WATCH: Fans planning to attend next week’s Pemberton music festival are being told to be extra vigilant. Crews have been battling three wildfires in the Squamish-Lillooet district. Jeremy Hunka reports.
The Pemberton Music Festival is a go, according to the organizers.
With a number of wildfires currently burning in the Pemberton area and declining air quality in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, there have been concerns that the festival might be cancelled or delayed.
The festival is scheduled to take place July 16-19 in the Pemberton Valley, and features big-name artists like Kendrick Lamar, The Black Keys, DJ Tiesto and others. Close to 30,000 people are expected at the festival each day.
“Public safety remains our number one priority,” said festival organizers in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate with authorities from the Village of Pemberton, Lil’wat Nation and SLRD. At this time, with the current condition, direction and location of the fires, there are no plans to cancel the festival. However, we cannot predict what Mother Nature has in store in the days to come, nor speculate what the situation will look like a week from now with regard to air quality or the proximity of the fires.”
Ticket buyers have also been messaged directly about fire safety.
A number of wildfires has been burning in the Pemberton area for over a week. The B.C. Wildfire Service says fires in the Pemberton area have generated a thick blanket of smoke that has prevented firefighting aircraft from flying on some days.
Currently, fire officials are urging members of the public to stay away from fires within the Boulder Wildfire Complex. This includes the Elaho wildfire, the Boulder Creek wildfire and the Cougar Creek wildfire.
They say it is extremely unsafe for people other than our crews to be in the vicinity of these fires.
The air quality in the region remains low but is improving. The current Wildfire Smoke Advisory for the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and surrounding areas continues because of forest fire smoke that is affecting areas from Howe Sound through Squamish and Whistler to Pemberton and surrounding areas.
Smoke concentrations will vary widely as winds, fire behaviour and temperatures change. This situation is expected to persist until weather conditions change.
District officials say fireworks and pyrotechnics have been banned from the site, and more water and firefighters have been allocated for the festival. But ultimately, it’s up to festival goers themselves to be their own best defense.
“We need people to be extremely careful with their cigarettes,” says Jack Crompton, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Board Chair.
“Don’t make bad decisions around disobeying fire bans. Pay attention, look for other people making mistakes and chat to them bout the fire risk. Be vigilant.”
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