RIFFLANDIA
TYLER BANCROFT OF SAID THE WHALE
Ten years into its run, Rifflandia is still turning heads.
The biggest first-night attendance in the music festival’s history kicked off Rifflandia’s 10th-anniversary celebration on Thursday, with more than 6,000 people taking in an array of rock, roots and electronic music at eight locations throughout downtown Victoria.
The area known as Electric Avenue, on Discovery Street between Store and Government streets, features five stages and was in full swing Thursday. Activity continued Friday with performances at 10 locations, including an audience of more than 6,500 for sets by July Talk, Five Alarm Funk, and Charlotte Day Wilson at Royal Athletic Park.
“For a Thursday, that’s a big one for us,” said producer Nick Blasko of Atomique Productions, which produces the festival. “All in all, it went fairly smooth from my perspective.”
Friday’s program at Royal Athletic Park started with a set from the Choir, whose members put the festival’s gaudy Floral Friday theme into action (the other costume theme days are Cats in Space today and Under the Sea on Sunday).
A range of music was on offer on the park, and the festival as a whole has something for attendees of all ages.
A packed performance at The Hop on Thursday, for example, featured the unlikely — and unannounced — trio of singersongwriter Rae Spoon, alt-pop legend Carole Pope (of Rough Trade fame) and singer-guitarist Becky Black from rock act The Pack A.D.
That encapsulates the Rifflandia spirit in a nutshell, Blasko said. “It transcends genres and space. It’s the ethos of the festival.”
Royal Athletic Park, which serves as Rifflandia’s central hub and flagship venue, offers more than music. At night, it has the feel of a typical festival atmosphere, but during the day Greater Victoria residents of all ages could be seen perusing the vendors, including the Russell Books stand and well-trafficked Mothering Touch family area.
Organizers are doing the right thing by staging an event that caters to a wide range of tastes, said Darb Erickson, arts, culture, and events liaison for the City of Victoria, which operates Royal Athletic Park.
“From the city’s perspective, we see this as a culmination and a celebration of the music scene and creative community coming together in Victoria,” Erickson said.
“The cultural value is huge, the economic value is huge, and those pay dividends all year long.”
Blasko and his team unveiled a new zero-tolerance policy on Friday, in tandem with the Tegan and Sara Foundation, to combat on-site discrimination, including racism, homophobia and transphobia.
Attendees who witness any incident that violates the policy are being asked to file a report with security or send an email to incidents@rifflandia.com.
The festival is implementing the policy in partnership with Oscar-nominated twin sisters Tegan and Sara, who are noted equal-rights activists. “The goal is to see it refined and implemented at other festivals and concerts,” Blasko said. “We hope to usher in a new code of conduct.”
Rifflandia organizers are hoping the policy becomes one that concertgoers carry to other events.
“Talking about it to your audience is one thing, but it’s up to our festival-goers to respect it and see that it is implemented and followed,” Blasko said.
“We spend so much time at concerts trying to keep everyone physically safe, but the very concept of safety at concert goes well beyond the obvious.”
Rifflandia continues through the weekend at several venues, including Royal Athletic Park. Scheduled acts include Moby, Bonobo, A Tribe Called Red, Hot Chip and others. For more information, go to rifflandia.com