Ontario’s new breakout music festival to be held the same weekend as Hillside
Festival season is fast approaching, and Canadians are super excited for WayHome Festival to premiere in the GTA this summer. Being held in Burl’s Creek, Ontario, WayHome is the lovechild of the creators of Bonnaroo and Boots & Hearts.
The day the festival was announced, information was released on Facebook to students and festival-goers alike, and once the lineup was announced, social media blew up.
Indie88 held a seemingly successful presale following WayHome’s lineup announcement, and the entire weekend that followed was filled with people updating their Facebook status’, proclaiming that they had just purchased their ticket. It was a viral event.
One problem though – Hillside, Guelph’s beloved music festival, is on the same weekend (July 24 to 26). Hillside has been around for over 30 years now, and has built a strong fan-base for its festival. Taking into consideration the rest of Ontario’s indie music festivals, Hillside has held a reputation of having a considerably decent lineup each year, with acts such as Tokyo Police Club, July Talk, Said the Whale, and Born Ruffians frontlining throughout the weekend. It’s a festival that builds a community around its celebration of peace and environmentalism, celebrating not just music, but spoken word and other expressive events. Home to Guelph Lake, Hillside is a festival that celebrates new music, and builds its worth around the people that attend it.
Sadly, some Hillside lovers are torn this year as to which festival to attend. WayHome promises a huge opportunity for Ontario’s music festival reputation, as well as a very solid lineup.
To gain a better idea of opinions surrounding the clash in festivals, I asked a student and festival-goer for their thoughts on the matter.
“I think it’s going to be a tough call for those that have gone to Hillside every year. Especially considering that Hillside have not released a full line up yet. For about a hundred bucks more, fans will get the chance to see artists they probably thought would never play in the same weekend-campsite-venue-setting,” commented Anjelica Abarra, a student at the U of G and a Hillside fan. “This summer will seriously be a tough call for audiophiles. On top of it all, Osheaga will be celebrating their 10th anniversary this year.”
Chris Carr, the Editor-in-Chief of The Cannon, pointed out that Hillside is a festival more suited for families, while WayHome will be fun for those without children.
While WayHome has announced their full lineup with acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith, Alt-J, Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, July Talk, Hey Rosetta!, Hillside has released a small chunk of their lineup, including Alex Cuba, BADBADNOTGOOD, Jeremy Fisher, and The Constantines.
Additionally, those that have been to Bonnaroo will surely purchase a WayHome ticket.
I, am a Hillside fan, but I’ve decided to purchase a WayHome ticket this summer instead, solely based on WayHome’s insanely good lineup. For Guelphites, our hearts are with Hillside, but it will be interesting to see how WayHome turns out this summer. With Hillside’s loyal fan-base and it’s solid reputation, however, their festival definitely won’t suffer and will continue to uphold its reputation as one of the best events to experience in Ontario.