What: Cumberland Wild featuring Elliott Brood, Jesse Roper, Freestylers, Defunk, Five Alarm Funk and more
When: Saturday and Sunday
Where: Cumberland Village Park, Cumberland
Tickets: $75 (single day) or $149 (weekend pass)
Cumberland Village Park is still home to a high-profile summer music festival, but it will operate under a new name this weekend.
Cumberland Wild, which gets underway Saturday, has replaced the former Atmosphere Gathering, which began in 2014.
There鈥檚 a greater focus on live music at Cumberland Wild, whereas Atmosphere Gathering favoured electronic acts and dance-happy programming.
A noticeable omission is the former festival鈥檚 big top circus tent 鈥� which had become synonymous with the Atmosphere Gathering. The absence of the tent means the site will feel differently for some, but Ben Howells, executive producer of Cumberland Wild, likes the new feeling of freedom.
鈥淭he big top was a colourful item, and without it being there it changes the overall view. But we gain intimacy by having everyone focused around the same sound source.鈥�
The new and improved festival still takes its dance music seriously, as the popular silent disco will remain. Fourteen DJs and producers will perform late-night and early-morning sets under the silent disco banner, and without the aid of speakers. Instead, attendees will participate with audio piped wirelessly into headphones.
鈥淲e took elements that worked really well for Atmosphere and condensed them down, and crystallized our production,鈥� Howells said.
鈥淏ut the changes were too big of a change to have the same branding.鈥�
Headliners on the Cumberland Wild main stages include Elliott Brood, Jesse Roper, Freestylers, Defunk and Five Alarm Funk, among others. Attendees now can enjoy a site-wide liquor licence, which gives the site a less-cramped feel, Howells said.
鈥淲e know a lot of the folks in Cumberland will appreciate being able to come down and have a drink, and not have to worry about a beer garden.鈥�
The popular Atmosphere Gathering, which appealed to the inner hippie of its supporters, will continue next year, albeit in a revamped capacity, according to Howells.
Cumberland Wild is a much better fit for the Cumberland Village Park location.
鈥淎tmosphere needed to be in a space where it could expand. I鈥檓 always working on locations, so we鈥檒l see how the next year goes. We鈥檇 like to bring it back.鈥�
Howells expects the two-day Cumberland Wild festival to draw 1,500 people, no small feat for this or any other festival on Vancouver Island.
Competition in the festival world is fierce, and the new changes reflect the difficulties Howells and his producing partner, Vig Schulman, have endured.
鈥淲e wanted to bring things down a bit, but tighten the vibe,鈥� Howells said. 鈥淲e all know it鈥檚 a tricky business, especially as a presenter. Certain things 鈥� like the U.S. dollar 鈥� make it difficult, especially with our population [fewer than 4,000 people live in the village, according to Census data]. We definitely have the cards stacked against us, in lots of ways, so we鈥檙e definitely adjusting. But we鈥檙e surviving.鈥�
Rebranding a festival that was making inroads from an artistic standpoint felt like a risky proposition at first, Howells said.
Previous headliners at the Atmosphere Gathering includes acts such as Half Moon Run, Frazey Ford, and Nahko and the Medicine People, whose presence brought thousands to the village of Cumberland each summer. But at the end of the day, Howells and Schulman knew they had created a festival with cultural capital in the community.
鈥淕ood music, good food, good tunes 鈥� it鈥檚 not a complex equation.鈥�