The Weayaya Solar Powered Music Festival is a
family friendly, community based event located on the banks of the Blindman
River in Central Alberta.
Weayaya is the only solar powered music
festival in Canada. Festival power is generated by a grid-tied solar array
on site, and demonstrations of various applications of solar technology and
information are presented.
All talent appearing at Weayaya must be
Alberta based. There is an enormous amount available in this province, from
fledgling to famous. Not genre-specific, the variety of acts ranges from
harps to hip-hop, gypsy jazz to jukebox favourites.
The festival is held in early July each year,
Saturday noon - 11 pm and Sunday noon - 6 pm. Free camping is available with
purchase of weekend pass.
Beer Gardens open at 11 am Saturday & Sunday.
Festival and artists' merchandise booth. more TBA...
Belief in solar power as a
viable option in fulfillment of current and future energy requirements led
to the choice of a music festival as the means to demonstrate this. An event
of this nature would demand a considerable amount of electricity to produce,
and if successful, could attract an audience to witness, first-hand, the
potential of the sun to generate clean energy.
The festival launched in
2013 as a "party in the yard". It was necessary to assess the capability of
the solar array to provide the necessary power, and to engage community
interest and support. The "stage" was a flat-bed truck, the sound system was
rented, and friends and neighbours volunteered as workers and performers.
In 2015, Weayaya made the leap from "backyard" to "big time" with 15
mainstage acts and professional sound. A solar powered yard light was
donated to demonstrate an off-grid application. The festival has presented
an amazing array of talent since then, and the solar component now includes
a mobile off-grid unit.
This event could not happen without:
Community support. Thanks
to all who have devoted the better part of a decade to Weayaya, those
toddlers are now teenagers!
Alberta musicians. Your enthusiasm and energy for this project, to say
nothing of stellar talent, has put the "wind beneath our wings". We are so
fortunate to have you on board.
The Weayaya Solar Powered Music
Festival was established to promote
solar technology as an alternative
energy source.
Maintaining Alberta as a major energy
producer requires a shift in focus on
the sources of that energy. "Spreading
the load" to decrease dependence on
fossil fuels opens up new fields of R&D
in business and industry, resulting in
more employment opportunities. "We
should spend every spare dollar on
developing ourselves as a new energy
province, so that when the time
comes....we can be ready."* Weayaya
exists to encourage the development of
environment - first alternative energy
sources, offering proof of viability.
The festival was also expressly designed
to promote Alberta-based talent,
providing an opportunity for newcomers
and emerging acts to perform in a
festival setting and expand their fan
bases in Central Alberta while featuring
established acts as headliners. We feel
that there is no need to look beyond our
borders to present high-quality
entertainers in a wide spectrum of
musical styles.
Music is an integral part of the concept
of the festival. It possesses the
ability to draw souls together; it
inspires, uplifts, rejuvenates and gives
us the courage to move forward,
harnessing the power of music with the
energy of the sun. As Pete Seeger said,
"there is a lot of good music in this
world, and if used right, it may help to
save the planet".
*Corb Lund, "The Long Run"by Shannon
Phillips, in "Alberta Views" October
2011
