Sarah McLachlan and Five Alarm Funk will be returning to year’s Roots and Blues Festival in Salmon Arm, after their performances last year were cancelled to wildfires.

McLachlan, the Grammy-award winning Canadian artist is set to close out the festival on July 28, with Five Alarm Funk set to close out the festival’s second day on July 27.

“Those conversations happened with musicians shortly after the cancellation,” Kevin Tobin, the Artistic Director of the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, said of the decision to bring back a number of artists who were set to play last year.

“Their schedules are definitely getting busier so for them to make sure that our weekend was open and we changed the dates this year, so to make sure that our new dates were open, We’re really pleased that we were able to work with their representatives or the artists directly to make those gigs happen again.”

Also on the lineup this year is Amanda Marshall, who performs on July 26, as the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society marks the 32nd edition of the festival in the Shuswap.

“We still had to go through a number of I’s dotting and T’s crossed in order to make sure that our funding was secured,” Tobin said. “Once we got everything together, we were able to put together, I think, a really solid lineup.”

The 2024 Roots and Blues festival in Salmon Arm is being held about a month earlier than usual as organizers hope to avoid another wildfire-related cancellation.

“It’s been busy since the announcement, and we’re really excited with the momentum that we’ve got,” Tobin added.

You can find more details about the 32nd edition of the Roots and Blues festival, including the full lineup online or by calling 250-833-4096.