Westward Music Festival will head back downtown Vancouver from September 8th – 13th, 2021. In an attempt to bring live music back to the city, Westward plans to take over venues like The Vogue, Biltmore Cabaret, Imperial, Fox Cabaret, and more. This seems a bit ambitious as the province of British Columbia struggles to catch up to what is being called a “third wave”. But maybe optimism like this is exactly what we need.
#VANCOUVER! We are excited to announce the 1st wave of the lineup for @westwardfest 2021! PRE-SALE for tickets and festival bundles are available starting this Wednesday April 28th at 10am PST using the password: WMF2021
Tickets: https://t.co/toBSmR6BzF pic.twitter.com/6DpzkvGOnD— Westward Music Fest (@westwardfest) April 27, 2021
See it’s hard to imagine a post-COVID-19 era yet. Hearing the announcement of a festival like this coming back to Vancouver should ignite my inner love and passion for music, yet sadly I’m left wondering if this is even possible. As Westward “awaits confirmation on COVID-19 Health & Safety guidelines from the BC Provincial Government.” fans can set their sights on an evening in September finally watching live music again downtown.
Notable major music festivals within B.C. that have been postponed until 2022 are Shambala Music Festival, Fvded in the Park, and Vancouver Folk Music Festival, but maybe WestwardFest will be the one to show us the way. For many across the province and especially in Vancouver, this would be a dream come true.
Deadmau5 – Fvded in the Park – 2015 – John Biehler/Flickr
Set to headline the event, Vancouver-born rapper, singer, and songwriter BBNO$ is one of many Canadian performers set to play across the city. Those acts include Haviah Mighty, Chad Vangaalen, ODIE, So Loki, Nyssa, Silo Norza, YSN FAB, MONEYPHONE, Noble Son, SLCHLD, Robotaki, Chris LaRocca, EKKSTACY, Sam Lynch, Daysormay, Cam Blake, Madison Olds, and Prado.
It would feel absolutely incredible to finally head back into the city for a concert. Being at any one of the venues Westward Music Festival plans to take you should be an event to look forward to. But as COVID-19 numbers are on the rise across Canada who knows what life might look like when September rolls around. My fingers are crossed so hopefully this event takes place.
BBNO$ -The Come Up Show/Flickr
For show updates and more head over to WestWard Music Festival’s website for everything, you need to know surrounding the event. And make sure to get your water bottles ready, pre-game meal situated, and outfit picked out because if everything goes as planned, this should be the first of many to come back to the downtown core.