Bass Coast 2016: Expecting the Unexpected

Typically a week or so before a festival, we release our guide to help navigate your weekend and give you as many tips and information as we can; that will not be the case for Bass Coast. This weekend we’re off to Merritt, British Columbia for the 8th edition of the music and arts festival. We’ve spent quite some time in beautiful British Columbia, but have never had the opportunity of experiencing Bass Coast – so for 2016 we decided to change that.

While most other festivals seem to fit a general mold, Bass Coast is showing to be one of the few that doesn’t. The community focused events brings in roughly 3,000 people to keep an intimate feel and leave plenty of room on the dance floor. But don’t let the small size trick you into thinking the artist lineup is the same, because it’s far from it! This year’s lineup features over 100 local and international musicians and artists who share a true passion for music. Some names to take note of are Skiitour, The Funk Hunters, Bleep Bloop, Neon Steve, and Ekali.

With the rise of dance music culture and the growing popularity of music festivals, it’s easy to see why so many have popped up over the last few years. Bass Coast has been one of British Columbia’s secret gems for quite sometime, and has stayed true to it’s roots since the beginning. Void of corporate sponsorships, the festival is ran by a community of volunteers, artists, and DJs who share a common connection to the music. This in itself is certainly fueling the passion for what we’ve been told is one of Canada’s best festivals.

Each year, the festival introduces an overall theme for the event; past themes have included “Mutiny” and “Tentacular” (a combination of “Tentacle” and “Spectacular”). This year’s theme, “Gold,” at first may seem a bit vague, ultimately lives itself open interpretation and lots of interesting ideas. We fully expect all the Babes of Bass Coast (Bass Coast refers to all who attend “Babes”) to be draped in gold, as well as the  spectacular stages and decor of the weekend.