The three-day Rock The Shores music festival, set to be held this July in Vancouver Island, has been cancelled for the summer, with an uncertain future.
It was announced last week by producer Atomique Productions of Victoria that the Colwood festival, which was just revived in 2018 after taking a year off, has been cancelled due to multiple factors. The fest would have taken place at the Westshore Parks and Recreation Centre fields from July 13 to 15. Festival organizers took to social media, explaining the “difficult decision to not proceed with Rock The Shores in 2019.”
“We aren’t certain what the future holds for this event as it will depend on business conditions and talent availabilities in our region,” organizers said in a post. “It has been an amazing run and we will miss it this summer. To everyone who has participated over the years on both sides of the stage, thank you!”
Nick Blasko, director of Atomique Productions, told Vancouver Island CTV News that the decision was very difficult for the company to make since they all love the event and site and are proud of the work they’ve put into the festival since its creation in 2012.
“On the talent side, you have lots of competition around the world, not just in our region,” Blasko said. “You’ve got escalating prices, you have the U.S. dollar. I think you have definitely an interesting time for events right now, there was a bit of a saturation and you’ve got sort of a recalibration in the festival community in general.”
The festival first garnered attention during their debut year when Atomique Productions booked The Tragically Hip. Throughout the years, the festival has hosted a variety of artists like The Black Keys, Weezer, The Cult, and Jane’s Addiction, making sure to bring diverse and eclectic lineups that “please those whose musical interests span both genres and decades.”
Blasko hopes that Rock The Shores can continue in future years since there is a willingness both in the community and the organizers, noting that they “don’t want this to be the end.”
Tickets for the event had not gone on sale yet.
