The curtain draws on the Robson Valley Music Festival
By Laura Keil
The final Robson Valley Music Festival did not go out with a whimper.
The sold-out weekend brimmed with talent, heart, and even a wedding — a fitting add-on to an 18-edition festival that has grown out of love for both people and music.
“It is bittersweet,” Shara Gustafson, Artistic Director of the Robson Valley Music Society, told the Goat Monday, as the festival wrapped up. “We are officially finished with the Robson Valley Music Festival.”
This was the last one of this kind, she said, and they won’t be doing anything in 2026, but die-hards can hold out some hope — they may do a smaller private, invite-only party in the future.
“We don’t really know what the future looks like,” Gustafson said. “For now, all I can say is that we are so grateful for the support and love we have had over the last 18 festivals.”
Gustafson has a special connection to the event — it’s staged on her and her husband Seth Macdonald’s property in Dunster, and the pair are in a band together. Over the years on festival weekend, roughly 1000 people have descended on their strip of paradise along the upper Fraser River to immerse themselves in music, art and nature.
Musicians from around the world as well as local artists have regaled the crowds on the gorgeous timber-frame stage built just metres from the river and below the skyline of the Caribou mountains. The location is part of the magic: at night, along the dimly-lit road, the starry sky looks spongy, the milky way ribboning out to the horizon. Powdered road dust from bicycles, feet, slow-moving cars rises like heat from the ground. The reflection of coloured stage lights on the river give it a bioluminescent sheen. All around are people there for an unrushed shared experience of music.
That end result comes at a cost, though. It takes a herculean effort by 100 volunteers who flag and fence the property, cook gallons of delicious food, stand sentry to check tickets, empty trash cans and run shuttles. In short, they’re the steady bass beat that keeps the music going. Guiding them is a team of 11 board members who support the work and direction of the artistic director, a collective that must leap through hoops of permits, insurance, artist contracts and grants.
The festival grew from a much-smaller gathering of 300 people in 2005 to an event they have purposely capped at 1000 and have taken great lengths to make as family-friendly as possible, catering many activities and shows to kids and ensuring attendees know this isn’t a place to party hard.
Instead it’s a place for music, nature, and connection.
That theme is what drew Valemount resident Devin Palmer and Hinton resident Courtney Lovestrom to say their marriage vows in the campground of this year’s festival.
“It’s our dream wedding,” said Lovestrom on the Saturday afternoon, giving a special shout-out to organizers for allowing their ‘ring dog.’ “It’s been perfect.”
They had attended the festival three years ago and loved it. Originally the pair joked about a music festival themed around a stranger’s wedding, but decided that would be too much to plan. They reached out to the Robson Valley Music Festival and got permission to host there instead. They put out an open invitation so they weren’t sure until a few days before who was coming. And during the weekend, they invited people they had just met to their reception at the campground.
When asked why they decided to get married at the festival, the answer was swift:
“It’s the atmosphere. The vibe. And the people.”
