Rain won't stop Victoria from having a crazy first day of Rifflandia! Yesterday kicked off the first day of the 3 day festival being held on the Matullia Lands at Rock Bay.
Rifflandia Festival is one of Vancouver Island's longest standing and largest premier multi-genre music festival. This year's lineup is filled with nostalgic performers of all genres. It's a great place to see some of your favourite acts or discover new music!
We are working closely with Dave Van again this year to showcase his amazing event photography. We asked him to tell us about some of his highlight moments from Friday
"I’m always surprised by new acts I discover at festivals, which is one my favourite parts about going to these events. I will definitely be checking out the discographies from Slayyyter, Garret T Willie and Channel Tres in the coming weeks while I’m editing."
This year, Rifflandia has moved their entire festival to one location. In previous years, Electric Avenue was hosted on the Matullia Lands at Rock Bay and Rifflandia Festival was hosted at the Royal Athletic Park. The layout of the festival includes 3 stages, Main Stage, Phillips Stage and The Dome stage. In between the stages you can also find Kidlandia (a dedicated space for children), food trucks, bar services, shaded areas and more. You can also find comedy acts over at Laughlandia, which features local comedians throughout the festival!
"I could see that they really put some thought around making things more accessible and spacious. Main stage was large, with astro-turf to soften things up under your feet." said Dave when asked about his thoughts on the new layout.
He also mentioned that the Pods were a cool new feature that provides shelter and seating to those needing it while watching the main stage. We hope to see more of these kind of accommodations at the other stages going into future festivals too.
We asked a few people on our Instagram about their experiences at Rifflandia as well; overall, the rain didn't dampen the mood, people had a great time with such an exciting first day and can't wait to enjoy the rest of the weekend. The Dome stage was a huge hit, people seemed to be impressed by the size and set up. They loved the decor and neon signs everywhere too. A few people hoped there would be a little more seating and visibility at the stages and missing the raised platforms for a better view, but they were able to find somewhere comfortable by moving back to enjoy from afar.
Although there were so many amazing artists performing, we can't cover them all in this article, but we still want to highlight a few of ours and the crowd's favourites:
Nostalgix, Skiitour and Noodles really caught our attention at the Dome. Noodles has collaborated with so many big brands and artists, and this set really showed us why. Skiitour isn't a stranger to BC's festival scene, the crowd was loving their feel-good house music and kept us partying into the final act of the night at the Dome. Nostalgix, an electronic music producer from Vancouver, ended off the night in the dome with a bang. We can't wait to see what other cool things happen at the Dome stage this weekend!
Channel Tres, an American rapper, DJ, singer and record producer from Compton had the crowd dancing and having a great time. Tres is best known for his singles "Controller" and "Topdown".
Gareet T. Willie, a witty and world-weary 23-year-old from BC, impressed the rock and roll fans with killer vocals. Rifflandia has done a great job at trying to incorporate local talent during their festivals throughout the years. Poncho, a an Ghanian Afrobeats performer, is another local feature at this year's event bringing a unique sound and good vibes all around.
Tokyo Police club, an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, made their last appearance in Victoria as part of their fair well tour. The crowd was drawn in and the set was emotional knowing this would be one of the last chances to see their music live.
"Ja Rule & C+C music factory were the two nostalgic performances for me and great to see live." said Dave.
Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor who was widely known for his 2000's hiphop career. "It was cool seeing artists that I used to dance to on repeat back in the day" one of our instagram followers mentioned. He started his most reconized song, Livin’ it up and still has the energy and performance as he did back in his prime.
REZZ , a Ukrainian–Canadian DJ and record producer from Niagara Falls, Ontario, closed the night out with an unforgettable set. This wasn't REZZ's first time in Victoria, and you could tell the crowd was excited to see what she had in store. "REZZ was great to see live again after a few years to see how she’s progressed as a performer and her brand." Dave reflected.
We can't wait for the rest of the weekend! There's such an amazing lineup of performers ahead, we will be showcasing Dave's photos on our Instagram throughout the festival. Be sure to give our team a follow for a recap of your favourite artists!
Rifflandia always holds a special place in our hearts, and is definitely one of the most anticipated festivals of the year on Vancouver Island. Check out their website for a list of local vendors being featured on location as well as any updates for the weekend!
WEEKEND LINEUP:
Photos by Dave Van Photo:
Rifflandia Festival
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