Friday

I woke to the sound of heavy rain and thunder. Luckily my tarps and rain fly held up well. The rain left a chill in the air and the ground damp, which was a blessing in disguise as it would keep the dust down through the day. The clouds broke around mid morning, the sun came out and so did the crowds. On this, the very first official day of the festival the stages were relatively quiet since 6 am and so there was time to plan. I found while planning my day that there was so much going on over an extended period that it is impossible to see everything, a short article can not adequately describe all that is happening.

I had a walkabout and found it is interesting to see all the different “camps” representing different perspectives on the idea of Shambhala. Different musical styles and views of what a weekend of freedom and dance means, creates an array of subgroups within the culture. I spoke with one person who while moving about the site stumbled upon an entire colony of nudists. There are groups dedicated to the dance, while others are here to party. Diversity is a trademark of the human condition and is not lost on the spirit of Shambhala.

I marveled at the unique and creative costumes that people were wearing. Some costumes were risqué; lots of short leather skirts and revealing leather tops. The leather pouch belt is a very popular and sexy accessory at the festival. The craft vendors on site have taken full advantage of this unique need and most are catering to the dance community in general. I noticed softer looks that included angel or fairy wings. Others took on alternate identities; for instance, Sponge Bob showed up. I saw a gorilla, which was unbelievable in the heat of midday, and I saw more than a few elvish folk who looked like they had just arrived from Middle Earth. There were more than a few women walking about topless, but it seemed perfectly natural in this environment; much respect and maturity was shown to those exercising such freedoms. Despite what you would think would be a distraction, the music and the stage shows dominated everyone’s attention.

I saw a number of artists today but as I mentioned, I don’t have room to discuss them all so here are a few highlights:

Shamik, who performed on the Living Room Stage was very impressive with the microphone, had the boisterous crowd enthralled and entertained. He received many cheers, particularly at one point when Crystal Precious performed with him. Shamik is a beatboxer/ vocalist from Vancouver and is known for “crushing basslines, crisp rhythms, and a’cappella DJ sets.” Check out his Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/teamshamik

Nixie, an all female band based out of Kelowna B.C., performed at the Rock Pit. I think that those who did not take advantage of the opportunity to see this talented group really missed out. These four young ladies were very enthusiastic, had lots of energy and I very much enjoyed their unique style and rhythm. Their performance at Shambhala was certainly noteworthy. Their Myspace page can be found at http://www.myspace.com/nixiemix

DJ Hoola Hoop, a local artist, performed at the Pagoda Stage, he is actually the mind behind the ambient soundscapes found at the Living Room stage, but his performance at the more technologically dominated Pagota was most impressive to say the least. There was a solid boisterous, high energy crowd enjoying the intensity of his sounds. The Pagota stage is a marvel to behold; an incredible laser, light, and fog show that dominates the entire festival site. The silhouetted dancers and background images are super entertaining. Hoola certainly used the stage to his advantage.

DJ Vadim from the Russian Federation, performed at The Village. The Village is a feast of sound and light. The music is literally injected into your entire body and the need to dance is overwhelming. The floor and the surrounding catwalks were all packed and absolutely everyone was moving to the strong rhythms and intense sounds. The rhythmic percussion was well suited to The Village stage; I could totally imagine Ewoks dancing to this music. To learn more see his website at www.djvadim.com/

Saturday

It was another warm festival day and while I had every intention of taking in some specific performances, I find it is very easy to loose track of time listening to the music and dancing at the various stages. Memorable highlights included:

The Mighty Panda Band out of the Vortex Studio in Nelson B.C., who were playing on The Labyrinth Stage. They were allot of fun to watch and dance to. They had the crowd cheering and begging for more, a testament to their local popularity.

Adham Shaikh, another Nelson B.C. Local artist, was playing on The Livingroom Stage. He had a big crowd dancing to his mixes and he even left the stage at one point to dance with the crowd on the beach while running his equipment with a remote unit. He was allot of fun and obviously was having as much fun delivering the music as those who were dancing to it. Check out his Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/sonicturtle44

The biggest treat of the day was a walking media tour of the Festival Site where I was given allot of information about the festivals inner workings. We visited all the stages, but one of the highlights was a backstage glimpse from the towering Pagota stage where I got a unique view of the festival site and the dancers below.

It was very impressive to learn more about the fresh water system which is filtered twice and blasted with UV to destroy any microbes. The water is kept in a huge container which could be transported at a moments notice, the idea being that should any of the local communities have a sudden need for fresh clean water a supply could be transported to that location very quickly and there would be enough water to last five day for over 12,000 people. It is part of the Shambhala Music Festival’s desire to be community conscious.

Power is provided by an independent contractor who brings in a portable diesel powered generator, the very same type used by movie studios to power equipment while on location. The generator can provide power for all six stages, all the vendors, and all production needs with plenty to spare. Should the main generator fail, a back up generator starts up in 10 seconds. To date there have been no power issues at any Shambhala since the generator has been employed.

Shambhala Music Festival has taken steps to reach out to the community more than ever this year. Months before the festival, they sat down with local police and local communities to discuss the effects of the festival as well as address community concerns. Seeing as how the festival takes place in a remote forested location the issue of fire, the festivals most obvious environmental threat was addressed. Kilometers of fire hose and connection outlets are deployed at all stages and through out the festival area. A trained fire fighting team is on call at all times during the festival. Open fires are strictly forbidden on the festival site, regardless of the fire hazard level, only camp stoves are permitted. In regard to security, Shambhala Music Festival hired a highly recognized security contractor, who were involved with security during the recent Vancouver Winter Olympics. Security is in communication with local police and are alerted to individuals of interest, who maybe in the area.

One important aspect to mention as well is the desire for Shambhala Music Festival to get away from the image that it is a “Drug” festival. The fact is, the sale of illegal substances will get you kicked off the property. They have gone to great lengths to educate people coming to the festival about drugs and safe sex, by employing the Harm Reduction center, where guests can receive information about drugs and can even have drugs tested in an effort to reduce “harm”. ANKORS ( www.ankors.bc.ca) out of Nelson spearhead the effort to educate Shambhala guests. The statement, “just say Know to drugs”, was suggested and speaks volumes to their realistic approach to drugs. The use of drugs can not be policed in an environment such as this but their efforts are aimed at reducing the harm, that can happen when drugs are mixed or used in a harmful manner. The message is that Shambhala is all about the music and dancing, but the underlying drug use is addressed through knowledge and education. A team of medical personnel, including nurses and a doctor are on site during the entire festival. Dehydration is the most common ailment at the festival, but organizers have left nothing to chance and their skilled medical team is ready for anything.

All the stages were in top form Saturday night and I enjoyed a sampling of music and dance from each. It was hard not to notice the Pagota Stage’s intense laser show and I found myself lingering there for a large part of the evening. From what I could see everyone was enjoying an incredible time. One thing I have noted throughout my whole experience is that I have not received any negative vibe from anyone I have talked to. Everyone has a smile and greet each other with “hello” or “hala hala!”. Strangers will come to me and ask how my Shambhala is going this year and then wish me a good time. I also saw people giving out water bottles, making sure everyone was well hydrated. While there are allot of misconceptions about what happens at Shambhala, the one thing I can tell that happens for certain and most of the time is dancing and music.

Sunday

A downpour again roused me from my sleeping bag and this one was very significant. While my campsite was none the worse for wear, other areas received minor flooding, most notable an area of the food court, however the problem was dealt with rather quickly and the inconvenience mitigated with sand. Through out the day there were large puddles of standing water, but they were dealt with also with loads of sand and it wasn’t long before you could move about without having to maneuver around puddles. The water, puddles and occasional rain had no effect on the guests of Shambhala who moved about in costume and continued to enjoy the music and dance.

In these early morning hours I was drawn to the Living Room stage by the wonderfully melodic and mystical voice of Gemma Luna, another talented local artist with a large following. Despite the cold and dampness I found her entertaining a large appreciative crowd.  www.gemmaluna.com

I took some time to explore a lesser known region of the festival. It is attached to the Labyrinth Stage. Following the trails that wind through the trees I discovered some interesting artwork. At night, some of the art is lit with black lights which produces both a dazzling and at times eerie effect while walking through the forest. By daylight there is more to see as spiritually conscious individuals have set up areas of interest. I came across a Syncroncity Shrine where guests have been leaving items in offering. A Wanneeshee Prayer Lodge was set up in a quiet corner of the forest with a beautiful path leading to it. I felt very at peace in this area of the forest and felt it was a very good location for spiritually minded people to visit. I entered an area call the “Inna Sanc Dom”, where I found a large dome structure. Inside new age music was playing and people were dancing rhythmically. I came back at night and the scene was even more surreal. They had beautiful lights projected onto the ceiling while belly dancers put on a beautiful performance bathed in blue. Nearby I found the Multi-Dimensional Star Chamber where a large group was deep in meditation, directed by a thin friendly gentleman who was obviously well versed in energy work, healing meditation and crystal magic judging by the array of crystals arranged in a circle in the center of his tent. The diversity of Shambhala again reveals itself.

Evening came quickly again and the crowd at Shambhala seemed mellower on this the last evening of the Festival. I was informed that in previous years, because often guests would leave on Sunday, “one night only” tickets were sold at the gate, but this year it was decided that only 200 additional patrons would be allowed through the gate in order to mitigate the impact of the large crowd who, this year, were sticking around to enjoy the full length of the festival.

The highlight of the evening for me was outstanding and high-energy performance by the band, Five Alarm Funk, out of Vancouver. These guys put on an amazing show to say the least. The music and stage performance had everyone cheering and dancing. Their stage antics were so much fun and very entertaining. Be sure to check these guys out when you get the chance. www.fivealarmfunk.com

Monday

As the sun rose in the sky intense beats continued to shake the earth beneath my feet. While walking around the festival site I was amazed to find so many people up and about, still in costume. Despite not being scheduled, at least four of the stages were still delivering high energy dance music and guests were dancing in the cool morning air that was filled with a soft damp mist. I found some had decided to crash at the beach;more than a few guests were curled up and sleeping deeply despite the music from the Living Room stage where die hard dancers continued to enjoy the last remaining hours of Shambhala. At the food court, people lined up for breakfast at the various vendors. You would never know that the festival had come to a close.

I took a stroll around the camping area, which is so very vast. A tent city of over ten thousand people is an amazing sight to behold. Many had chosen to personalize their campsites and groups of people had obviously gathered to give themselves unique names to distinguish themselves. I was expecting to see people breaking camp, however those that were not sleeping were casually socializing while enjoying a meal. Those that were not doing this were dancing, intensely, at the four remaining stages that continued to keep Shambhala alive, just a little longer.

Overall my experience at the Shambhala Music Festival was fantastic and fun. It is such a unique experience it is very difficult to describe everything that happens here in such a small article, nor is it possible to fully appreciate everything that happens without having the ability to be in six places at once. No matter what, you will miss something while you are here, which is probably why people come to the festival year after year.

As the day wound down, camps started break up and vendors began to break down their tents. I was reminded of something said on our media tour; the Shambhala Music Festival, while not able to expand in size, ten thousand being the absolute limit the land can possible sustain as more would require an infrastructure which does not exist, increasing the quality of the experience is the first priority. Every year, improvements are made. Shambhala began as a party for a small group of friends and has grown into something very unique and special. The intimacy of the festival is part of it’s appeal and spirit. After thirteen years the organization is now developing a business plan and mission statement. Simply put, “it’s all about the people on the dance floor”. Shambhala is seeking to provide a unique and high energy experience that rivals any experience in the world. Shambhala is about music and dancing and with that comes community and ultimately fun.

Daniel