Mother Nature delivered and the patrons poured in.
Some 28,801 festival-goers took in the fabulous 35th Annual ROOTSandBLUES Festival over the weekend, enjoying a wide variety of music, food and whimsical experiences.
Fourth time was a charm for artistic director Kevin Tobin, who took over as the world was coming out of Covid, a wildfire that shut the festival down in 2023 and bounced back in 2024 when almost the entire staff had Covid.
Now, knowing more about the local festival demographics, being more familiar with all the moving parts and having a large, well-oiled staff and volunteer team dedicated to providing a great festival, Tobin said he was able to enjoy the experience this year, even spending a few minutes in the pit at the front of the Main Stage.
In constant contact with the various volunteer co-ordinators, he was well-aware of what was happening all across the site, including the stages, and available if needed.
Tobin said the artistic slate was created to encourage people to attend the festival for more than one day. And it worked. Sales of weekend passes were up dramatically this year.
People use the term legendary when they don鈥檛 deserve it, but that that was a legend on our stage,鈥� he said of Burton Cummings. 鈥淗e鈥檚 Canadian music royalty.鈥�
Tobin also had high praise for Colin James, who joined Steve Marriner on his afternoon Blues Explosion on the CBC Blues Stage and reciprocated for James鈥� show that closed the festival before a wildly appreciative audience Sunday night.
鈥淲e have worked hard to get changes that would work better with everyone 鈥� patrons, artists, technicians and volunteers,鈥� he said, noting musicians and agents were having fun playing and chatting together backstage. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a piece of land and creating a small city to accommodate many people.鈥�
And the link to the City of Salmon Arm is important, he said, not just for the economic benefit, but for the growing connections between the festival and downtown organizations and businesses who are increasingly getting onboard.
Also thriving is the process of bringing young people in to learn the ropes on the various stages. They might begin by simply coiling cables but within a few years are taking on increasingly challenging roles.
Many people on site noted their appreciation of the changes that broadened stages, provided more shade and made the grounds very well accessible to all.
An enthusiastic Colleen Raison pushed her knee walker onto the site. She broke her left foot two weeks ago but was determined to travel from Penticton to attend one of her favourite events.
Raison was pleased about the high-quality sound emanating from all the stages, and that the shade stage area was bigger, lived up to its name more than in previous years, and had its own bar. She was also impressed with the food and artisan vendors, and the easy access across the grounds, including a toilet she could just roll into.
Returning for the fifth time from Calgary, Jan and Jim Crough were enjoying a meal in the welcome shade of the large food tent.
鈥淚 love that this is a relaxed festival with a family friendly atmosphere,鈥� Jan said.
鈥淚 like it that my wife likes it,鈥� added her grinning husband.
The casual, welcoming atmosphere was also a hit with Salmon Arm鈥檚 Lynn Hyland, who was attending for the third year. Another shade stage fan, she is drawn back year after year by the blues in particular, and looked forward to Colin James鈥� performance.
New to the festival, vendor Debbie Sharpe said she would definitely return with her one-of-a-kind Up-cycled Swags.
鈥淏etween the music, the people and the energy, it鈥檚 been fabulous!鈥�
A regular and welcome presence, RCMP officers were friendly and high-fiving enthusiastic patrons 鈥� young and old.
From a policing perspective, Salmon Arm RCMP media liaison Cst. Andrew Hodges said there were minimal incidents other than an attempted vehicle theft, which is under investigation.
鈥淭he organizers are great at keeping us in the loop and we鈥檙e glad it was a safe event,鈥� he added.
The expanded Indigenous presence was well-received too. Tired but exhilarated, Youth and Indigenous co-ordinator Kenthen Thomas was thrilled by the reaction festival-goers showed to First Nations performers and the many opportunities available for learning about his culture.
鈥淧eople were coming in waves to hear the stories and I heard nothing but great things about Melawmen Collective,鈥� he said, pointing out Secw茅pemc artist Jeremy Kneeshaw鈥檚 audience filled the Barn Stage area. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy, really happy, and we will just keep building on this.鈥�
His mom and dad, Gerry and Phyllis Thomas, shared Secw茅pemc treasures and stories as they have for some nine years, and Darryl Laboucan鈥檚 teepees, rattles and drums drew many festival patrons, particularly children.
Marketing and sponsorship coordinator Althea Mongerson said she received a great deal of positive feedback, particularly from people who have been attending the festival for a long time.
鈥淭hey felt it was like going back to the giddiness of the early days and that the magic was really there again.鈥�
Snagging a moment of peace on Sunday afternoon, a tired but happy executive director David Gonella, expressed his pride for his staff who, he said, 鈥渉ave raised the bar yet again.鈥�
Gonella commented on the overall experience including decorations, and praised Tobin for the well-received changes to site layout, and Clint Creasy for managing the site.
鈥淭he whole team does an amazing job,鈥� he said.
Salmon Arm Folk Music Society chair Alan Bates agreed and was particularly pleased with improved communication among the organizers that meant anything that needed attention, got it immediately.
Like many festival-goers, Bates was happy the 鈥檛weeners鈥� were no longer squished to the side of the Main Stage between headliner performances. Instead, they performed on the Blues Stage with their acts shown on the large screens for everyone to enjoy without having to move from their Main Stage spots.
The last word goes to Tobin, who said, 鈥淲e鈥檒l see everybody July 23 to 26, 2026 and we thank them for everything.鈥�
