If you haven’t snagged your ticket for the Fireside Festival this weekend, you may want to do so.
Kelowna’s only winter festival has sold the last pre-sale tickets for Friday and Saturday night and events at BNA are 75 per cent sold out.
“It could be sold-out beforehand and that’s exactly what we want,” said Fireside marketing manager and emcee Heather Leslie.
The three-day festival will be held from Jan. 24 to 26, hosting acoustics in the day time, hip hop artists and DJs at night and concluding with the main event on Sunday which features solo and group acts across genres.
“The people are amazing, the music is amazing, there’s artists, there’s entertainment, there are vendors, there are all sorts of cool things to do,” said event coordinator Aaron Desilva.
“All the venues have great vibes and it’s a really great way to start the year off by experiencing local music.”
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Desilva said this year’s festival will feature more hip hop artists than ever before, showcasing the genre’s local artists on a stand-alone night at Dunnenzies in the Mission to open the festival on Friday.
“I am a huge hip-hop fan myself and I know there’s a really cool emerging scene in Kelowna,” said Desilva.
“I want to make sure that the scene is present at the festival and it definitely needs its own night because it doesn’t really overlap with the rest of the festival.”
During the day on Saturday, an acoustic showcase at Rustic Reel Brewing Co. has been put together to welcome a more “chill vibe.” Well-known local artists such as Elk the Moose, Nathaniel Sherman and JP Maurice will be performing for a familiar crowd.
As the day rolls into the night, the energy will grow with the likes of Bella Cat and Little Destroyer taking the stage.
“Little Destroyer is our (Saturday) headliner and she and her band were amazing last year,” said Leslie.
“People’s jaws were practically on the ground after their performance. We’re totally excited to have them back.”
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Sunday’s lineup has created the most excitement among festival-goers. The 10 artists scheduled to play at BNA are somewhat different than last year’s, but provide a fresh sound to the festival.
“It’s the most solid lineup,” said Leslie.
“I would pay way more than than 60 bucks to watch the 10 performers. When you’re there at the events, you would never know Kelowna would have the capacity to have that type of music community.”
Perhaps the most notable name to play this year’s festival is Sunday’s headliner, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, a Canadian First Nations hip hop duo from Kitimaat Village, B.C.
The group’s 2017 album, The Average Savage, was nominated for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and for the Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards in 2019.
“They played Kelowna a few years ago and their performance blew my mind,” said Desilva.
Tickets for the festival are $20 for the hip-hop showcase and $20 for the acoustic showcase – these events are now sold out online but there will be limited availability at the doors. Tickets for the BNA kick-off party are $30, $60 for Sunday’s main event or $80 for a pass to both BNA events. Discounted youth prices are also available.
For set times, ticket prices and more visit the Fireside Website.
