Hillside Festival fully sold out in spite of smoky skies
Math rock duo Angine de Poitrine brought huge crowds to Guelph Lake
GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Polka-dots donned the faces and clothes of many people gathered on Guelph Lake Island this weekend, with toddlers in strollers, grandparents with silver hair, and every age in between showing support for math rock duo Angine de Poitrine.
Hillside Festival brought about 15,000 people to the Guelph Lake Conservation Area from July 17 to 19, with more than 50 artists playing across five stages until the festival came to a close with a Quebecois pair known for their absurd style and complex music.
Hillside has been taking place since 1984, and this is the first time since 2012 it has sold out, with tickets running out about a week before the festival.
TOP LEFT: African reggae singer and militant activist Tiken Jah Fakloy performed on Hillside’s main stage on July 18. TOP CENTRE: This musician played guitar with Tiken Jah Fakloy. TOP RIGHT: Guadalupe Giraldo drums in Killabeatmaker, who combined Colombian rhythms with Afrobeats, Amapiano and Cumbia on the main stage on July 18. MIDDLE LEFT: Sunday morning at Hillside always begins with a gospel session, drawing a crowd for moving singalongs that bring many to tears. From left, Renée Coughlin, Hillary Watson and Noelle Frances Coughlin of The Pairs hosted this year's gospel session on the island stage. The session also included Charlotte Cornfield, Donovan Woods, Magic Tuber Stringband and The North Sound. MIDDLE RIGHT: Jessica Harp performed with Sinkane on the main stage on July 19. ABOVE LEFT: Kreisha Oro enjoyed dancing to Mimi O'Bonsawin's set at the lake stage on July 19. ABOVE RIGHT: Tell it to Sweeney closed the lake stage on Friday night. Photos by Robin George
Many locals have attended annually for decades, with several young people telling the Advertiser they’ve been every year since they were born – which for some means they’ve had more Hillsides than birthdays.
Executive director Kate Johnston said she thinks the festival’s lineup was a big factor in it selling out, with a mix of “lots of bands people know and love and lots of new things that people discover,” reaching a range of audiences, including young families and seniors.
“We are really proud of having a variety of things to do,” Johnston said, including workshops, artisans, an Indigenous Circle and collaborative performances where “artists are combined together and have a completely new and creative experience right there in front of your eyes.”
At its core, Johnston said Hillside is about immersing people in community and creativity, and “celebrating the creativity of the human experience.”
TOP LEFT, MIDDLE: Aila Price and Arlo von De are the lead singer and guitar player in Six of One, who performed at Hillside as part of JamSchool's youth showcase. The band also includes Sidney Ortiz on bass and Seth Forbes on drums. TOP RIGHT: From left, Will Cleaver, Jules Cleaver, Ellie Forbes and Andi Forbes made their way over to the festival on July 17. MIDDLE LEFT: Maya Heroux and Ryder Stievenart are members of Mean Girls, who were also part of the youth showcase. The other members of Mean Girls are Xander Greff on drums, Cameron Hutton on bass and Jett Lewis on guitar. MIDDLE CENTRE: Indie pop/rock band Stars travelled from Montreal to perform at Hillside. Members include Amy Millan, left, and Torqui Campbell. MIDDLE RIGHT: Many of the youngsters were excited to see Señor Banana on the children's stage. ABOVE LEFT: Lacey Hill kicked the festival off with an Indigenous welcome, which included guest performers and the smell of sacred sweetgrass wafting through the air. ABOVE RIGHT: Quebecois duo Angine de Poitrine brought a big crowd to Hillside’s main stage on July 19, bringing the three-day festival at Guelph Lake Conservation Area to a close. Photos by Robin George
Angine de Poitrine
Hillside booked Angine de Poitrine prior to their recent ascension to stardom.
Johnston said Samir Baijal has been Hillside’s artistic director for over 30 years, and “he, along with all of our artistic committees, are plugged in.”
She said Baijal had an instinct about Angine de Poitrine, who “really rocketed to international fame this past year.
“We didn’t anticipate how big they would get over the past few months, but they certainly seemed like it would be something the Hillside audience would really enjoy,” Johnston said.
The anonymous duo call themselves “space-time voyagers Klek and Khn de Poitrine,” and call their music “cardboard anti-arena instrumental rock.”
“Through tight, pulsing drum grooves and intricate tangles of double-neck microtonal guitar, the band summons swirling vortices of hypnotic sound and vision,” states Angine de Poitrine’s website.
TOP ROW: Many collaborative performances take place throughout Hillside Festival, such as this one dubbed “No Borders” which included Gord Grdina, Elida Almeida and the duo PIQSIQ (Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik) on the island stage on July 19. MIDDLE ROW: PIQSIQ is a duo of Inuit sisters who performed ancient traditional songs and eerie new compositions. They were booked by guest curator Celeigh Cardinal. ABOVE LEFT: Simone Carson had fun playing drums in the children's area. ABOVE RIGHT: Mimi O'Bonsawin was also part of Cardinal's curation. Photos by Robin George
Volunteers
About 1,400 volunteers spread over 60 crews worked to ensure the festival ran smoothly, covering everything from installing fencing ahead of time to washing mountains of dishes throughout the weekend (as a festival without any single-use plastics, there are a lot of dishes to wash).
Such sustainability initiatives are an important part of the festival’s character, Johnston said. The festival has won a number of awards for its environmentalism.
The water used to wash the dishes is heated with solar panels, and the main stage is covered with plants – an initiative fundraised for by a group of Hillside volunteers called the Green Team about 20 years ago. The living roof filters heat, absorbs air pollution, adds oxygen to the atmosphere and provides a habitat for birds and butterflies.
Volunteers also ensure garbage, recycling and compost is carefully sorted, and many volunteers and patrons camp in the conservation area or bike back and forth from Guelph, reducing emissions from cars.
There were fewer volunteers this year, Johnston noted – down about five per cent. Around 500 people were on a waiting list to volunteer, she said, but organizers opted for fewer volunteers in an effort for things to run more smoothly.
Air pollution
In the days leading up to the festival, hazy skies filled with smoke muted the colours of the bright tents popping up across the island, and kept many people inside where the air was clearer.
Environment Canada issued an orange air quality warning and the local air quality health index (AQHI) was sitting at a 10+ (very high risk) for most of July 15 to 17, starting to drop around 7am on July 18.
After a brief climb back up to a rating of 9 (high risk) at 6pm on Saturday, the AQHI went down to 2 (low risk) and then fluctuated between 2 and 5 (moderate risk) for the rest of the festival.
During the high-risk periods, Environment Canada recommended limiting time outdoors, cancelling outdoor activities and wearing a mask to reduce exposure to fine particulate in the smoke.
Johnston said festival organizers were closely monitoring the smoke, which was most impactful during festival setup.
The decision not to cancel the fully outdoor festival was made with a philosophy of providing people with information so they can make the best decisions for themselves, Johnston said.
Postponing was not an option as many artists fly in from overseas.
Steps to protect volunteers included offering masks and adjusting schedules to limit hard physical work during the worst air quality.
Masks were available, free of charge, for all attendees, Johnston said, and organizers “encouraged folks to be safe and make good choices for themselves with regards to the smoke, heat, and weather” including seeking shade and avoiding strenuous activity.
There was also a fire ban across the conservation area throughout the festival, changing the atmosphere in "Volly Village," a communal camping area for festival volunteers and performers that typically includes many gatherings around fires.
By the time a few rainy spells rolled through on Saturday afternoon, Johnston said “it felt like the smoke was no longer really part of the experience of the festival, and that lasted into Sunday.”
