It should serve as no surprise that Shambhala Music Festival sold out, yet again. Year after year, the Canadian electronic music mecca draws festival-goers from across North America and beyond to experience the magic of Salmo River Ranch. Celebrating its 18th year, Shambhala differs from other festivals of its size in its grassroots origin and continued operation as such. There is a very tangible carefree, loving, and accepting vibe to the festival, partly due to the festival’s resistance to the financial lures of corporate sponsors. This vibe is also aided by the festival’s no-alcohol policy, which promotes forward thinking folks to relish in the beauty of the event without being muffled by drunk, hazy minds.
Taking place at Salmo River Ranch near Nelson, British Columbia, the location offers beautiful, mountainous Canadian landscapes and lies only 20 minutes past the U.S border, making it an easy trip for likeminded electronic music fans of America. Another special point to the festival is its diverse group of attendees. While it has a feel similar to Burning Man-type festivals, it draws in an eclectic crowd with large headlining acts such as Pretty Lights, Skrillex, GRiZ and Big Gigantic.
Never forgetting its hometown heroes, the festival consistently features local up-and-coming DJ’s as well as local headliners such as Datsik, Excision, Downlink, and Subvert. Last year at Shambhala, a friend of mine said, “Shambhala is the place where weird people go to feel normal, and normal people go to feel weird.” This phenomenon is a result of the overwhelmingly positive ethos of the festival, where people from all walks of life are accepted provided they bring hugs, smiles, and good intentions.
Attracting roughly 10,000 attendees, Shambhala is the only North American festival of its size committed to bringing underground electronic music acts of all flavors. From the funky house sounds of Claude VonStroke and members of Dirtybird Records to the deep dubstep creations of UK artists such as Leon Switch, Biome, and Geode, you are bound to run across a new favorite artist as you bounce between stages. 2015 is a particularly special year for Shambhala as the glitch-hop music deity, also known as Tipper, returns to the ranch for the first time in 10 years, playing one set at the riverside Living Room and the other at the flourishing Grove.
With fantastic music running nearly all day and night, necessary rest and relaxation can be found at the luscious river running through the festival grounds. Meet good people, strip down to your skins, and float with the river, as thousands of people rage together in the daylight. I can safely say that Shambhala is the best parties in the music festival scene. The décor and sound production is off the charts with unique designs for each stage and unrivaled sound quality brought to you by PK Sound and Function-One.
While Shambhala tickets are sold out, those fortunate enough to snag tickets will rejoice together for the festival dates that span from August 7-10; early entry is permitted for an extra fee for those who feel that 4 days just isn’t enough.
VIEW FULL SHAMBHALA 2015 LINEUP