For the 400 + festival goer's of Prince Georg's premier dance music festival July 20th was a day and night to remember! With a host of local dj talent taking their turn on the decks, as well as headliners from out of town Freddy J and Mat the Alien, lucky ticket holders were able to enjoy a variety of summer beats lasting the whole day and well into the wee small hours of Sunday Morning.
First up on the decks was my good self dj Jazzy Jo and the FreshPrincess. With our sweet selection of soulful classics we were all set to uplift spirits on this magical midsummer's day. Brought to you on vinyl record just like my show Rock N' Soul right here on CFUR 88.7FM
Taking the decks nest was PG dj Lewda whose subtle blend of reggae tinged beats really soothed the crowds in the afternoon sun.
More home grown talent followed with Brett Shockra providing some eastern flavoured sounds for the festival's scarf dancing workshop! Looking good ladies!!!!!
Other dance workshops through out the day included hula hooping and break dancing whilst listening to more Prince George dj's Tyler West and Silent Union.
Silent Union doing a quick interview for CFUR in Brownie!
As afternoon turned into evening Tommy Boy took the stage and really cranked things up a notch! The crowds were clearly feeding off the energy oozing not only from his fresh choice of up tempo tunes but also from the overwhelming enthusiasm clearly demonstrated in his funky dance moves and big beaming smile!
Who could follow such a sensation I hear you ask? I was honoured to be asked to introduce yet more amazing local talent: dj Nelos of CFUR's very own "Insdie the Intro". With the crowd ready for more dancing Nelos did not disapoint. With his smattering of familiar funky edits mixed together like a pro everybody at the fest was able to boogie on down!
Next on the decks-Prince George's Ricky Business keeping the festival fun going strong while day turned to night and the crowd anticipated headliners Freddy J and Mat the Alien.
When the sun had gone down the lasers came out! Festival organizers of Prince George Entertainment did an amazing job of putting on a spectacular laser and light show! The hills were alive not only with the sound of music but with Mat the Alien's name lit up with lasers in the tree's, a 3D mapping/imaging extravaganza on the side of the property and plenty of funky glow in the dark art work strategically placed around the festival grounds!
Contributing to the whole visual experience of the festival was Vancouver based graffiti artist Milan Basic! His mission at the festival was to create something spectacular with his spray paints on a large 8/12 piece of wood! As time ticked by the piece took on a life of its own slowly evolving into an uplifting summer inspired master piece filled with flowers, faces and soothing colours. The painting will likely sell for upwards of $1000 with all proceeds going to the Prince George SPCA
I was able to pursued Milan to take a break from the paint fumes for a quick interview in the CFUR broadcast van....my very own Brownie! Milan was an absolute pleasure to talk to and he very kindly agreed to tag Brownie for me!!!! Check out this Milan Basic original right on the side of Brownie!
Camping next to Brownie was Mat the Alien! I snuck over to his trailer prior to his dj set and he agreed to an interview for CFUR 88.7FM! Hear that interview as well as dj sets and other coverage in the coming months right here on CFUR!
Headliner Mat the Alien smashed his dj set on the main stage while the crowds went wild! For those needing a little down time from the throbbing crowd the second stage was the place to be! With local dj Adin Bennett and Prince Rupert's "D Train" spinning a variety of funky house music a small crowd gathered delighting in this exclusive sanctuary.
Following Mat the Alien on the main stage was more local talent dj Nige followed by Monty Grewal and Jimmy Smith. The crowd was not yet ready to stop dancing, dj Nige continued to excite the crowd with a subtle blend of familiar classics (my personal favourite "Boogie Shoes" by KC & the Sunshine Band). Monty and Jimmy did not disappoint either, they smashe dout beats until the sun rise ending with seminal trance track "Sand Storm".
Other highlights of the festival included the opening circle led by Daniela Castella. The sacrificial burning of the intention tree: festival goer's were invited to write their fears onto paper which was then attached to the tree. The idea being that with the burning of the tree your fears are relaesed!
Vendor city: Local artists and food vendors provided festival folk with a variety of beautiful and delicious delights.
A chill out zone close to the main stage provided weary dancers with comfy couches, hammocks and wistful paintings (by local artists) for some much needed R&R.
In summary the festival provided a feast for the senses! THe positive energy flowing through out the day was definitely contagious and I'm sure every single person attending will be back next year for more!
the organizers tell me that over $2000 was raised for Prince George's SPCA (Midsummer's Dream is proud to sponsor those cute kittens and puppies) and its worth noting that apart from the security that was hired for the event and the SPCA nobody made any profit. The organizers simply had one goal in mind - to create an amazing experience for all! They certainly achieved that and some!
What started out 4 years ago as an annual staff party for Prince George Entertainment has now grown exponentially. This year was the first year that tickets were available for purchase (previous years were invite only) and with any luck the festival will continue to grow...bring on Midsummer's Dream 2014!
A big thank you to the collective of people who made this happen. Special thanks to Steve for the use of his property as well as the extremely hard working Dave (the man with the plan), Chad (he built that amazing main stage), Karm (He makes the magic happen) and Carolyn (She's the hostess with the mosses).