RavenWood weathers two storms, records largest crowds

The seventh annual RavenWood Music Festival faced its biggest challenge yet this weekend, but organizers say the event emerged stronger than ever. Two severe storms forced temporary shutdowns on Friday and Saturday, disrupting performances and testing the festival’s emergency response plans. Despite the interruptions, attendees returned after each evacuation, headliners still took the stage, and [...]

Article content The seventh annual RavenWood Music Festival faced its biggest challenge yet this weekend, but organizers say the event emerged stronger than ever. Two severe storms forced temporary shutdowns on Friday and Saturday, disrupting performances and testing the festival’s emergency response plans. Despite the interruptions, attendees returned after each evacuation, headliners still took the stage, and the event recorded its largest Friday and Saturday audiences to date.

Recommended Videos “For us, this was our most successful festival to date,” said Bill Roberts, president of the Music Society of Strathcona County, which presents the RavenWood Music Festival. Friday’s storm interrupted Pushing Ginger’s set after only a few songs, while an even stronger system forced organizers to halt Jen the Valentine’s performance midway through her Saturday appearance. Some acts had shortened sets, but programming resumed once conditions were deemed safe.

“It showed that we could handle it as a festival,” Roberts said. “It showed us that our audience could handle it and also wanted to be there because they all came back.” Roberts said the festival had not encountered weather of this magnitude since 2019.

At one point Friday evening, organizers watched a cloud overhead begin to spin before production crews made the decision to shut down the site. Throughout the weekend, staff monitored radar, lightning activity, and weather alerts while volunteers, security personnel, vendors, food truck operators, board members, and production crews worked together to keep attendees safe. One visible casualty of Saturday’s storm was a tent belonging to the Sherwood Park Hospital Foundation, which was damaged by high winds.

Roberts said everyone involved remained calm and focused despite the setback. The festival’s performers also supported the safety-first approach. “Everybody was awesome,” Roberts said.

“They just wanted to make sure everybody was safe.” After the second storm passed, crews prepared for the possibility of another weather system, but skies cleared and Captain Tractor closed out the festival without further interruptions. “We’ve heard nothing but positive feedback,” Roberts said.

“Everybody absolutely loved it.” For Roberts, the weekend demonstrated the strength of the festival community and proved RavenWood can withstand whatever challenges come its way. TWilkie@postmedia.com