Four Squamish citizens pitch a ‘mind blowing’ ‘heart opening’ festival to the district

By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: June 14, 2018

Four Squamish citizens are pitching a ‘mind-blowing’ ‘heart-opening’ music and arts festival to the District of Squamish. The inaugural Squamish Constellation Festival is being planned for the summer of 2019.

Kirsten Andrews, Katherine Kunze, Kurt Larson, and Tamara Stanners are the four directors of Aquila Constellation Productions Inc. They all live in Squamish and have extensive experience in the music, event production, food and beverage, and broadcast industries.

“We endeavour to produce a world-class festival the community can truly call its own and be proud of. We will do everything we can to showcase our town in the very best light.”

The group made their first formal proposal to District of Squamish councillors on Tuesday, June 12 in a council committee meeting.

The proposal for 2019 includes three days of music and events over the course of Friday evening through Sunday, at Hendrickson Field off Logger’s Lane.

The proposed line-up will include such genres as alt-pop, folk, indie, alt-rock, singer-songwriter, brass/big bands, and family acts. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to take advantage of blanket-style seating as well as areas designated for dancing.

The plan is to roll out the festival over four years, capping the daily attendance around 15,000.

“Constellation Festival Productions Inc. is dedicated to creating mind-blowing, heart-opening festival experiences of music, art, and community,” said Kirsten Andrews. She said all four of them had been looking for an opportunity to bring a variety of world-class cultural experiences to Squamish for Squamish.

Andrews said the festival is a seedling for what they hope will become a summer anchor for cultural events in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

“The Squamish Constellation Festival is a family-first celebration with exceptionally curated music; art installations and expressions; local craft beverages; exquisite culinary experiences, and fun, experiential activities,” she added.

Squamish Constellation Festival is a day festival; there is no camping component. In addition to the added benefit for local hotels, short-term vacation rentals, and hostel options, Aquila plans to contract established coach lines to provide shuttle services to and from Vancouver/Whistler and throughout Squamish once festival numbers warrant. Bike transportation locally will be encouraged  and an on-site bike lock-up will be provided.

The producers recognize there is a concern surrounding unlawful camping and environmentally sensitive areas and will work with the District to mitigate this to the best of their ability.

“We endeavour to produce a world-class festival the community can truly call its own and be proud of. We will do everything we can to showcase our town in the very best light. This includes working with local businesses, artists, food services, and craft beverage producers – including on-site engagement and off-site satellite events,” Andrews said.