New Agreement Signed Between District and Squamish Valley Music Festival

The District of Squamish Council has approved an updated Licensing Agreement with the producers of the Squamish Valley Music Festival, which will see the return of the internationally acclaimed music event back to the community for 2014. Called one of the most significant music events in BC history, the 2014 festival is expected to generate in excess of $55 million in economic spin off directly into the region.

“Over the past five years the event organizers have demonstrated a strong willingness to work with us to accommodate the community’s needs to the best of their ability, recognizing that the long-term success of the festival requires community support,” says District of Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham.

“It goes without saying that bringing thousands of visitors to town for a three-day music festival does not come without an impact, and the community must recognize this and plan accordingly. Our job as council is to ensure that we continue to work with the producers to anticipate and mitigate any unnecessary impact,” continues the Mayor.

The previous operating agreement had been in effect since the event began in 2010, and the new agreement, which includes an expanded area of land at Brennan Park for the 2014 Festival, will be in effect until August 12, 2021.

Key elements of the agreement include a strong working relationship between the District and the event organizers in key areas of community interest including: traffic management planning, site maintenance, community engagement, risk management planning, waste management, public health and environmental impact.

"This event was born in Squamish and we've spent five years growing it into one of the top music festivals in North America through our strong relationship with the District of Squamish and the support of the entire community," says Squamish Valley Music Festival Founder and Executive Producer Paul Runnals. "We consider ourselves part of Squamish and we are committed to making sure this is an event that everyone can be very proud of.  Extensive planning has gone into addressing key concerns we've heard from the community following last year’s event and we're confident this years event will run even smoother."

Squamish Valley Music Festival organizers are planning a town hall meeting in April 2014 to share more details with the community.

A new project page at www.squamish.ca/SVMF will continue to be updated as new community-related information is available, and includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Event information is also available at www.squamishfestival.com  

February 3, 2014