Here we go…

The Yukon summer music festival season officially begins this weekend with Atlin Arts and Music Festival. Kicking off at 5 p.m. Friday, the northern BC town turns into a world of artists, musicians, storytellers, comedians, general creativity and fun. The traditional Taku Kwaan Dancers will open the stage, warming it up for Tom Jackson, Tanya Tagaq, Madison Violet, Charlie A’Court, Anabelle Chvostek and 13 more musical acts. There are also visual arts workshops, films, kids’ events, storytelling, comedy and, of course, free camping.

With a slightly more kid-friendly setting, Atlin is a great time and a perfect warmup for Yukon’s longest-running festival, the Dawson City Music Festival, which kicks off next week on Thursday, July 14, with a separately ticketed show at the Palace Grand Theatre. Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) will be playing with Jeremy Strachan and Jean Martin, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for both festivals (and the Thursday night Palace Grand show) are almost all gone, so get your tickets right now. Literally. There may be none left by the time you finish reading this sentence. What are you still doing reading this?!