"A Return To Self": Inside Shambhala Music Festival's Expansive twenty sixth Edition

Words by Carlie Belbin and Shakiel Mahjouri.

And similar to that, Shambhala has wrapped up its twenty sixth version on the beloved Salmo River Ranch.

This 12 months wasn’t only a return to the farm, however a return to self. The magic of the pageant lived within the moments in between the bass drops, the unfiltered expressions of identification, and the sensation that—regardless of the place you got here from—you have been precisely the place you have been meant to be.

Thursday welcomed us all again with open arms. Local legends SkiiTour kicked issues off with an power that felt like we by no means left. As the solar dipped behind the mountains, and the ranch pulsed with new life, the dance flooring crammed with sequins, kaleidoscopic colours, mud, and grins from ear to ear that mentioned: we’re so again.

For these maintaining on the Shambhala Instagram, there was a “secret” stage situated down in Riverside that includes units from the likes of Mt. Doyle, who made his Shambhala debut set, in addition to Kodiak Kid. Later, Maddy O’ Neal threw down for attendees who dedicated to the journey.

Friday afternoon started with a sacred Opening Ceremony on the Grove, instilling gratitude, intention, and connection. Followed by lush daytime units by Tor and JPOD setting a soulful tone and grounding us to the normal lands of the Syilx, Sinixt and Ktunaxa Nations.

As day melted into evening, the Fractal Forest got here alive with the funk-forward mastery of Freddy J, Mood Swing & Chevy Bass, Ok+Lab and the Fractal mainstay Stickybuds. Later, Big Gigantic reminded us why reside saxophone over digital beats will all the time hit otherwise.

One factor is for certain: your selections are limitless on the farm. DJ units, adventures, and eccentric human connections are available and in abundance. While there’s consolation in figuring out each path you selected to embark on can deliver delight, typically you’re compelled to make arduous selections—like whether or not to hit Big Gigantic at Fractal, or take pleasure in Troyboi on the AMP. It was one of many weekend’s more durable selections and a standard frustration at festivals.

Conflicting schedules include the territory. If solely pageant life had a New Game Plus (NG+) mode to expertise the whole lot concurrently.

Chris Lake and Justin Martin delivered phenomenal mainstage moments of pure euphoria on the Pagoda throughout primetime on Saturday. And for individuals who stumbled again into the Fractal after-hours, a stand-out duo new to the stage, No Thanks, delivered a thoughts bending set that stored listeners on their toes and carried us into the early morning.

Entering the Pagoda stage at Shambhala Music Festival. Photo: BEEDEE

Every attendee contributes to Shambhala’s collective spirit. The totems alone personify this.

Annual favorites just like the dancing Peter Griffin, “check engine,” cute mushrooms and jellyfish, “CatDog,” and “I miss my ____” reunited within the crowd. One considerate soul Frankensteined a dozen electrical followers collectively on a stick, cooling off fellow ravers. Amidst feverish dancing, it was as if being fanned by the Shamba-Gods.

But maybe probably the most ingenious totem of all was noticed not as soon as, not twice, however on a handful of events. These engineering marvels constructed their totem atop a coat rack—that manner nobody ever needed to maintain it up because it stood all by itself, and everybody within the crew may cling cumbersome jackets and baggage on it whereas on the dance flooring. Brilliant. If you’ve ever been to Shambhala, you already know that at evening it’s too sizzling to bop with layers on on the levels. But as soon as you allow the crowds, you want a coat to roam round comfortably—don’t overlook you’re in Canada, eh.

Shambhala Music Festival downtown and meals market space. Photo: BEEDEE

Saturday’s Fashion Show, or Rave Runway Extravaganza, hosted by Frieda Whales was a radiant show of radical self-expression—DIY, glitter, fringe, feathers, and a complete lot of coronary heart. Speaking of coronary heart, beloved Canadian DJ and producer The Gaff took to the stage at Fractal because the solar went down and introduced his very personal son to witness his dad in his area.

Gracing the Living Room stage, Glass Beams forged a psychedelic spell that felt like floating in a dream. And Elderbrook introduced intimate vocals and emotional resonance to the principle stage, setting the tone for a magnetic set from Bob Moses, whose brooding home grooves held the group in a collective trance again on the Living Room.

The Village’s foundations have been stress-tested by consecutive efforts from Delta Heavy, SLANDER and ALLEYCVT, the latter of whom welcomed “ONE FOR YOU” collaborators Levity onstage. SLANDER’s spin on Quad City DJ’s legendary hit “Space Jam” was groovy sufficient to have interstellar lifeforms chasing the bootleg.

The Village stage at Shambhala Music Festival. Photo: BEEDEE

The pageant usually welcomes one hip-hop act annually with combined success. Integrating rap music into an EDM pageant like Shambhala is difficult sonically and culturally. But, Joey Valence & Brae understood the project. Their power was infectious, they usually wore their love for digital music on their sleeves.

Shambhala is the definition of a marathon, not a dash. It’s regular for music to start at 1pm and carry over to 9amthe subsequent day. Navigating the expertise comfortably requires some strategic planning. Fortunately, Shambs is inhabited by numerous educated and kind-hearted “wooks” looking for the Farmily.

Perfect instance: Three unsung heroes rolled into FATHER SON’s 5am pageant debut set on the Pagoda with a small grill, a propane tank, and the restorative energy of tacky carbs. These godsends, pictured under, slung grilled cheese sandwiches for the troops. We’re speaking buttered exteriors, mayonnaise-d interiors and a combination of white and yellow cheeses.

After dancing their manner via a sundown and nonetheless standing throughout dawn, they could as effectively have been dipped within the Fountain of Youth.

Grilled cheeses being made throughout FATHER SON set Sunday morning on the Pagoda stage. Photo: Shakiel Mahjouri

Sunday’s annual Fractal Funk Jam hosted by Smalltown DJs was the whole lot Shambhala stands for: collaboration, group, and absurd quantities of uncooked expertise. Each 12 months, the Funk Jam runs from 2-6pm and the docket of expertise circulates as every particular person performs three tracks they usually maintain swapping out and in. The playfulness of the group under is unmatched, too. If you may have but to test it out, you should definitely pop by subsequent 12 months.

That ultimate evening, The Sponges stored issues moist as the group soaked up each drop of their efficiency, setting the tone for a memorable fruits. SOFI TUKKER made their long-awaited debut at Fractal and delivered full-spectrum power each playful and primal, emphasised by eclectic remixes of the White Lotus season three theme tune and Drowning Pool’s “Bodies.”

Later, Andy C turned the Village right into a drum & bass battleground in one of the simplest ways potential. Over on the Grove, Channel Tres served up his signature mix of hypnotic basslines, low-slung funk, and vocals that hit like velvet and smoke.

Channel Tres acting at The Grove stage. Photo: BEEDEE

ILLENIUM exceeded lofty expectations, winding up followers with emotional highs then free-falling into filthy drops. Wooli adopted up for a nasty one-two punch. During the fast handover from one to the opposite, a pair of giddy ravers entered the Village from stage left, hoisting an enormous, blow-up woolly mammoth overhead. Seeing the majestic mascot crowdsurf round throughout its namesake’s set emphasised the humor and youthful vibrance that Shambs evokes.

Tape B b2b Mersiv pushed boundaries with a cinematic, bass-heavy journey that felt like the ultimate chapter of an epic online game. Every daring story wants comedian reduction. During Tape B and Mersiv’s shock set, a colourful spirit made rounds via the group, asking if strangers would really like “to take a picture” of him. Those who indulged weren’t greeted with a telephone and selfie stick, however with a sticker of the inquirer. What a random and completely on-brand bit for a pageant that encourages quirky, unabashed self-expression.

And in a Shambhala-perfect second throughout RUMPUS’ set, agro-yogi John Early proposed to his then-girlfriend, drawing huge cheers from the group and sealing the evening with a kiss.

Whether you got here for the music, the magic, or the mischief, one factor was sure: you discovered your self on the farm. If you need to expertise the magic of Shambhala Music Festival for your self, tickets for subsequent 12 months’s version (July 24–27, 2026) go on sale in September.