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Boonstock

Penticton mayor disappointed Boonstock not returning

PENTICTON - Penticton mayor Andrew Jakubeit is disappointed by the announcement Boonstock will not be returning to Penticton in 2015. “It is disappointing news. We had seven thousand people from outside our region getting exposed to our beautiful area that won’t be coming back again,” Jakubeit says in an email on Friday, March 27. The...

Boonstock will not return to Penticton

PENTICTON – The controversial Boonstock music festival will not be back in the South Okanagan this summer. In a posting on its Facebook page, Boonstock Productions has announced it will not be returning to Penticton in 2015. Macklemore headlined the first and only Penticton Boonstock music festival on the August long weekend last summer. There...

What the police expense report for Boonstock looks like

PENTICTON - The police expense report from the Boonstock festival weekend in August has been made public and reveals hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime, car cleaning services and general supplies. The police report, released by the provincial government Monday, outlines the $252,715 in policing costs—both anticipated and unexpected—for the August long weekend when over...

Still no RCMP invoice for Boonstock

PENTICTON - It’s been almost three months since Boonstock weekend and festival organizers still have not received a copy of the RCMP expense report, which outlines additional costs incurred over the four-day festival. Forty officers were scheduled to work the festival weekend and racked up a $200,000 bill paid for by Boonstock. But in September,...

Boonstock presents Safe In Sound Music Festival in Penticton

PENTICTON - Spin tables, LED lights, floor-rattling bass, and sick beats will be pumping out of the events centre when Safe In Sound Festival rolls into town next weekend. The electronic music festival is being promoted by Boonstock Music & Arts Festival, which is offering a discount on tickets and a chance to win VIP...

A Penticton proposal getting support from unexpected places

PENTICTON - Penticton council has an unexpected supporter for its push to put oversight for large-scale events under the provincial umbrella—the Boonstock Music and Arts festival. All but one member of Penticton's councillors and mayor used the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention this week to lobby provincial government ministers hard to take on the regulatory...

Penticton wants province to look after Boonstock

PENTICTON - City council has taken its Boonstock woes straight to the provincial government and it appears the province is interested in taking it on, along with other large music festivals. In a release today, the City of Penticton says its full contingent of mayor and councillors (minus only Coun. John Vassilaki) at the Union...

Boonstock says RCMP accounting is ‘speculation’

PENTICTON - Boonstock organizers say they received a bill from the provincial government three-and-a-half times more than the additional $50,000 RCMP say is owed for extra costs incurred over the festival weekend last month. The Ministry of Justice sent an invoice to Boonstock organizers with a “total owing” of nearly $177,000, and gave them 30...

RCMP say Boonstock needs to reimburse government for additional police costs

PENTICTON - RCMP say Boonstock organizers need to reimburse the provincial government for additional police officers required during the festival weekend, after private security failed to provide adequate resources. The two final days of the festival required additional personnel since RCMP had to shift their focus to security and public safety. A new cost analysis...

Boonstock gives $4.5 million boost to Penticton economy

PENTICTON - Survey results released Tuesday by Boonstock festival organizers show a total economic impact of $4.5 million for the Penticton region generated by the festival over the August long weekend. Some 2,500 people responded to the survey — roughly a quarter of the 8,621 "unique attendees" over the three-and-a-half day event, according to the...

ARCHER: Can you have your event and quiet weekend too?

There are always going to be people who don't approve of noise, location or some other detail of an event. Even events like Challenge that are very well accepted by the community and city officials get some negative remarks, such as blocked off roads, congested traffic and loud fireworks. Following social media this week, it...

Boonstock survey: A new location, a new experience

PENTICTON - They came, they saw, they got dirty and partied. Now Boonstock wants to hear from you how it went. Boonstock Music and Arts Festival organizers today released an online survey for festival attendees to provide feedback. The survey was posted on Boonstock’s official Facebook page and people are already posting comments about how to...

“Head-banging druggie” discussion positive for community, says city councillor

PENTICTON - A controversial comment made by a Penticton city councillor has sparked imaginations in Penticton with the creation of t-shirts, hashtags and Facebook groups with the slogan “head-banging druggie,” but the councillor being targeted sees the backlash as a benefit for the community. Coun. Katie Robinson said, “I’m not a head-banging druggie,” at last week’s...

RCMP: Pressure for emergency services reaches unprecedented level over long weekend

PENTICTON - RCMP said the pressure Boonstock put on emergency services over the long weekend was taken to unprecedented levels. In a statement released Wednesday, Const. Kris Clark said the large number of overdoses and the death of a 24-year-old Alberta woman caused “alarm for the overwhelmed emergency and security operations”. RCMP provided additional resources...

Councillor says Boonstock for “head-banging druggies”

PENTICTON - City Coun. Katie Robinson made an unexpected comment about Boonstock at last night’s council meeting, causing gallery members to gasp and other councillors to hold their heads in their hands. “I’m not a head-banging druggie, so I wasn’t interested in it whatsoever,” Robinson said of the festival. Robinson has been outspoken about her...

Tent Graveyard: The aftermath of Boonstock

PENTICTON - The Boonstock grounds that held over 8,000 people this weekend is now littered with tents, lawn chairs, beer cans and confetti, leaving crews with a lot of work on their hands. The festival received mainly positive reviews about performances and artists that took the stage this weekend — even headliner Macklemore asked to be...

BOONSTOCK: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis take it home

PENTICTON - International music sensations Macklemore and Ryan Lewis closed out the show Sunday night at Boonstock, the music festival that's been rocking Penticton all weekend long.  There were more attendees Sunday night than anytime over the weekend—an additional parking lot was opened up and RCMP worked as security for the long lines of people...

IN PHOTOS: Boonstock After Dark

PENTICTON - The Boonstock grounds come alive at night with people dressed in costume, facepaint and dust. With hands in the air, they dance frantically and without a care to the music that literally shakes the ground and moves through your body from your feet on up through your limbs.  Here's a look at some...

Two Boonstock security guards fired for attempted liquor theft

PENTICTON - Two 24-7 Security employees appear to have been fired after they were were caught on security camera allegedly trying to steal liquor from Last Call Liquor Mart on Saturday. Navneet Dhaliwal, a principal at the company in control of Boonstock's security, posted to Facebook that the two men have been fired. "We need...

IN PHOTOS: Boonstock Saturday

PENTICTON - Boonstock attendees are spending their days at the beach, lounging at the campsite, and taking a break from the dancing and patrying that happens at night. Take a look at what was happening on Skaha Lake-Airport Road beach, and the Boonstock grounds and campsite today.  %%embed1%% To contact the reporter for this story,...

BOONSTOCK: The festival in the eyes of campers

PENTICTON - Andrea Vischler and Kelsey Johns sit in what could be considered the living room of their campsite, a rug spread out, pillows propped up and chairs and stools for resting on. This is not their first rodeo—the girls clearly know how to attend a festival in style and comfort. They drove from their...

IN PHOTOS: Boonstock

PENTICTON - The first full day of Boonstock is over and it doesn't seem like the dust has gotten to too many concert-goers. WIth bandanas over their faces, people continued to dance, jam and party as bands and DJs tore up the stages last night. The campsite is full of people, some who've set up...