GET YOUR FOZZY ON: On The Road to FozzyFest

Posted on September 12, 2014 by bettyandkora in Featured, Festivals // 0 Comments

In one week the entire Betty and Kora team will be packing up the old camper and heading on a 14 hour road trip for our first FozzyFest experience. Located outside of Fernie B.C., September 18-21, 2014, FozzyFest is celebrating their tenth year as a small but mighty electronic music festival with attendance hovering just over one thousand patrons. Word on the street is that FozzyFest is one of the best boutique festivals around and we’re looking forward to jumping in head first.

We had the chance to ask Raz Rydstrom, one of FozzyFests Coordinators a few questions about what to expect as we embark on our first trip. This is what he had to say:

Betty: This is the tenth year of FozzyFest. Could you give us a brief history of the festival and how it has grown in the last decade.

Raz: In the summer of 2005, our first year, 30 or so close friends went camping to celebrate the birthday of one Shawn Lafleur aka “Fozzy”. We rented some minor sound equipment to play some tunes while we were out in the bush. We had such a blast that we decided to do it again the next year and invite some more people. When sending out the emails we figured we had better come up with a name for the event. Shawn has always had the nickname “Fozzy” and since it was originally his birthday celebration, someone proposed “FozzyFest” and the name stuck.

The festival has grown organically every year since, simply by word-of-mouth. Everyone at FozzyFest is a friend of a friend, making it so easy to meet new people because everyone you meet there is already close to someone you know! This also results in a very safe and mellow environment, in which we have not had a single major security or health issue in nine years.

The festival evolved over the years to include more stages, a chill tent and a third night of entertainment. But one thing has remained constant – our love of great music! We strive to offer our fans access to the best local up-and-coming talent as well as featuring your favorite acts from back in the day.

Betty: For those of us who have never been, what are five things we should be prepared for before attending?

Raz: Be prepared for anything, be self-reliant, but be prepared to have the time of your life!
(This is the first time we’ve held FozzyFest in September, or I’d be recommending sunscreen and shade structure, might be recommending people bring onesies).