Better Not Bigger: Bass Coast Freezes Capacity to Keep Energy As High As Possible

Feature image by Brian Hockenstein. all other photographs courtesy of Bass Coast

Bass Coast - an epic music and arts festival held each July in Merritt, BC - has recently announced that they are freezing capacity of the event at 6500 in an effort to ensure that this festival remains one of the most unique and special experiences in the festival scene. Known as much for it's art installations, workshops and energy as it is for the music and dancing, Bass Coast truly is a gem and it's refreshing to see the organizers don't only have the bottom line - ie. money - in mind when they are making decisions that could potentially affect the spirit of the festival.

“Bass Coast started as a response to mainstream festivals” says Marketing Director Robbie Slade, “We’ve always been focused on providing the maximum value for cost and capping attendance allows us to focus our energy on getting better, not bigger.”

Walking around the art installations at night is a trip unto itself!

Radio Stage going off. The amount of work that goes into creating the stages at Bass Coast is nuts! 

While the festival grounds can hold thousands more, for now at least, tickets sales are capped at 2019 levels.

“As a boutique event, we aim to provide an exceptional experience for everyone on site from attendees, to artists, to volunteers, to suppliers.” explains co-founder Andrea Graham. “We’ve decided to freeze capacity for 2020 so that we can focus on the attention to detail that makes Bass Coast truly unique: nurturing the community, exceptional stage environments, improving our environmental footprint, and curating world class music and art.”.

And while Bass Coast tickets remain completely affordable, a payment plan has also been announced this year, in addition to vehicle passes which are being used to limit the environmental impact of people travelling to the event.

Check out the video recap and some images from last year's fest below and be sure to BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE before they're all sold out!

As well, applications for art installations have just opened up. If you're an artist and think you can create something that can contribute to the Bass Coast experience you're encouraged to fill out the ART INSTALLATION APPLICATION HERE.