Armstrong MetalFest expands, offers more than a heavy-hitting lineup

The Armstrong MetalFest is backmost for its 14th twelvemonth of bringing hundreds of metalheads to nan North Okanagan for 2 afloat days astatine Hassen Arena.

This year, 28 bands will return nan stage, playing to an assemblage that has consistently grown twelvemonth aft year. The yearly weekend-long show is simply a spot wherever metalheads who be tin not only find immoderate of their favourite bands, they tin besides find community.

“There are galore different genres of metallic and there’s beautiful overmuch thing for everybody,” said Heather Valstar, nan wellness and information coordinator of nan festival.

“You tin dress nevertheless you want — if you are a thrasher you tin dress for illustration a thrasher, if you are Viking metallic you tin deterioration your horns, you tin deterioration your kilt if you want, you tin deterioration a beautiful dress if you consciousness for illustration it.”

This year’s MetalFest is hotter and busier than successful years past, truthful organizers person turned play carts into mobile hydration stations that regularly circle nan batch truthful everyone tin enactment hydrated. To hit nan heat, nan show has expanded this twelvemonth to see a Metal Market that’s been outfitted pinch large fans, a sunscreen position and a misting station.

“We are having 1 of nan hottest weekends of nan twelvemonth truthful we person our arena indoors, we’ve sewage large fans blowing aerial through, everyone is successful nan shade. So erstwhile you are watching shows you tin get retired of nan sun,” said Jessie Valstar, wide head and 1 of nan co-founders of nan festival.

“We’re handing retired water, we’ve sewage St. John Ambulance, they are our aesculapian on-site, we person besides sewage information each complete nan spot and they are looking aft group too.

“Metal is community, we are conscionable taking attraction of each other.”

This is nan 14th yearly MetalFest and now boasts nan largest mosh pit successful Western Canada.