Over 3,600 people attended 琉璃神社鈥檚 third Denim On The Diamond single-day, outdoor music festival at King Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 2), which featured a lineup of eight artists and groups from across Canada.
With last year鈥檚 festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitch Carefoot, the festival鈥檚 director and organizer, said that it was a surreal feeling to be able to host the event.
鈥淚 think over the past year, through all the experiences, as an event producer, I used to get anxious about all these little things,鈥� said Carefoot. 鈥淎nd now, I just can鈥檛 be bothered by some of it. It鈥檚 immaterial to what鈥檚 happening here today.鈥�
Current Interior Health (IH) COVID-19 restrictions permit outdoor organized events to operate at a capacity of 5,000 people, with proof of full vaccination (two doses) required. Vaccine passports were checked for each attendant prior to entrance, while it was optional to wear a face mask.
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鈥淚鈥檓 happy we鈥檙e able to do it. I think that social connection was a big piece that鈥檚 been missing in the last little bit,鈥� said Carefoot. 鈥淛ust seeing friends鈥t鈥檚 been a while since we鈥檝e been able to do this.鈥�
The lineup consisted of Canadian artists from genres that included country, pop, electronic dance music and indie alternative rock.
Featured were the Hunter Brothers, Yukon Blonde, Shawnee Kish, Dj Invizible, JJ Wilde and more.
鈥淲e believe that if people have these shared experiences and see representation of different types of people on stage, it鈥檚 going to create a little more empathy when you move back out into the community,鈥� said Carefoot.
The success of the festival, he said, is an example of how events can be done safely, despite the current state of the pandemic.
鈥淲e鈥檙e moving forward to learn to live under these circumstances that we鈥檙e currently in for the last 18 months,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e can do it safely and we can move forward. Some sense of community of people gathering together, and the recognition that good things can happen in 琉璃神社 when a whole bunch of people and a bunch of businesses get together and all pull in the same direction.鈥�
READ MORE: 19 positive cases of COVID-19 onboard flights to and from 琉璃神社 in September
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
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