Rain or Shine: Farm Fest Brought the Best of the Northwest
Well, Farm Fest at Hidden Acres in Thornhill delivered once again. Despite the classic on-again-off-again Terrace rain, hundreds of people pulled on their gumboots, packed umbrellas, and zipped up their rain jackets to dance, eat, shop, and celebrate music at Hidden Acres Treehouse Resort this past weekend.
The Venue
Farm Fest is hosted at Hidden Acres Treehouse Resort – both a working farm and a great place to get away at their cabins and minihomes. From the minute you drive down the long driveway to the property, the festival is well laid out, features thoughtful additions like accessible parking and washroom, designated areas for vendors, artists and musician camping, a kids’ zone, a food truck area and loads of local vendors selling handcrafted jewellery, pottery, art, and more.
The entire venue feels like a little village for the day, full of conversations, smiling faces, and a packed beer garden where four breweries from across the northwest featured their best brews. Terrace’s Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse, Prince Rupert’s Wheelhouse Brewery, Smithers Brewing and Two Peaks from Kitimat kept the taps flowing all afternoon and into the evening.
The Music
Once the music started at 1 p.m. we were in for a northern BC music extravaganza. The first half of the bill opened with Terrace’s own Sunday Drivers followed by the dynamite Kitimat duo Orphan Wells, consisting of blues singer and guitarist Arthur Renwick and Warren Campbell.
Then came 17-year-old Kispiox guitar phenom, Ezra Beaton and his band – and wow. This young dude is going to be a household name one day. His powerful voice, jaw-dropping guitar work and completely natural way of storytelling blew everyone’s socks off. Truly an inspiration for any young kid dreaming of learning guitar or anyone thinking of picking up an instrument again.
The afternoon wrapped up with Terrace’s Devil’s Club, featuring special guests on electric guitar and standup bass, serving up gritty local bluegrass infused tunes that kept the energy rolling into the evening.
After a quick dinner break to refuel at the amazing food trucks serving up everything from burgers, to brisket to fries– festival-goers explored dozens of local vendors. Tourism Terrace was proud to be back with a tent featuring local artisans and all sorts of Terrace swag, and we served up burgers all day long. It’s always a great time to connect, meet visitors to the area and share our love of this place!
The evening lineup kept the rain at bay with foot-stomping music from Bean Station Road, Highbush Caribou (featuring musicians from Terrace, Port Ed, and Prince Rupert), and Terrace rockers Feverwater. Special guest Matt Stanyer made the trip all the way from Fort St. John to join the party.
Headliners Danny Bell and His Disappointments closed out the night, but they definitely didn’t disappoint. Their final set packed the dance area and earned an encore. Prince George based Bell was joined by Prince Rupert rocker Jeremy Pahl on electric guitar, Terrace-based drummer Carl and Caleb on bass – it was a truly northern make-up and a reminder of the insane musical talent tucked into the mountains and rivers that connect our northern communities.
Special Thanks
A massive shoutout goes to the volunteers who made it all happen. From taking tickets, getting the grounds set up, making food for musicians, first aid, security and more, volunteers are the back bone of the festival.
High fives to Jon and Jaclyn Gagnon for hosting at Hidden Acres, and to the local businesses and vendors who turned the festival into a true community gathering. Rain or shine, Farm Fest proved once again that northwest BC knows how to celebrate music, art, food, and each other.
Next Up On The Events Calendar
Now, get your dancing shoes ready for the next two big music events in Terrace during Riverboat Days. Saturday, July 2 George Little Park will be packed with vendors, food trucks and people as live music hits the stage from 12 until 10 p.m. including headliner Derek Miller.
And new this year to Riverboat Days is Luna’s Pulse, a brand new two-day electronic dance music festival featuring a family friendly event August 1, and a 19+ event August 2 both at the Sportsplex.
See you on the dancefloor!
