CranFest XIII – July 19-21, 2024

Midsummer Full Moon Weekend:

July 19th – 21st, 2024

Tix available June 2024 :)

Goodbye, Dear Friend Alex ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ™๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿ’›

May Your Beautiful Bright Smile Live On In Our Hearts – And In Our Smiles Too

Annual Full-Moon Family Campout Music & Games Weekend

  • Friday 2pm til Sunday Noon
  • Ticket Info: order tickets on our Get Tickets Page starting June 2024 . **(TICKETS ARE SOLD ONLINE AND IN ADVANCE ONLY, NO TICKET SALES AT THE DOOR)**
  • Ticket numbers are limited to encourage a Very Kid & Family Friendly Atmosphere and to foster local community connection with one another. If you’d like to ensure you can attend, you will need to get your tickets early before they sell out
    • Tickets are $20* for Friday, $30* for Saturday, $40* for Both Fri & Sat Nights
      • * You are very encouraged to participate in our 4:30-6:00pm potluck dinner, with an emphasis on bringing a dish made with locally-sourced food from our local farms, farmstands, and markets. You’ll be able to purchase a discounted Cranfest ticket with a commitment to arrive prior to 4:00 and bring a dish to share made with food sourced from a local farm/farmstand/market. The goal is to encourage people to arrive early to connect with one another and enjoy the early musicians and to support our local food growers. If you can commit to arriving prior to 4:00pm with a local dish to share, you’ll be able to select one of the discounted ticket prices. More info on the Schedule page ๐Ÿ™‚
    • When Accompanied By Adults, Kids Under 16 Are Free – The emphasis is on families sharing time here together – please plan to accompany your kids! (Please remember to select free kid tix for your kids when purchasing yours so their names are on the check-in list)
    • Onsite Parking & Camping included (no neighbourhood street parking at all please)
    • Please Keep Dogs & Cats & Kangaroos & Glass Bottles Safely At Home, Thanks!
      • And Please – No Cigarettes, Vapes, Campstoves (due to extreme fire danger)
        • We’ve been finding a surprising number of stray cigarette butts put out/left in the dry grass, so No Smoking Allowed other than inside your own car. Please help keep us all safe, and put your cigarette butts out in your own car ashtray. If that doesnโ€™t feel like a good fit for you, honestly, and respectfully, perhaps ask yourself if smoking is truly a good fit for our little family festival ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • It’s ok share news of our little family campout music weekend appropriately and privately with your very good friends/families, keeping in mind it is a Local Community Connecting Event geared for All Ages – from Babies to Great-Grandparents.
    • It’s Not a party scene, it’s Not a rave, it’s Not a place to trip out – it’s for Raising Our Kids (& Ourselves) Together in Community by Modelling Respectful and Responsible Behaviour throughout the Entire Weekend – no exceptions.
    • Please Pack Out Everything You Bring, Pickup Trash & Recyclables, Cleanup Your Dishes, and Leave All Glass at Home. Disrespectful and Irresponsible Behaviour has no place here – please maintain your ability to Make Good Decisions throughout your stay. Thank you for your discretion and for everybody helping us to ensure that the fundamental aspects of creating a Safe and Fun environment for all is upheld.
Mapstone – Dreams

Schedule

Cranfest XIII 2024 Lineup TBA ๐Ÿ™‚

  • FRIDAY, July 19th – Guest arrival starts at 2:00 for camping setup and kid/adult games throughout the afternoon.
    • 4:30-6:00 – Community Potluck
    • Live Music from ~4:00 – 11:00
      • 9:00-11:00 – TBA
      • 7:00-8:30 – TBA
      • 5:45 – 6:45 – TBA
      • 4:30-5:15 – TBA
        • Between main stage acts during 4:00-9:00 – Special tweener lounge stage appearances by Harry Warner & friends
    • Outdoor Movie ~ 11:00 – TBA – (free popcorn at movie time)
    • Quiet Sleepy Time 12:30-8:00a out of respect for our neighbours, our kids, and our hard working volunteers
  • SATURDAY, July 20th – kid/adult games throughout the day, maybe a walk down to the beach/dock in the morning.
    • 4:30-6:00 – Community Potluck
    • Live Music from ~4:00 – 11:00
      • 9:00-11:00 – TBA
      • 7:00-8:30 – TBA
      • 5:45 – 6:45 – TBA
      • 4:30-5:15 – TBA
        • Between main stage acts during 4:00-9:00 – Special tweener lounge stage appearances by Harry Warner & friends
    • 11:ish-1:00ish – Dreamland Silent Disco w/3-track Light-Up Headphones
    • Quiet Sleepy Time 12:30-8:00a out of respect for our neighbours, our kids, and our hard working volunteers
  • Food Options:
    • **We invite you to bring a locally-sourced-ingredient(s) food dish to share at our community potluck dinner on both Fri & Sat evenings from 4:30-6:00pm. We offer discounted Cranfest ticket prices for participants who are committed to arriving by 4:00pm with a dish to share and an ear for our early musicians ๐Ÿ™‚
      • If participating in the early potluck is not an option for you, please feel free to bring your own picnic dinner to enjoy, and you are also welcome to bring something to throw onto the big grill while it’s hot between 4:00-8:00
      • We strongly encourage you to support our local farmers!
          • Greg Bellavance Welding‘s Big BBQ trailer grill will be hot from 4:00-8:00 on Fri and Sat, bring your own favourite local grillables for yourself and your family
          • Fruit Freezeypops available at the welcome desk throughout the weekend – by donation and free for kids who participate in the game decathlon challenge
          • Bicycle Blender Kid-Made Apple Blackberry Slushies
          • Saturday morning brunch-time Kid-Made Pancakes w/Blueberry Sauce & coffee
          • Sunday morning brunch-time Oatmeal & coffee
          • The Hen and Hound Brasserie is just down the road by the Fernwood Dock for delicious breakfast, lunch, snacks & drinks as well between something like 8:30-3:30
  • All Ages Fun Activities Include:
    • Rock Painting Station – BYO Favourite Little Rock
      • Take it home, Gift it to one of your Elders, or add it to our Rock Snake!
    • Horseshoes
    • Slacklines – Newly Tiki’d up posts by Banana Joe ๐Ÿ™‚
    • Hula Hoops
    • Sack Races
    • 3-Legged Races
    • Kiddie Pool & Playgym
    • Water Squirters & Water Balloon Launchers
    • Propane Firepit
    • James & The Circus crew will light us up with their magic again!
    • Dancing
    • Volleyball
    • Water Misting Trampoline
    • Ping Pong
    • Foosball (Thanks Al!)
    • Bocce
    • Kid Bocce
    • Speedball
    • Smashball
    • Tetherball (New!)
    • Kubb (New!)
    • Giant Chess
    • Giant Checkers
    • Giant Jenga
    • Croquet
    • Soccer Games
    • Telescopes

What’s a CranFest?

CranFest is an Annual Salt Spring Island Community Family-Friendly Camp-Out Solar-Powered Full-Moon Non-Profit Live-Music&Art Outdoor-Couch-Popcorn-Movie Astronomical-Adventure All-Ages Multi-Generational Musical-Yoga Reasonably-Priced (Kids Always Free) Festival Celebration Weekend Benefit Thing

What began in 2010 as a one-off SSI Family Co-Op Preschool BBQ has evolved slowly into a recurring community summer weekend event. In our first year, legendary band Lane 31 joined our kid bbq on a whim and played in the dirt and in the dark for some fun and dancing. Questions began the following year about doing it again – and again…

Throughout the ensuing years, we have been very fortunate and grateful to have gathered together a core gang of good friend volunteers who help keep things rolling along by generously donating their time and energy, providing inspiration and great ideas and people-power to pull it all together. Our collaborative intentions have remained focused on keeping this a Family-Friendly and Community-Connecting weekend event where we can continue to raise our kids together, fostering and modelling responsibly fun behaviour.

Although the numbers of friends/families attending and the numbers of musicians performing have increased a bit since our first impromptu evening of live music, we strive to keep the numbers of people attending within the realms of positive family/friend and community connection – we aim to stay reasonably small and respectfully fun.

We’ve been powered by the people and James Cowan’s solar/bike power generator trailer creation, and we are energized by the sun and the great vibes that our very talented musician friends bring to our humble little homemade stage.

We hope you’ll bring your kids and their grandparents and campout for the weekend, it’s a great way to join in on all the fun connecting with friends and families, both old and new.

History

Previous CranFests

2023 CranFest XII ~ July 28-30 – Alex’s Bright Beautiful Smile up on stage one final time…

Alex

2022 CranFest XI ~ Aug 12-14 – What an awesome giant bunch of kids we all get to be together again

2021 CranFest X ~ Aug 20-22 – welcome back into the groove – a truly needed magical respite weekend from global chaos – thank you

2020 CranFest – the year Live Music took a hard break : [

2019 mini-CranFest IX ~ June 29 – throwback to the original CranFest I (scaled back for our wedding year ๐Ÿ™‚ )

2018 CranFest VIII ~ July 27-29 – we all feel so very lucky to be a part of pulling this together year after year. let’s definitely try to keep it small.

2017 CranFest VII ~ July 4-6 – well this thing somehow just keeps getting better and better, so let’s keep it small…

2016 CranFest VI ~ July 15-17 – last year was even awesomer, but maybe we should go back to 2 days…

2015 CranFest V ~ (3-Day Long Weekend) July 31-Aug 2 – last year was awesome, how bout 3 days? and what the hell, why has that sound guy not been shreddin guitar on stage for the last 30 years?

2014 CranFest IV ~ Aug 8-10 – alright, let’s get this thing back up and running. maybe we should even think about having 2 bands this year…

2013 – nope, took a break

2012 CranFest III ~ Aug 11 – I wonder if The Earthmen would do a reunion show…

  • SATURDAY:
    • The Earthmen (SSI/Victoria, BC)

2011 CranFest II ~ Jul 16 – that was a fun family campout last year, we should do it again

2010 CranFest I ~ Jul 10 – a little Co-Op Preschool end of year BBQ. Coupla days before: Pete – hey, I know some guys in a band… Mark – oh cool, and I have some sound gear I could bring…

  • SATURDAY:
    • Lane 31 (SSI)
    • Band of Misc Kids (SSI, Vancouver)

CranFest Collaborators

This magically connecting event comes together because of a great little community of good friend volunteers whose participation and collaboration over the years have been Invaluable, Essential, and Very, Very Much Appreciated. These are the people and local businesses to thank for anything and everything that goes on at CranFest:

Mark & Terena & Jackson, Bruce E, Ken L, Michelle F, Ozzy F & friend crew, Vi F & friend crew, John H, Jim & Sheri, Gary & Andrea, Jamie F, Jo & Simon, Shauna D, Dan L, Alex & Sarah-Jane, David M, Harry W, Nic F, Jhafari, Tara & Martin, Dave V, Josh & Jess, Bodhi, Gaurang & Chris M, Nigel & Megan, Wendi G, John R, Dennis L, Naomi J, Shay, Johnny A, Shannon & Kalvin, Heather F, Colin L, Pete & Vic, Greg B, Joe A, Ellis & Claire, Aki & Akiko, Nomi L, Daryl C, James C & Steph & the Circus gang, David K, Jack & Candace & Jasper & Jade, Enaunda, Rasha & Nadia, Lara G, Michael K & Suheila, Banana Joe ๐Ÿ™‚

Tree House Cafe, Guayaki Yerba Mate, SSI Fruitcicles, Rhonan & SS Water, Dave Vollrath & Living Water Media Services, Fogarty Accounting, Island Escapades (now Coastal Current Adventures), Al’s Gourmet Falafel and Fries, Fix Tacos, Earth Candy Farm, Roly Poly Rice balls, Greg Bellavance Welding, Fernwood Road Cafe, The Hen and Hound Farmstand, Duck Creek Farm, Haidee Hart/Woodshed Provisions, Windsor Farm, Huyen Springrolls, North End Farm, SSI Sea Products

And last but not least, it’s You and your Families, our Community, who bring your kids & their grandparents and your smiles and pitch your tents to make sharing this fun weekend experience together such a rewarding and positively connecting event.

Thank you all for helping us raise our kids together. And ourselves, too ๐Ÿ™‚

With lots of love & Appreciation – Ky & Michelle

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