The Festival takes place as usual on two stages in the centre of Princeton, and begins, as last year, with a public street dance and an Irish ceili band. Saturday and Sunday are given over, between the hours of 10 am to 6 pm, to a potpourri of concerts, workshops, panels and jams.

Music won’t just be found on the stages – mini-jams and guerilla dances are liable to happen anywhere in town culminating in a Saturday evening town-wide party. The Festival is free, though it asks its audiences to help with donations.

SPONSORS: Funding for the Festival comes from donations from Festival attendees, as well as grants from the Town of Princeton, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program of Canadian Heritage.

Princeton, with a population of some 2,600, is just to the east of the Cascade Mountains, some 300 km from Vancouver. Its location (in the rainshadow of the mountains) means that it’s hot and dry from May to September. Bring a hat or buy one of the Festival’s! There is a daily bus from Vancouver and flights from Penticton some 75 minutes away. There are numerous motels in and around town (book soon!), and bed and breakfasts throughout the Similkameen valley. There are also campgrounds close to town.