Inuvik (Sep 06/04) - Inuvik's first End of the Road music festival last weekend was such a success, next year's event is almost a sure thing.

"That is definitely the plan," said organizer Kimberly Bitensky.

More than 40 volunteers from the community helped the event run smoothly.

Bitensky said the turnout was "incredible."

Held at the Midnight Sun Recreation Hall, the festival provided a showcase for musicians from across the NWT and beyond, as well as some homegrown talent.

Inuvik's own Razzmajazz, Dennis Allen and the Big River Band joined performers such as Yellowknife's Leela Gilday and Alberta's Udder Madness to keep the 15,000 watt sound system -- trucked in from Whitehorse -- and the dance floor rocking.

Strings Across the Sky held its fiddle camp the same week, and fiddle campers -- almost all of whom were first-time players -- strutted their stuff on the main stage Saturday. The smiles on the kids' faces during the performance were almost as inspiring as the performance itself.

Saturday night's concert was so packed, the bar had only three cases of beer left at the end of the night.

"We ran out of everything," said Bitensky.

The committee in charge of the festival will meet Wednesday to review the event and begin planning next year's sequel.

After having organized the first festival in just six months, Bitensky said having a full year to plan the next festival will be a luxury.

With more lead time, Bitensky hopes the festival can tap into more avenues of funding, and be able to afford to bring a wider variety of music to Inuvik next year.

-- with files from Jason Unrau