Stunning site puts Filberg in a class of its own
What: 36th Annual Filberg Festival, featuring Michael Kaeshammer, The Paperboys, Dustin Bentall, Roy Forbes, The Boom Booms and more When: Friday through Monday Where: Filberg Heritage Lodge Park, 61 Filberg Rd., Comox Tickets: $15 daily at filberg.tickit.ca (kids 12 and under are free); $20 at the door Information: filbergfestival.com
The music programming is top-tier at the annual Filberg Festival, as is the work of the more than 130 artisans who showcase their wares. But once you set foot on the Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park in Comox, where the festival has been held for the past 35 years, nothing manmade can compete with the natural scenery it provides.
“That’s what is different about the Filberg — the park is stunning,” said festival co-producer Wendy Sears. “The setting is what makes it. You’re surrounded by old-growth shrubs and trees.”
The nine-acre site — a portion of which borders Comox Harbour — is home to the festival each B.C. Day weekend, and boasts two stages of music programming and the largest juried art show in Western Canada. The site certainly plays an integral role in the event, and not simply from a panoramic perspective. Money raised from the festival covers the restoration, maintenance and operational costs of the buildings and structures inside the park.
“The fact that this [festival] has sustained itself for 36 years says something,” Sears said. “We have so much competition now on the Island, with all these festivals. But the nice thing about us is that when it’s hot, you’re not in the baking sun. It’s a nice place to meander and shop, and listen to music for a really great price.”
Everything from pottery and woodcrafts to jewelry and clothing can be found in the artisan area, while sets from Michael Kaeshammer, The Paperboys, Dustin Bentall, Roy Forbes and The Boom Booms, among more than a dozen others, will be presented on two stages. There’s also an Enchanted Forest for kids, with a children’s program that includes storytelling, face painting and sand boxes.
The festival is continuing its trend of hosting a late concert on Friday night, after the daytime portion of the festival closes, with a performance by R&B veteran Jully Black.
Fans must purchase a separate ticket for the Black concert ($40 at filberg.com, in advance only), which is in partnership with the Live in Filberg Park concert series.
The show on Friday is part of an overall mission to raise additional funds for the Filberg Heritage Lodge Park Association, the non-profit that receives all funds raised by the Filberg Festival.
“It’s another way of adding a layer to the festival, and to bring in some more revenue,” Sears said.