Last year, the pandemic left organizers no choice but to temporarily mothball Cariboo Rocks The North.
But it’s only a matter of time before the city’s annual classic rock festival regains its butterfly wings.
Once the masses of our population get their inoculations and we’ve got a handle on COVID-19, the likes of Nazareth, Tom Cochrane, April Wine, Aldo Nova , Prism, Sweet, Harlequin, Kick Axe, Haywire, The Stampeders and Powder Blues Band will be coming to Prince George to rock the stage at Exhibition Park in the three-day event.
For Cariboo Rocks The North event manager Kyle Sampson, the question is not if that will happen, but when, and like anyone else connected to the entertainment industry, he can’t predict when he will get that green light. Until provincial health orders are lifted and it’s once again safe for thousands of people to gather in one spot, Sampson knows he won’t be able to bring to the city the star-studded lineup he had slated for the 2020 edition.
“We’re planning on going the second weekend in August – August 6th, 7th and 8th – that’s been in the plans for a year now and our team is working hard to see if that’s still viable and if it is not we’ll be letting our fans know as soon as we have a definitive answer,” said Sampson.
“But as of now, the event is still a go. It’s a challenge to plan anything these days, but the best that any event organizing team can do, especially ours at Cariboo Rocks, is make sure they have plans in place for any predictable outcome, whether that’s to go ahead or cancel.”
2020 was to be the third year for the Cariboo Rocks The North at Exhibition Park and festivals goers, for the first time, were to have had the option of camping on the site.
After last year’s festival was cancelled, Sampson says he’s grateful many people who had already bought tickets chose to hang on to them, rather than ask for refunds.
Sampson says the bands desperately want to get back to entertaining music fans and perform live in front of audiences again, which they haven’t been able to do ever since the pandemic began in March 2020. He’s confident they still have Prince George on their calendars this year and are prepared to come, even on short notice.
“I think our artists want to work with us to do this if we’re able to and they’re very understanding we’re facing challenges with COVID, just like everybody else,” said Sampson. “We have great partners and when it comes to the artists we’re working things out to the best of our ability and the best of their abilities to try to be as flexible and accommodating to everybody’s needs, as this has been totally unprecedented.
“The entertainment industry has arguably been the hardest-hit industry in the world when it comes to the pandemic. We’re talking probably over a billion-dollar industry worldwide that has been completely shut down, completely out of work. That’s everybody from the artists to the road crew, stage hands and all the way down to local companies affected, tenting and tradeshow companies like Central Display and food and beverage providers and restauranteurs and hoteliers who depend on people staying and eating at their establishments. If there’s anything we can do at Cariboo Rocks to be part of that restart, no doubt we’re working towards that. “
The festival has grown in popularity since the move to its current site in front of CN Centre and crowds each day have numbered in the thousands. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry last week stated it was unlikely outdoor events that draw thousands of people will happen this summer and probably not until next winter. She did say it might by OK to have summer outdoor shows with hundreds of people, but Sampson said an audience that small wouldn’t cut it.
“For our staff, our crew, our partners and our fans, safety and health in our Number 1 priority and if we have to narrow it down to just being allowed to have a couple hundred people, unfortunately that doesn’t pay the bills,” said Sampson.
“If there’s no way to proceed this year then we’re going to make sure we’re doing things properly on our end with respect to how we work with our partners to move into next year. There’s a lot of work going on and regular conversations and the team is doing everything we can to make the right decision.”
