Hinton is getting ready to host the third annual Wild Mountain Music Festival this weekend with headliners Wide Mouth Mason and Colin James. 

Hitting the stage first will be the Bix Mix Boys, a bluegrass band out of Edmonton, at 6 p.m. Friday evening. 

The evening will progress with Wide Mouth Mason headlining, beginning at 11 p.m.

On Saturday the fun will start up again at 1 p.m. with a musician jam session. Artists from many of the festivals bands will gather to jam together ahead of the concert. Spectators are welcome. 

Following the jam at 2 p.m., Jesse Dee and Jacquie B will take to the stage. 

Headlining on Saturday will be Colin James at 8 p.m. The festival will continue well into the night, with the last artist set to hit the stage at 11 p.m.

On Sunday the final bands will start at 1 p.m., and run until 6 p.m.

Local bands including the Linkomatics, Laura Vinson and the Fiddle River Band will be performing as well. 

The Linkomatics are set to have the crowd up and dancing with their rhythm and blues for Friday night at 10 p.m., the Fiddle River Band will bring their unique performance to Hinton on Sunday at 1 p.m. and Laura Vinson will bring her aboriginal-inspired traditional music to the stage on Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Besides the music, there will be activities for children and a beer garden for adults. 

Tanya Richardson, a member of the main organizing committee for the Wild Mountain Music Festival said this year they have expanded the beer gardens and have been building a brand new main stage. 

“That’s really exciting,” she said. 

Last year 1,100 people attended the festival, and Richardson is hoping they will improve on that number this year. 

“We’re hoping to at least double that this year,” she said. 

The gates will open on Friday at noon for festival-goers to set up their campsites. 

Tickets are on sale online, or at the gate. See www.wildmountainmusicfest.ca for more details.