New Revelstoke ‘Axis Mundi’ Harvest & Solstice festivals announced

A new shoulder season music festival in Revelstoke will hold its inaugural event this September 18–20, featuring music, arts and adventure sports events at multiple venues in Revelstoke and a main stage at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. The event is being called the Axis Mundi festival and will feature a September ‘Axis Mundi Harvest’ festival, and starting in 2016 a June ‘Axis Mundi Solstice’ festival.

“Named for the mythical place where heaven meets earth and the four compass points meet, the biannual Axis Mundi Festival expresses a point of connection between culture, adventure, community and environment,” organizers said in a statement.

The festival is being organized by Hugo Rampen, who ran the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival before leaving to take on the new Axis Mundi fest. (I first reported on this new festival in the spring of 2014 in this story.)

The event puts the focus on music, adventure sport and the environment. Organizers say the multi-venue Axis Mundi Harvest event will feature “outdoor physical challenges, adventure sport workshops, films and lectures, community initiatives and a music, film and arts.”

Musical acts announced so far include Ashley MacIsaac, The Floozies, Sticky Fingers, Highs, Grounders, Buckman Coe, Adham Shaikh.

East coast musician Ashley MacIsaac is the biggest name to sign on so far to the new Axis Mundi Harvest festival in Revelstoke. Photo: contributed

The fall festival will feature lectures, photography workshops, a gear swap, community projects, food fairs, a fringe festival, family events and a range of adventure activities.

The Axis Mundi Harvest event this fall is the first, followed by the Axis Mundi Solstice.

The June 17–19 Solstice event kicks off in 2016 and will feature food fairs, family events, costume workshops and themed side events like bicycle jousting, bike art, improv and street theatre.

Tickets for the Axis Mundi Harvest offering this fall are $90 for an adult early-bird three-day pass.

Organizers are seeking to draw an audience from B.C., Alberta, the northwestern U.S. and Europe.

The festival is partnered with the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, the Revelstoke Accommodation Association, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, the city of Revelstoke and the Revelstoke Arts Council.

When it was conceived, the new festival was seen as a replacement for past Revelstoke music festivals that folded due to volunteer burnout. Another objective was to attract visitors to Revelstoke during the shoulder seasons.

Video: Sticky Fingers are signed on to the new Axis Mundi harvest festival: