A beginner’s guide to Shambhala: Everything you need to know and more

The Stages

The Pagoda

The Pagoda generally plays host to Shambhala’s selection of house and techno throughout the weekend, in addition to functioning as the festival’s unofficial “main stage.” Typically, larger headliners will play here, as the stage with the most square-footage for large crowds, and plenty of places to sit back and relax in the grass. The stage also got a facelift in 2019, vastly expanding the size of the stage structure, and leveling up the projection mapping and visuals.

The Village

Here you’ll find basshead heaven, as the locale for all of the heaviest and hardest music you’ll find all weekend long. Run by the PK Sound crew themselves, The Village’s speaker rig is perfectly tuned to the artists that play there. You can choose to rage down on the dancefloor, or observe from the catwalks that surround the stage, giving you plenty of places to post up for the night. 2022 will mark the stage’s first major renovation in years, with the promise of more space, even bigger projection screens, and a few surprises to boot.

Fractal Forest

This may very well be Shambhala’s most unique stage, with a 360-degree setup among the trees, adorned with a handful of creatively-placed projection-mapped screens up above. The vibes are funky and fresh, with a handful of old-school hip-hop to boot. You’ll also see Shambhala’s most talented turntablists spinning vinyl all weekend long. Just be sure you aren’t taking any pictures: Photography in Fractal Forest is strictly prohibited in order to preserve the experience for everyone.

The AMPhitheatre

The AMP serves as the site of what many deem the unofficial opening party for the weekend in Skiitour’s yearly Thursday evening set. For the rest of the weekend, you’ll get a mix of deep and heavy bass, live performances, hip-hop, and more. The stage is also conveniently placed right next door to the festival’s downtown area, making it a great meet-up spot for your group.

The Grove

Get ready to chill, because The Grove is meticulously designed to keep you as relaxed as possible. Up above is a tall catwalk for a bird’s-eye view, while down behind the catwalk is a gigantic hammock that can fit your whole crew. The music here generally resides in the deeper, more experimental realm of bass music, so be sure to keep an open mind!

The Living Room

If there’s one stage to hang out at during the daytime hours of Shambhala, it’s the Living Room. Situated directly next to the Salmo River, it’s the perfect spot to take in the summer vibes, go swimming, and take a nap in the sun. The vibes throughout the day and night are more lowkey than the other party-centric stages, but also make for a perfect cooldown spot if things feel like they’re getting too intense. Additionally, it’s one of the two stages that opens up on Thursday (the other being the AMP).

*PHOTO CREDIT: Graphics originally found on the Shambhala website, and can be seen in full on their “Stages” page here.