A new after-hours event is being added to the Kamloops International Buskers Festival this summer as organizers look to expand the festival experience and attract a broader audience.
Buskers After Hours: Market Alley will debut July 24 at Riverside Park immediately following Music in the Park, transforming the park’s newly constructed skating loop into a late-night entertainment space featuring live performers, DJs, vendors, food trucks, mocktails, and a neon-themed market atmosphere.
Lucas Sweet, event coordinator for the festival, said organizers wanted to build on the energy the event already creates during the day.
“We’ve been really trying to find ways to grow the festival into kind of a new demographic,” Sweet said. “The festival itself is very family-friendly, so we’re trying to take that same feeling of safeness and comfortability, but gear it toward a more mature audience.”
The event is free to attend, although organizers note the programming is intended for mature audiences.
Sweet said the festival continues to grow in popularity, now entering its seventh year after pauses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is just so much fun and it’s a very unique festival,” he said. “These types of festivals are really big over in Europe, but here in Canada there’s only a handful across the country, and we’re the only one in B.C.”
The Kamloops festival attracts applications from performers around the world each year, with organizers narrowing the field down to six featured acts.
“We get over 200 applications from people from around the world who want to come to our festival,” Sweet said. “Picking a good balance between all six and making sure they’re really cool and unique — that’s where the challenge comes in.”
This year’s lineup will feature six completely different acts, according to Sweet, including the return of fan favourite Pancho Libre.
Organizers say the new After Hours event will include performances from some of the buskers alongside DJs playing house music, local vendors, and themed entertainment under neon lighting.
Applications are still open for vendors interested in participating in the inaugural Market Alley event. Sweet said organizers already have strong interest but want to ensure local businesses and artisans still have an opportunity to join.
“We’re really excited to be adding a new layer and level to the festival this year,” he said. “We’re really excited for what we’re going to be able to bring to Kamloops.”
Vendor applications and additional festival information can be found through the festival website.
