Shambhala 2022: Looking Back on Community at the Salmo River Ranch
Authored by Alyssa Barnhill
Driving off a modest Canadian highway and onto the Salmo River Ranch, 2 years after the pandemic-induced break, was the first time anyone in the “farm-ily” had laid eyes on the newest version of the globally-beloved grounds. The festival organizers outwardly expressed their devotion to fans through their exhaustive work; additions included impressive woodworking decorations and large-scale additions to The Village stage, cosmetic upgrades to the event grounds and paths that showcased the craftsmanship and devotion of the stage crews and volunteers. The teams that worked on the buildout wanted to honor a festival they have incubated since its infancy, and challenge the limits of their decades-long labor of love. In the professional fashion that their reputation is built around, they took every opportunity possible to give patrons the chance to experience the best parts of what Shambhala Music Festival is, and to show what they are inspired to do moving forward. Shamabala 2022 was the people falling in love with the music and the culture all over again.
When arriving at the Shambhala grounds, you’re met with massive, looming trees, the cascading West Kootenay Mountains, and strong, mint-green rivers. A tangible energy can be felt in the breeze as you inch closer and closer to the entrance. The greeting from volunteers was simply, “Welcome. You have made it.” Whether traveling from the US, other parts of Canada, or from across the pond, no one escapes the nomadic trek out to this remote enclave in British Columbia . Remotely placed, about 2 hours from the city of Nelson and equidistant to the closest airport, performers, volunteers, staff, and attendees must ultimately burn rubber, or kick dust for those feeling especially adventurous, to get anywhere near the event. For each and every traveler, that journey ends in the undeniable charm that Shambhala has cultivated since its inception. It has nothing to do with hype, nor fanfare towards the culturally relevant. The only focus is you, at your most comfortable, immersed in sound and community.
The Village by day. Photo courtesy of Digital Anthill Photography.
With every difficulty the wooded lands and remote location must present, on property that simultaneously functions as an active family farm, the individuality and scope of each stage is breathtaking. The craftsmanship of the decorations, the murals, and the complexity of it all is notably intentional, adorning the remote woodland with familiar and fantastic trinkets like carved speaker boxes and hand-painted signs. Each stage pays a unique homage to the movers and shakers of the electronic music scene, bringing internationally renowned acts in house, system music, and psychedelic bass music directly to revelers with discerning precision. Shambhala’s organizers make a firm point of showcasing diverse acts on multiple stages, affording patrons the choice of lush, quality experiences at each stage, while often centering attention during prime-time hours to names that may be unfamiliar to wider audiences.
When given a chance to walk through The Village during its quietest moments, one can’t help but get the impression that it is a kind of church devoted to sound. The new additions to the area include towers that soar at over 100ft, with intricate wood-carved embellishments and bright, multihued LED housings. The surrounding dance-floor was larger than life, intertwined with staircases and cat walks, allowing listeners to venture to whatever vantage point they so desired. The center of emphasis during the weekend’s opening ceremony, professional acrobats and fire spinners captivated early revelers with a stirring performance, regaling a mystifying origin story of the first moments dance met music. Visually powerful and emotionally moving, these interpretations set the tone for a transformative weekend steeped in the natural bond between sound, body, and movement.
The Grove by night. Photo courtesy of Shambhala Music Festival Official Facebook page.
If The Village is a church to sound, then The Grove is the garden; Naturally decorated with native old-growth trees, and surrounded by masterful murals, it is a calming space to center the headspace and nap among the hammocks. With the only Funktion-One rig, The Grove’s environment provides an ambiance that encourages and suffuses the dynamic range of the system across the scope of the installation. Light and heavy, deep and expressive, The Grove masterfully blends set and setting to provide a listening and unwinding experience that is both climactic and serene. Sitting casually in my hammock along the treeline, I could not have asked for more of an honest example of music catered to its environment.
Inspired by asian architecture, The Pagoda is a three-story layered tower that houses a stage on the large front egress, as if a party exploded on the front lawn of an ancient fortress. The Pagoda was created to be an after-dark delight. Stationed right outside the main entrance and easily accessible, it is one of the first stages fans meet when entering the venue, introducing new faces and old to the first of many artistic veneers superimposed over the property. Walking past in the daylight, the stoic building seemingly illuminates with neon white against the treeline. Once the sun sets, 3D-rendered figures cascade and transform across the grooves and trusses featured on the forward face of the stage, shifting and evolving with the long arc of the night. Cutting edge visual art, projection mapping, and laser performance have become a staple of The Pagoda’s image, making it Shambhala’s primary one-stop shop intersection of top tier musicians and visual masterminds.
The Pagoda by night. Photo courtesy of Shambhala Music Festival Official Facebook page.
In talking to the staff members, we learned that there has never been a time across the last 25 years that Shambhala or the family farm has accepted corporate sponsorship; handmade with love and compassion, that ardent and head-strong grassroots ethic bleeds through to the audience. The brainchild of the stage curators and the vision of the volunteers, the festival was built from the ground up by the people who love it most. These people, some of whom have attended for 15 plus-years, echo every positive sentiment about the event and the property in tandem. On the other side of the coin, the audience at Shambhala comes with an eager readiness to be moved by the music, by the experience, and the collective catharsis found in this nook of the West Kootenay Mountains. It's in those moments that our relationships feel most resonant, with the focus not on the tickets we buy, nor the wristbands we collect, but the times in which we fall in love with being people all over again.