The lineup for the sophomore edition of Rock the Kootenays classic rock festival was announced at a Christmas-themed ceremony at Western Financial Place on Tuesday (Dec. 12).
The three-day festival, running from Aug. 9-11, 2024, features 11 bands spanning classic rock genres and generations.
The full lineup includes:
• 54-40
• Aldo Nova
• Big Wreck
• Chilliwack
• Doug and the Slugs
• Glass Tiger
• Headpins
• Nazareth
• Nick Gilder
• Toronto
• Trooper
Rock the Kootenays debuted this past summer in Cranbrook with an extremely successful festival weekend at Western Financial Place.
Trevor Thors, the Director of Recreation and Culture for the City of Cranbrook, noted that they wanted to aim high and keep growing the festival following the inaugural event last August.
“Last year was a very successful event for Cranbrook, for the residents, for the city, for the community for the entire valley and this year we just strived to make it bigger and better and make it more inclusive for the residents of Cranbrook,” said Thors.
The city reached out to each band’s management to figure out availability and routing, while also hammering out the financial details to keep the festival on-budget.
The lineup was unveiled as local celebrities and sponsors opened up envelopes to announce the band contained therein.
Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka was one such celebrity, noting his familiarity with a number of groups that passed through his bar a lifetime ago, while lauding the success of the festival this past summer.
“One, just the economics of it all, just a huge economic generator for the town, but two, it’s just further strengthens the fabric of our society where we can actually let our hair down, have some fun,” Shypitka said. “I think that’s been missing the last few years, COVID, post-COVID, all that kind of stuff, just getting people back together again and this is just a celebration of what Cranbrook can actually do for it’s residents and the surrounding area, so it’s awesome.
Three-day ticket packages are on sale online, while single-day tickets will go on sale in January.