IN CONCERT
What: Sunfest Country Music Festival, featuring Jason Aldean, Maren Morris, Kip Moore, Terri Clark and more
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Laketown Ranch Music and Recreation Park, 8811-2 Youbou Rd., Lake Cowichan
Tickets: $79 (Thursday), $109 (Saturday and Sunday), $149 (Friday) or $269 (four-day general admission)
Note: Children 12 and under are free with paid parent
Information: sunfestconcerts.com
The addition of Nashville hitmaker Jason Aldean and Texas pop-country star Maren Morris to a list of Sunfest performers that has included Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith effectively makes the Lake Cowichan country music festival the highest-profile event of its kind on Vancouver Island.
But that isn’t the only appealing aspect of the four-day festival, which starts tonight at Laketown Ranch Music and Recreation Park in Lake Cowichan.
An expanded activity zone, featuring a bouncy castle, waterslide, beach volleyball and zipline that is open to riders of all ages, helps turn the 172-acre festival site into a summertime playland for music fans.
Some attendees arrived Tuesday for early access to the camping area, two days before the first note of music will be played. Many won’t depart until Monday, following the final night of entertainment.
“The guest experience is something that is important to us, so a lot of attention has been put into it this year,” said festival manager Mike Hann of Wideglide Entertainment, the Duncan company that produces the event.
“We’re wanting to not just expand the musical experience, but the overall experience on site as well. Some people are going to be here as long as six days, so we want people to be enjoying it.”
Last year’s edition of Sunfest was headlined by Church, a seven-time Grammy Award nominee who was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine at the time of his appearance.
Church drew the biggest attendance in the festival’s history, which will be tough to match this year. But Aldean is not far off in terms of pedigree. He has had 19 singles reach No. 1 on the country charts, including Dirt Road Anthem and You Make It Easy, with another eight singles reaching the Top 10 (unfortunately, Aldean is also remembered for being on stage in 2017 when shots were fired into the audience at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people.)
A performer with Aldean’s résumé is the perfect choice to headline the festival, Hann said. “He’s one of the most acclaimed country stars in history — he’s a huge deal. We know his show is going to be at the highest level you can see on Vancouver Island. He’s coming in with four semi-trucks and six tour buses. So it’s going to be a rocking show. He’s one of the best in the business for a reason.”
Morris is no slouch, either. The Middle, her collaboration with Russian producer Zedd, has been streamed nearly 731 million times on Spotify, and earned Grammy nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop duo/group performance this year.
Hann said performances by Aldean and Morris will be comparable to an arena show, production-wise. “Even if some guests are not as familiar with some of the artists, the show itself is going to blow people away, no doubt about it. Being able to take it all in in an outdoor setting is an added bonus.”
Organizers are expecting 40,000 people over the weekend, which amounts to a mid-size municipality on Vancouver Island. Most of the nearly 2,000 camping spots were sold out well in advance. A marketplace with local artisans and vendors has been set up behind the main stage area, where flush toilets and plumbed showers have been installed.
On-site infrastructure is extensive, Hann said, to keep everyone safe and the event running smoothly.
Tweaks have been made following each event at the site, including the most recent festival, the massively popular Laketown Shakedown headlined by rapper Snoop Dogg in June. “The site is flowing really well,” Hann said. “Everyone is learning how to best use the site, guests included.”
Shuttles will take fans to various points around the property, including the Flats Stage (which runs until 1 a.m. each night) and the Backwoods Stage (which runs until 2 a.m.). The goal is to provide as much entertainment as possible for fans, some of whom call Sunfest home for the better part of a week, Hann said.
“There are definitely people who prepare all year round for this weekend, and their set-ups are amazing. They bring in infrastructure and create these crazy camps, so we want to make this as fun as possible for them.”
