Squamish has no shortage of activities year-round, but there鈥檚 nothing like high summer around here. July features some of the biggest and most exciting festivals, sporting events and cultural celebrations of the year. Keep this calendar handy to plan your fun.
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鈥� Kites, bikes and paddleboards, oh my! 鈥�
Whether spectator or participant, several major sporting events welcome locals in July.
Squamish Kite Clash, the Canadian National Championships in Freestyle Kiteboarding (July 6 to 8), at the Squamish Estuary and Spit, will feature more than 70 athletes, including some of the top competitors in the sport vying to be crowned Canadian champion.
There are kiteboarding competitions all over the world, acknowledges Steve Tulk, founder of Kite Clash, which is now Canada鈥檚 largest kiteboarding competition. But the local one is among the most unique and exciting simply because of the natural gifts of geography.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 unique about the Squamish one is the location and the spectators鈥� venue,鈥� Tulk said. 鈥淭he spectators get really close to the competitors. If you鈥檝e been out to the spit, you know that you sit there and the competitors are coming right at you. The nice thing about the wind we have here is, when they are in the air, it pulls them away from the crowd, so they jump toward the crowd and then they get pulled away.鈥�
In other places, spectators might be a kilometre away.
鈥淎 lot of people call it 鈥榖low-dryer wind.鈥� It鈥檚 just steady, warm and consistent. That鈥檚 the real draw here,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople just love coming to this area; it鈥檚 so unique.鈥�
Tulk is urging spectators to make use of the shuttle being offered from Backcountry Brewing because parking near the venue is both limited and remote from the actual spectator location.
The 小蓝视频 Bike Race (in Squamish July 12) is a week-long competition showing off some of the West Coast鈥檚 best singletrack local courses.听 The race encompasses nine communities across seven days of racing with the final stretch being 65 kilometres in Squamish, with 5,000 feet of climbing.
The Canadian Downwind Championships (July 14) is a mass-start point-to-point race on Howe Sound employing surfski, stand-up paddleboard, prone paddleboard and outrigger canoe. Racers will paddle from Porteau Cove up Howe Sound to Squamish.
Less competitive than these, Hump Day Pump Day Bouldering Comp (that is, competition) is a friendly event presented by Ground Up Climbing Centre, with various categories and prizes. Electronic scorecards update on your phone as you go. (July 4)
The Arc鈥檛eryx Climbing Academy (formerly the Squamish Mountain Festival) is a four-day celebration of 鈥渆verything mountain,鈥� including free and paid events featuring international speakers, seminars, product demonstrations, clinics and more, all climbing-related topics. Activities take place throughout the Squamish Valley and at the Sea to Sky Gondola, July 19 to 22.
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鈥� Arts & craft beer 鈥� and more 鈥�
The Mountain Music Series at the Sea to Sky Gondola is a weekly Friday night event continuing through the summer. July鈥檚 lineups includes live-looping Tim Hewitt; jazz and R&B artists Bluesberry Jam; folk and European performers Jocelyn Pettit Band; and modern rock from Hairfarmers.
Wake up the next morning and head for the Squamish Farmers鈥� Market, which goes every Saturday until the end of October, offering fresh produce, eggs, locally made arts and crafts, live music and plenty of fresh and prepared food from the growers, makers and bakers. This year welcomes a few new aspects to the popular weekly event.
鈥淲e have a chef come in and cook with ingredients from the market and give out samples and teach people how to cook with things at the market,鈥� said Jessica Roberge, market manager. Other demonstrations include kombucha-making, jam-making and gardening.
The market is also expanding its 鈥渮ero waste鈥� program this year, adding a gamification aspect to the educational component, which was started by the Squamish Climate Action Network (Squamish CAN) and for the past two years has been funded by the District of Squamish.
鈥淲e try to have zero waste where all of our forks and paper plates and stuff are all compostable,鈥� said Roberge.
The Squamish Beer Festival (July 7) is a half-day event showcasing 50 craft breweries (and cideries), with more than 120 craft beers, plus DJs, live music, food trucks and, erm, axe-throwing.
This marks the festival鈥檚 fourth year and Scott McQuade, who founded the event with Trevor Magee and J. P. Tondeau, reflects on the origins.
鈥淟ike all good ideas, it was over a couple of beers,鈥� he said. Such a thing would not have been possible a decade ago, as Squamish and the entire province have seen an explosion in the craft beer sector. But Squamish is a particularly auspicious location.
鈥淪quamish people really know their beer,鈥� said McQuade, who used to own Scotties Liquor Store . 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a pretty young population here, pretty hip, particularly for being non-urban. 鈥� They want locally produced, artisanal products. 鈥� and there鈥檚 all these smaller manufacturers that are filling that gap.鈥澨� This year鈥檚 festival will feature more carnival games than last year, as well as numerous new breweries.
After selling out last year, the festival has expanded capacity from about 1,800 last year.
鈥淣ow we鈥檙e going to go up to a little over 2,000 people and we still expect to sell out,鈥� McQuade said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely recommending that if people want to come, they either get their tickets in advance, which we recommend, or get there early.鈥�
A shuttle service to and from Vancouver and Whistler is also available. The night before, enthusiasts can pre-celebrate at a Meet the Brewers event atop the Sea to Sky Gondola.
The Squamish Street Market showcases the best of Squamish food, drink, shopping, activities and entertainment monthly in the heart of downtown monthly. This month鈥檚 event is July 15, with market vendors and a culinary taste of Squamish from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Squamish Real Estate and Accommodation Showcase from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a Beer & Cider Garden at the O鈥橲iyam Pavillion Park Entertainment Stage from noon to 6 p.m.; and a Kid Zone in Stan Clarke Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Squamish Nation Powwow, which takes place on Squamish Nation land at the Capilano Reserve, is a weekend full of First Nations culture (July 13 to 15). Salmon BBQ, Aboriginal arts and crafts, music, dance and the passing down and sharing of traditions are at the heart of the event, with multiple categories of children鈥檚, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 dance bringing everyone from toddlers through elders from across Canada and the American Northwest.
Squamish Academy of Music鈥檚 first SAM Jam of the season takes place July 14. SAM Jam is an open jam and open mic night welcoming musicians and music-lovers across all genres and levels for collaborating, performing, listening and connecting. Before the Jam, which begins at 8 p.m., guests are invited at 7 p.m. for Sip and Sketch, where artists across all disciplines and levels of experience draw together or draw alone, talk about art and have a drink before the Jam.
On view are works by Suzanne MacRury and Karen Yaremkewich. Admission is by donation to SAM鈥檚 Scholarship Fund.
The Squamish Wind Festival (July 26 to 28) began in 2014 as a community arts event hosted by the Squamish Arts Council and has grown to include artists from throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and across the province. The festival, featuring music, art, culture and community, aims to inspire the artist in everyone.
The Blessed Coast Music, Yoga & Arts Festival 鈥� the fourth annual 鈥� unites local and international artists, DJs, producers, 小蓝视频鈥檚 favourite yoga teachers, speakers and wisdom-keepers (July 27 to 30). Classes and workshops take place in breathtaking surroundings with panoramic views of local mountains. The family- and eco-friendly event is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy and takes place on the 88-acre Cheekye Ranch, offering riverside and meadow camping.
For just about every interest, there is a host of events and activities in Squamish in July. These are some of the highlights, which are merely bonuses on top of the myriad everyday opportunities that abound in the area when the sun comes out.
