos, and Whitey.
Thorne said he’s “very lucky” to have been accepted into the Lower Mainland music scene, and added that he and his former band made a lot of connections with fellow musicians, some of whom will be performing at the festival.
“I'm grateful to be able to call so many of those Vancouver musicians friends.”
Thorne is expecting upwards of 250 people, many of whom will be setting up tents around the cabins on the 20-acre property and camping over the weekend. There will be a festival kitchen, 10-12 vendors, plus festival merchandise.
“It is challenging sometimes, but when the event actually happens, and just seeing how happy people are and how much fun everyone is having, it’s kind of hard to think about not doing it," Thorne said.
Thorne said he had the same feeling at the Kaslo festival seven years ago.
“I definitely felt that with Kaslo Jazz where it's just such an incredible experience that, afterwards, it's almost like nothing else matters… almost everything else kind of just pales in comparison.”
The gates open at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 28 and music starts at 5 p.m. Music continues Saturday from 1 p.m. to around midnight. There is no music on Sunday, June 30 and people are required to check out by 11 a.m.
“There's so much going on that stresses us out and it's out of our control, and to just be able to take a step back from all of that for a weekend and enjoy the things in life that make life worth living without having to think about anything else… it's really a restorative experience."
Forest Echoes Music Festival runs Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 at Forest Echoes Cabins (45825 Edmeston Rd.) in Cultus Lake. Weekend passes (includes two nights of camping) are $180 and day passes are $90. For more, including ticket purchasing and festival schedule, go to forestechoesentertainment.com/event-details/forest-echoes-music-festival.
