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Thousands of music lovers are expected to head deep into the boreal forest in northern Saskatchewan this week as the Ness Creek Music Festival returns for another year of live performances, cultural programming and community gatherings.
The annual festival – which takes place about 20 kilometres northeast of Big River near the western edge of Prince Albert National Park – has been a summer tradition for more than three decades. Organizers said the event continues to attract festival-goers seeking a unique blend of music, nature and hands-on experiences.
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Speaking on The Evan Bray Show, Ness Creek booking manager Deborah Aitken described the festival as a community-driven event built around a shared love of music and the northern Saskatchewan landscape.
“We’re just regular people who love music and we love the forest of northern Saskatchewan,” Aitken said. “And we love pitching in and doing things together.”
A band plays at Ness Creek Music Festival. (Ness Creek Cultural and Recreational Society/Facebook)
Ness Creek has a village-like atmosphere that has evolved over 30 years, Aitken said. The site features a central gathering area with performance stages, food vendors, beer gardens and family programming, along with camping areas nestled among the trees.
“It’s really a nice communal spot,” she told guest host, Tamara Cherry, on the show on Wednesday.
Aitken described the event space as “very homemade,” but said returning visitors may notice several improvements, including access to flush toilets.
One of the festival’s most distinctive attractions is the Stage of Aquarius, a floating performance venue mounted on a pontoon boat at nearby Nesslin Lake. Festival-goers can take shuttle buses to the lakeside event, where bands perform for audiences gathered on the beach or floating in the water.
The Stage of Aquarius is a floating performance venue on Nesslin Lake. (Ness Creek Cultural and Recreational Society/Facebook)
The festival lineup features performers from Saskatchewan, across Canada and beyond. The first performance of the festival begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday night with Rocky Lakner. At midnight, ShiShi, a group from Lithuania, will take to the stage with their “zero-waste trash music.”
The festival will also feature after-hours performances. According to the online digital program, the last band to perform on opening night will be Prairie Gamble – they’re scheduled to hit the stage at 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning.
Aitken said one of the highlights each year is seeing local musicians share stages with international artists.
“So many great collaborations have happened here from touring musicians coming, seeing a Saskatchewan band and loving them and taking them on the road,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see the interest in the bands, in the local bands and through the musicians themselves.”
Beyond the music, the festival programming includes children’s activities, cultural workshops, yoga sessions, community jams, Indigenous beadwork, Chinese lion and dragon dance performances, gardening demonstrations and traditional food-making workshops for things like Norwegian brewing techniques.
Programming at the Ness Cree Music Festival includes songwriting workshops, family yoga and learning how to do drag makeup. (Ness Creek Cultural and Recreational Society/Facebook)
Aitken said the festival’s family-friendly atmosphere and sense of community have remained consistent over the years, even as the event has expanded.
“The vibe remains the same because the people who get connected to this space love it and they bring their best energy,” Aitken said. “Everybody’s working together for the sake of music and hanging out together.”
The festival also maintains emergency preparedness plans and wildfire response procedures, a consideration that has become increasingly important following recent wildfire seasons in Saskatchewan. Aitken said volunteers and coordinators review evacuation plans annually and are expecting favourable weather conditions for this year’s event.
Tickets are available at the gate. Organizers encourage attendees to come prepared with cash and reusable water bottles. Pets, fireworks and glass containers are not permitted on site.
Listen to the full interview from The Evan Bray Show:
