The Sooke Music and Art Festival masterfully walks the line between drawing bigger and better lineups and staying true to its local roots.
 
"It started out on a bit of a whim," said Peter Jonassen, who launched the first festival in 2016.
 
"I was looking out back of what used to be Mulligan's, back in the day and thought, we can do a festival here, and the next thing you know we were. I've been involved since the beginning, assisted by a very capable crew."
 
While the first festival was a one-day affair that featured 10 acts, this year's event includes an opening party followed by two days and nights with 26 performances featuring a wide range of musical styles.
 
Some of the headliners at this year's free, family-friendly, event include Los Angeles based Pink Mountain Tops, Roots Round Up, which has a devoted following in Metro Vancouver, Zenon, plus Lucy Lambert, a vocalist accordion and violin player from Vancouver.
 
"She's awesome," Jonassen said regarding Zenon, the award-winning alternative rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and musician from Calgary.
 
"We've always gone out of our way to promote local talent since the beginning," said Jonassen, who's played in most of the festivals in the past.
 
"I hope to get the chance to perform again, time permitting."
 
This year's festival continues the tradition of including a strong local presence, with Sooke bands Shale, The Faultline Band, Gord Phillips Band, and Kuba Oms, a Latin Grammy winner from Victoria, all taking a turn on stage.
 
The festival kicks off in style with an opening party at the Sooke Community Hall on Friday, 1 Sep 2023 from 21:00 to 01:00.
 
Tickets to the party, which includes live performances, are $10.
 
The festival moves to John Phillips Memorial Park on Saturday, 2 and 3 Sep 2023 from noon to 22:00 with no charge for admission.
 
To purchase tickets to the opening party, a look at the full lineup, or more on the performers, visit sookemusicfestival.ca.
 
"We support Sooke-based businesses such as food and beverage entrepreneurs and we're always looking for sponsorship from like minded businesses and individuals. And we still do need volunteers to help us pull off Sooke's funnest event," Jonassen said.
 
Rick Stiebel.