New date for music festival
End of the Road society hosting traditional dance Aug. 29
Mark Rieder
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 6, 2015
INUVIK
The End of the Road Music Festival Society wants to give Inuvik residents a chance to kick up their heels with a wet dance at the Midnight Sun Complex Aug. 29.
Blues sensation Billy Joe Green was the headliner at the End of the Road Music Festival in Inuvik last year. The festival society is hosting a traditional grand Delta dance on Aug. 29 and wants to move the main event to March. - NNSL file photo
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Outgoing society president Leanne Goose said aside from helping raise funds for the next music festival, it is a chance to bring back an old custom.
"We are going to have a
grand Delta wet dance in traditional style. People around here have been coming to wet dances since the Dave Jones Arena opened and it's one of the Beaufort Delta traditions that we want to maintain," she said.
The society wants to move the festival, usually held in August, to March 4 to 5.
"We're going to experiment this year. We're in our twelfth year and I think it's time to branch out and allow ourselves to experience what it would be like to deliver a festival in a winter setting," said Goose.
"It's a beautiful time of year in the Arctic and people are fresh and ready to come out of their houses and celebrate."
She said it is also a way to help spread out all the events that typically take place over the summer months, and not make people have to pick and choose which ones they can attend.
"What we wanted to do was support the other festivals and events going on in the region," said Goose.
"In order to do that we elected to move our festival to March so we have something else to look forward to."
She added that it gives musicians a better opportunity to take part.
"There are so many different local musicians and performers who would love to participate in End of the Road and sometimes it's difficult to choose which place they'll go to," she said.
Goose pointed out that the decision to reschedule the festival came from a desire to help grow the local music scene.
"Many musicians have played
at our festival for years and years and it's also time to share our talent and also support other festivals so that we maintain a venue for live music and support the scene. That's really important in this area," she said.
"I think it'll be an opportune time for new artists to come out of the woodwork and also to feature some of our favourite acts."
The Midway Lake Music Festival took place Aug. 1 to 3 outside of Fort McPherson.
