Well, Inspire Fest is a new all-ages music and arts festival that wants to be everything the Stampede isn’t.
“There’s definitely a bit of a counterculture to it here, and I wanted to have an alternative to the breakout, especially [one] that caters to other people who maybe aren’t into that kind of music or don’t really like the Stampede culture,” said festival program director Kenton Doborowski.
Inspire Fest program director Kenton Doborowski is pictured before the festival on July 15, 2022. He says Inspire Fest is for people who might not feel like the Stampede is for them. (Oseremen Irete/CBC)
The all-ages festival started on Friday 15th July and will run until Sunday 17th July.
Headlined by two Calgary acts — self-proclaimed lo-fi soul duo Sergeant and Comrade and indie rockers The Static Shift — organizers say that unlike larger, more commercial festivals, Inspire Fest is for and by local artists.
“It’s all local musicians, bands, vendors from Calgary, a lot of the DJs are from around here too. Same with all the people who put it on, all the organizers just everything was straight from Calgary,” said Doborowski.
The festival features Cheyanne Summer. He says the opportunity to grace a stage is even more important for local acts emerging from the pandemic.
“There are so many local festivals, but there’s not a lot of local talent at the festivals. It’s really hard – especially coming out of the pandemic – to not have any practice bands or live shows under your belt to get the live shows you want to get” , he said.
Cheyanne Summer poses for a photo before Inspire Fest at Highfield Regenerative Farm in Calgary on July 15, 2022. (Oseremen Irete/CBC)
“So this has given a lot of young artists the opportunity to get the exposure they need to keep moving up the ladder,” he added.
The festival features a food market with local vendors and art installations throughout the grounds created by local artists.
Doborowski says the inspiration behind it was creating a Shambala-style festival in Calgary — a nod to the Salmo, BC electronic music festival run by a group of volunteers.
One of the most obvious similarities between the festivals is their locations, as both take place on farms.
Inspire Fest is located at Highfield Regenerative Farm, a 15-acre urban community farm located in an industrial area in southeast Calgary. The farm is a project working to reclaim and regenerate the former vacant lot.
Summer says that’s another way this festival is different from others in the city.
“I think it offers a nice space where you can go out, relax with your family [and] you don’t have to worry about a million people stomping on a concrete hot ground. [It’s] somewhere to go and enjoy nature,” he said.
A beer garden sign on the floor during preparation before Inspire Fest at Highfield Regenerative Farm in Calgary on July 15, 2022. (Oseremen Irete/CBC)
Nathan Richards is a volunteer at Highfield Farm who helps set up the festival. He hopes the festival can bring more attention to the farm and the work it does.
“I hope people come to this event not only inspired by the tunes and the sights, but by the farm itself, the effort that goes into this place to keep it going,” he said.
“I hope people come here and say this is a beautiful place, I’d love to see it thrive,” he added.
