HINTON – A rockin’ music festival will be showcasing Alberta artists just outside Jasper’s east gate from July 18 to 20.
The headliners this year for the Wild Mountain Music Festival are Doc Walker, Jason McCoy, Michelle Wright and Bahamas. The festival will feature over a dozen other musicians, many of them new and upcoming.
“We try to be pretty diverse and include everybody,” said Lisa Barrett, one of the festival’s organizers. “First, we try to get Alberta artists so that we can support our own province, and then if we can't fill it up with that, we kind of broaden out, but we try to make it as much Canadian artists as possible.”
The festival features various genres of music and showcases Indigenous musicians. This year, Nêhiyaw singer/songwriter Wyatt C. Lewis from Calgary will be attending.
First held in 2008, Wild Mountain has become a popular festival known for its scenic outdoor setting in the Rock Mountain Foothills. The festival is held on the Entrance Ranch down Highway 40.
“We use the field for camping, and then we have vendors and all that food,” Barrett said. “Very family friendly. My kids have been going since they were little, and I don't worry about them. Just have a great time.”
Most of the festivalgoers come from nearby Hinton, but Barrett noted she does see plenty of unfamiliar faces each year.
“Not a lot of people stop in Hinton; they go straight to Jasper,” she said. “So, it kind of helps Hinton out as well as Jasper.”
She described the vibe of the festival as “super family friendly” and “very chill, mellow,” with the weather good most of the time.
“Honestly, it's always a good time,” she said.
The festival will also include vendors, a beer tent, yoga in the morning and a kids’ tent and performer. Barrett added how the festival is 100-per-cent volunteer-based.
More information is available on Wild Mountain’s website, and tickets are available at Eventbrite.
