Arboretum Festival announces ‘BON-FIRE’ lineup August 17-18
What’s a better party than a bush bash party? Arboretum Festival has re-imagined the seventh edition of the festival as BON-FIRE, happening August 17-18 at Rideau Pines Farm just outside Ottawa in North Gower.
So, what exactly is BON-FIRE? BON-FIRE is an end-of-summer weekend party featuring groundbreaking independent music and dance parties, fueled by feasts of regional food and drink. It is the full vision of Arboretum Festival realized, and this fun at the farm arguably features the festival’s best lineup to date.
Arboretum’s roots as a one-of-a-kind boutique music festival in the capital followed the spirit of other small-scale indie fests across the country, such as Sappyfest, Hillside Festival, and Camp Wavelength. Over the years, the festival has evolved in its programming, physical space, and overall experience for fest-goers. This year, BON-FIRE is sure to feature everything that we love about Arboretum Festival and more.
“There are limits to what we could do downtown. We wanted to throw the weekend bush party you’d hear about Monday morning at your high school locker, ” says Rolf Klausener, Creative Director.
Attendees will feast all weekend long at the festival’s expanded food court. Supplied by Rideau Pines Farm produce, Ottawa’s most trusted cooks and restaurants will showcase a mouth-watering array of food, and attendees will also be able to pick their own fresh produce from the farm fields.
“Being at Rideau Pines last summer, our original vision for the festival came together. But we also felt like we’d given birth to a new baby. The name BON-FIRE captures everything we were trying to manifest with our summer event, both intimate and familiar,” says Stéfanie Power, Managing Director.
BON-FIRE lineup goes big
Arboretum is pulling no punches this year, as headliners include by Montreal’s legendary electro-punks Wolf Parade, Kaytranada collaborator Shay Lia, Calgary psych veteran Chad Vangaalen, Polaris-shortlisted dance queen Jesse Lanza, and art-folk visionary Jennifer Castle. Needless to say, there will be no shortage of BON-FIRE party material August 17-18.
Full lineup:
WOLF PARADE (Montreal, QC) | CHAD VANGAALEN (Calgary, AB) | JESSY LANZA (Hamilton, ON) | SHAY LIA (Montreal, QC) | BAMBII (Toronto, ON) | JENNIFER CASTLE (Toronto ON) | CASPER SKULLS (Toronto, ON) | BONJAY (Toronto, ON) | CORRIDOR (Montreal, QC) | WITCH PROPHET (Toronto, ON) | BONNIE DOON (Ottawa, ON) | MAUNO (Halifax/Montreal) | ANSLEY SIMPSON (Peterborough, ON) | NAPSTER VERTIGO (Montreal, QC) | CONSTRUCTION AND DESTRUCTION (Halifax, NS) | SHAQ FRANCE (Ottawa, ON) | CHIPPY NONSTOP (Toronto, ON) | HEAVY MEDICINE BAND (Ottawa, ON)
Early bird weekend passes are available for $50 on Ticketfly.com and include return shuttle bus transportation from the downtown core. Day passes, schedule, and food program will be announced in June. Facebook event here.
