With about 8,000 people attending the sixth annual Shake the Lake over the weekend, festival co-ordinator Sean McIntyre is branding the event a major success once again.
“I think we found our perfect location,” he said, referring to the festival’s new site at the corner of 50th Street and Lakeshore Drive.
“We loved it down there, and having the music basically fill the beach as well as where we were was pretty special.”
Eleven musical acts from across Canada performed on the festival’s stage Friday night and Saturday. A skateboarding competition also took place at that site, before the festival moved exclusively to the multiplex Sunday for a BMX competition.
The format was new for the festival, and McIntyre is pleased to have seen so many people taking in events over all three days.
“The site down there was really nice for us,” he said. “Because it was already fenced, that helped us out a lot, and the grass was great for the spectators, for the music.
“We weren’t sure how BMX was going to fare on its own, but it was great. There were times when the stands were just about full, which means we’ve got around 1,000 people in the room.”
Co-operation from local businesses near the festival site was key to the success, said McIntyre. As were the many volunteers who dedicated their time, skills and effort to ensuring things ran smoothly.
“Quality people produce quality work, and we can credit the success of the festival to the people who are volunteering to make it happen,” he said. “As far as volunteers go, they’re passionate about it, and I think that really reflects in their work.
“We’ve got some really key people in some really key places.”
McIntyre also spoke of his delight at being able to work with members of his family, who he said have made “many sacrifices” in ensuring the festival’s success over the years.
One of the nice things about the festival’s new location, he added, was its ability to reach people beyond the fence and on the beach.
While about 8,000 people are estimated to have attended the festival, he feels there were thousands more on the beach who also enjoyed its music.
“We had some of our staff circulating the beach area, and people were loving it just as much down there as they were up at the festival,” he said. “More people were enjoying it than we even knew about.”
McIntyre admitted that not everyone in Sylvan Lake likes the noise created by the festival. He feels the new location, however, limited the impact of noise on residential areas.
“I think that that lot down there was very suitable for what we want to do,” he said.
“That’s not to say that people couldn’t hear the music in their houses, but we were in a more commercial area.”
The wide variety of different types of people who attended Shake the Lake fulfilled the festival’s vision of having something for everyone, he added.
Musicians who performed at the festival also varied in sound, style and genre.
For Edmonton’s From Love to Forfeit, it was the second time performing at the festival, having first played in 2010.
Vocalist Ash Militsala welcomed the opportunity to return to the outdoor family-friendly festival.
“We’re pop music, we love to make people smile and just have a good time, so this kind of setting we fit in really well,” he said. “I love doing shows outside, and I love the whole summer vibe. I’m totally for that.”
For McIntyre and his group of volunteers, rest following the festival’s completion will be short lived. Planning for Shake the Lake 2014 is already underway, and the event, as usual, will be “bigger and better,” he said.
“We don’t know what that looks like yet, but we’re working on something. We’re really glad to have found a suitable location for the festival.”
More pictures from Shake the Lake online and in this week’s edition of the Sylvan Lake News.