Set against the backdrop of an old-growth forest near Terrace, B.C., ValhallaFest is where music and nature dance alongside each other, moving in harmony. This year's experience is from June 20-22.
For owner and operator Ray Pederson, the festival was the culmination of a dream to host a music festival.
"When I first bought the property that would become Valhalla Fest, I already had the idea of hosting a music festival in the back of my mind — even if my wife thought I was crazy and told me I'd never pull it off. I’ve had some of the most meaningful weekends of my life at music festivals, and I wanted to create that same sense of togetherness and community here in the Northwest," he shared.
The event features various attractions such as camping, art installation, fires and lasers. There is a strong focus on safety with 24-hour harm reduction and de-escalation strategies. Attendees have three stages — Asgard, Leif's Beach and AgeHa — to choose from with music playing nearly all day, ranging from EDM to folk. The stage names, as well as the concept of the festival itself, are based on Norse mythology. For this year's lineup, visit their website or Instagram.
"ValhallaFest wasn’t my first attempt," he added. "Years ago I helped organize a small festival in Japan, but that project ended unexpectedly when the lead organizer passed away. This time, I met Jordie and Erinn, two other dreamers who shared the same vision."
Co-founders of the ValhallaFest, Jordie Laidlaw and Erinn McPherson have been festival-goers for years, attending events like Burning Man in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, where they got married in 2019. In the six years the northwest B.C. festival has been running, there have been several marriages on its grounds.
The Terrace couple felt that such an intimate and immersive experience combining music and nature was lacking in the region, and festivals down south are not accessible to everyone in the north.
"[ValhallaFest] is a homegrown event that blends music, art, camping, and community under the mossy ancient trees just outside Terrace, said Laidlaw. "About 45 percent of our attendees are first-time festival-goers, and many have told us ValhallaFest was their entry point into BC’s wider festival scene. It has been exciting to see our local event inspire new connections to the broader arts community."
Laidlaw, the director of art and operations, took the Terrace Standard for a behind-the-scenes look through the grounds ahead of the event. Trail and roads have been developed over the years since the inaugural festival, and new infrastructure is being built this year with lumber sourced from the 150-acre property.
"To me, the land has always felt like it was meant to host something like ValhallaFest," expressed Pederson. "It’s home to over 14 trees on BC’s Big Tree Registry, and the old-growth forest has a natural legacy that’s incredibly rare and worth protecting. The idea of turning it into a commercial development honestly never even crossed my mind."
Logs 2 Lumber Inc., a custom and portable sawmill based out of Terrace, helped source the lumber used for the infrastructure. The sawmill focuses primarily on milling sustainably salvaged logs from fires, road clearing, private landowners, beachcombing and blowdown in the area.
"As organizers, we feel a responsibility to preserve the natural beauty of this space, not clear-cut it. At the end of the day, it's way more fun running the biggest rave in northern B.C. than crushing an old-growth forest for a few bucks."
Ahead of the festival, volunteers are working every day to transform the lush forest into a full festival village, while still staying true to the forest.
"We started with the mindset that even if nobody showed up, it would still be fun for us and our friends. That first year was small, but the energy was magic. Now we're gearing up for our seventh edition, and it gets better every year," said Pederson.
"To anyone thinking about coming to the festival this year: come with an open heart. Whether you’re dancing under the stars, making new friends, or just soaking in the forest, there’s something special waiting for you here."
To read more about ValhallaFest's creation, read the 2020 story, "Skeena Voices | The tale of Vikings," by Natalia Balcerzak.
