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This June, performing arts delegates from throughout British Columbia are scheduled to come to Fort St. John to showcase their talent at the Performing Arts BC Provincial Festival. Last held here in 2016, organizing committee co-chairs Margaret May and Jan McKale are looking forward to hosting BC’s incredible young talent in the annual provincial festival.

“People still talk about how great the 2016 Festival was,” May told council at the January 11 meeting. “It’s the arts equivalent of the winter games.”

“The framework for the provincial festival is a partnership between Performing Arts BC, which is the provincial board, and the local organising committee,” said May.

Performing Arts BC is an affiliation of local festivals from around the province, which each year holds a provincial festival in music, dance, and speech arts. It provides the opportunity for young musicians, dancers, and public speakers to perform in front of a wider audience than at their local regional festivals. Each delegate, alternate and merited participant is chosen from the local festival for being among the best talent their region has to offer, or in the case of merited participants, the most promising.

The music division includes vocalists, pianists, guitarists, woodwind, string, and brass musicians, and participating by video in the provincial festival, choirs. The dance division encompasses individual performances in many disciplines including ballet, demi-character ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap, acro, and musical theatre. Last year, the provincial board added dance groups to the festival. The groups, like the choirs, participate via video.

Approximately 600 delegates and their families are anticipated to come to Fort St. John for the provincial festival, May said that there were 630 delegates at the 2023 provincial festival in Penticton and the organizing committee is planning for the same amount to attend this year.

While in town, delegates and merited participants will attend workshops where they receive instruction from top professional in their particular discipline, as well as participating in performances.

“There are a lot of performances in a number of venues. The performances also feature provincial excellence classes, with a grand prize of $5,000,” May said.

In addition to the North Peace Cultural Centre, which will be a main venue, the committee will secure around 10 other venues in the city, mainly churches, for the musical workshops. Dance classes will likely be held at the dance studios as they were in 2016.

Unlike some provincial events, the Performing Arts Festival doesn’t receive any provincial government funding, instead relying on the generosity of the Fort St. John community. Local businesses benefit from the provincial festival, in terms of hotel bookings, restaurant usage, car rentals and shopping.

“Whole Wheat & Honey said they had their 3 biggest, busiest days of their history during the 2016 festival,” May reported. “A lot of the local businesses step up and give discounts to delegates.”

There’s a lot of community engagement in putting on the provincial festival, with over 100 volunteers are required to run it, May said. A variety of positions are needed, from long term help by those on the committee to people sitting at admissions tables and manning doors in the theatre.

“We accept all volunteers.”

For businesses on individuals interested in sponsoring the festival, there are a range of opportunities, including venue sponsorships, delegate gifts and souvenirs, and the Provincial Excellence Grand Prize.

“All performance sessions, music workshops and adjudications are open to the public at a minimal cost,” she said. “We invite the city to come and watch all the performances.”

“We have concerts, the merited participant noon-hour concert, the Provincial highlights concert – junior-intermediates, the dance finals is always very well attended – and now we have the Provincial Excellence Gala finals concert. These are the people who are selected from around the province as the best of the best. The compete for prize money in their own categories, and then at the gala concert they’re competing for a $5,000 Grand Prize.”

The city can get involved by investing in bringing the event to Fort St. John, and by helping to promote the festival. May and McKale want to encourage people from around the Peace region to come and enjoy the Provincial Festival, particularly the concerts.

“We will be inviting the mayor to come and present the People’s Choice Award during the Provincial Excellence Gala Concert, so I hope that’s something you’d like to do,” May said to Mayor Lilia Hansen.

Intake has started from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, and they would like a resolution of support from local government, to be submitted along with the organising committee’s application for funds.

Councillors suggested that May and McKale contact the Chamber of Commerce as those businesses will benefit from the influx of delegates and many may wish to support the Provincial Festival.

To stay up to date with the progress of the festival and if anyone is interested in volunteering or sponsoring, contact the committee through the Peace River North Festival Association’s Facebook page.