Center of Gravity is underway in Kelowna and loyal festival-goers are giving rave reviews.
“Last year I went, too. It was a blast but this year, there’s more hype, a lot of positive vibes,” said Shauna Murphy.
RCMP are also providing some positive feedback. They’re stepping up enforcement, bringing in specialized teams but so far, haven’t dealt with a lot of issues.
“The main thing that I’m concerned about is violence…we didn’t see that, which was nice. So hopefully that carries on,” said Staff Sergeant Duncan Dixon.
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Organizers have made a couple of changes this year: hiring a security company that’s experienced in large-scale events and improving its medical program.
But ticket sales are still lagging. Since the festival was changed from the August long-weekend, organizers say they’ve been at about 80 per cent capacity, as opposed to selling out like they have in the past.
Scott Emslie, a festival director, hopes the positive reviews from officials mean they could get another date change.
“I know they’re really happy with the improvements that we made, so I think it opens the door to looking at weekends or different capcities in the future,” he said. “But right now, we’re just focused on getting to the end of this weekend and keeping the momentum up.”
WATCH BELOW: Rap icon Ice Cube pumps up the crowd at Center of Gravity Friday night. Other artists performing at the music and sports festival this weekend include Afrojack, Skrillex and MGK.