Hip-hop rules at Rifflandia 2016
What: Rifflandia featuring Michael Franti and Spearhead, X-Ambassadors, Jurassic 5, Wolf Parade, De La Soul, Lee (Scratch) Perry, Classified, and more When: Thursday through Sunday Where: Various venues, including Royal Athletic Park, Phillips Backyard, Capital Iron, Alix Goolden Performance Hall Tickets: $40-$65 (daily) or $125-$295 (weekend pass) at Lyle’s Place and ticketfly.com
Rifflandia is still growing as it speeds into its ninth weekend, changing to accommodate trends and tides in the festival world. But the core principles of the one-wristband, fourday, multi-venue festival remain: Rifflandia is a festival by Victorians for Victorians.
“Our focus is consistently making sure people can rely on the experience,” said Nick Blasko, who co-owns event producer Atomique Productions with Dimitri Demers. “Every year, we iron out a few little things. That attention to detail every year is really important to us.”
Musical acts from reggae performers Lee (Scratch) Perry and Michael Franti and Spearhead to pop-leaning acts X-Ambassadors and Coleman Hell will perform on 16 stages, beginning with eight venues in action starting tonight.
Blasko said it took his Rifflandia team several years to come up with a configuration that works for the company, its audience and the city. Now, with a lineup that includes more than 150 acts, planning is the top priority. Blasko said Rifflandia is at the point where tweaks are minor rather than major.
“We know how to do it now. We know the pitfalls, we know what to look out for.”
New to the festival in 2016 is Electric Avenue, a 6,000-capacity area that puts three venues under one imaginary roof. Electric Avenue spans four blocks enclosed by Pembroke, Store, Government and Chatham Streets and includes the Phillips Backyard, Capital Iron parking lot and Anian Yard. Revellers are free to roam the streets between venues, with food, alcohol and merchandise available.
Primary access to the venue will be at the corner of Government and Discovery Streets.
Rifflandia has made its mark in Victoria by offering a wide range of music. Hip-hop rules the roost this year, however, with acts including Jurassic 5, De La Soul, Del the Funky Homosapien, the Beatnuts and Classified. “Victoria loves hip-hop, always has,” Blasko said. “If there’s one genre we have doubled down on that creates such an awesome atmosphere, it’s hip-hop.”
For indie rockers, there is a reunited Wolf Parade, while deep thinkers can see spoken-word poet Shane Koyczan. Comedy (under the banner Lafflandia) is taking place at the newly opened Yuk Yuk’s comedy club on View Street. (Charles Bradley cancelled his entire run of Canadian dates on Wednesday; a replacement has not yet been named).
Royal Athletic Park — the festival’s anchor venue Friday through Sunday — will see expanded family fare, with free admission for children under 10.
More than anything else, Rifflandia is about discovery, Blasko said. “There’s always a new crop of people experiencing the festival for the first time. When we first started, we were a small festival with not a very big reach. But going into our ninth year, we’re getting major opportunities.”