Rock Creek's Ponderosa Festival Rises From the Ashes

A popular BC music festival is rising from the ashes of a devastating wildfire. Ponderosa Arts & Music Festival will return to Rock Creek this summer.

Last year’s edition of Ponderosa, the third installment of the festival, was cancelled just days before it was scheduled to start because of safety concerns resulting from the Rock Creek wildfire. At its height, the fire covered some 4,417 hectares and damaged or destroyed 45 structures, including 30 homes.

The cancellation of Ponderosa 2015 dealt a significant blow to festival founders, Kris Hargrave and Kia Zahrabi, but they have used the challenging events of last summer as inspiration:

“Last year’s cancellation was difficult to say the least, but it has motivated us even more to come back even stronger this year,” Zahrabi says. “Quality music, chill vibes, awesome value, maximum freshness - that’s what Ponderosa is, and this year our fans have an added opportunity to directly help a community that was hit by the worst forest fire they’ve seen in over 30 years.”

Early bird tickets for Ponderosa 2016 are now available for purchase, and Hargrave and Zahrabi have committed to donating a portion of each ticket sold to Habitat for Humanity Southeast BC - the organization that is leading the rebuilding efforts in the area.

“People are always asking us how they can help, and well, this is it. By purchasing tickets early people not only secure their three days of music and sun for an unbeatable price, they also help give the festival the boost it needs to stay afloat while donating funds directly to the rebuild efforts in the community. It’s a win win - win,” explained Zahrabi.

The lineup for Ponderosa 2016, an independent all ages festival that prides itself on the concept that it is “not your typical festival”, is set to be released in May. You can sign up for the Ponderosa newsletter to stay informed on that.

Check out the promo vid for Ponderosa 2015 here: