The Wapiti Music Festival celebrated its fifth birthday with another successful event. The festival started on Thursday evening with performances by the Hark Raving Sirens, a local female trio who sing a mix of older and newer songs, as well as the Steadies at the Arts Station and continued at Annex Park over Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, the festival gates opened at 6 p.m. and evening performances started at 7 p.m. People were entertained by Buckman Coe and Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer while dancing, lounging on the grass or enjoying the beer gardens.
The grounds opened on Saturday at noon, allowing for ample time for people to check out the vendors, sample the variety of food trucks and enjoy the afternoon music by Kirby and Lovecoast. There was an activity tent for the children who weren’t dancing or enjoying the hula-hoops.
Saturday performances included the Mounties, a Canadian alt-rock band made up of Hawksley Workman and Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat fame. Bays flirted with the crowd, mentioning that if he wasn’t already married, he would find his wife in amongst crowd. Their performance was a bonafide jam session that provided an intimate experience for the crowd.
Last to take the stage was Sherman Downey, the newly solo Newfoundland-based singer. His bluegrass music was a nice topper to a steady stream of performances over the two days.
The Wapiti Music Festival has become a staple weekend in the summer, with many locals and visitors looking forward to it each year.