Sled Island

Sled Island Announces Initial Headliners!

Sled Island Music & Arts Festival continues to cement its reputation as one of the must-experience festivals in North America. Known for the thoughtful presentation of its fun, forward-thinking line-up, the festival is set to make a triumphant return following the challenges that accompanied the Alberta floods of June 2013.

Watch the festival trailer here!

Today, the first wave of headliners has been announced, representing what is sure to be one of the most diverse line-ups in the festival’s history. Sled Island 2014 is thrilled to present: a rare appearance from UK space rock legends Spiritualized, the celebrated and eclectic American singer-songwriter Neko Case, the world’s greatest party rock band Rocket From The Crypt and refined experimental pop artist and David Byrne and Swans collaborator St. Vincent. These artists are joined by the currently exploding American post-hardcore of Touché Amoré, Joel Plaskett Emergency, the Canadian national treasures who return following their cancelled 2013 appearance, the smooth-as-silk Danish-Canadian boudoir-R&B duo Rhye and the critically-acclaimed Atlanta hip-hop legend in the making, Killer Mike. Rounding out the first wave are psych-rock power trio flag-bearers Earthless, the long-awaited re-emergence of riot grrrl co-founder Kathleen Hanna in The Julie Ruin, alt-rock icon Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) and goth-tinged experimental singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe.

The 2014 edition of Sled Island is guest curated by Kathleen Hanna, celebrated musician (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin), feminist activist and zine writer. Each year, the guest curator helps to set the direction and tone of the festival through specialized programming choices and with their presence at the festival.

The festival, now entering its eighth year, will see over 250 bands, film screenings, art events, comedy shows and special events invade more than 30 venues in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Stay tuned for more exciting artist announcements on April 2nd, 2014.

Festival passes, offering access to every event at the festival subject to capacity, are now on sale for $199 (Discovery Pass) and $349 (Discovery Plus Pass). All-Ages Passes, giving those under the age of 18 access to the festival’s all-ages programming, are also on sale for $50. Order your festival pass today!

Individual tickets for select shows will go on sale on Tuesday, March 11th, 2014. Find out more information here.

Call For Art Submissions!

Sled Island is currently accepting art exhibition, performance, installation and special project proposals for the 2014 edition of the festival.

While this is a unique opportunity for emerging artists, curators and performers of all media to engage with a context that embraces the spirit and relationship between the visual arts and music in Calgary, proposals do not need to contain a direct link to music to be considered. Simply, we’re looking for art, design and curatorial proposals that will contribute unique, intriguing, enhanced or additional experiences for festival-goers to encounter at Sled Island. There are no limitations to the type of projects or media that can be proposed - simply, we want to be excited! Follow the link for more details.

Kathleen Hanna Guest Curates Sled Island 2014!

Nobody rains on our parade! Thanks to the overwhelming support of our community, including attendees, artists and our numerous partners, The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival returns following the devastating Alberta floods that caused the cancellation of the 2013 edition of the festival just two days into its four day program. Facing losses of up to $200,000, nearly 70% of Sled Island pass holders chose to forgo or re-invest their pass purchase to ensure the festival’s long term viability. Sled Island will be back in 2014, bigger and better than ever!

Today we're thrilled to announce the 2014 guest curator, Kathleen Hanna (The Julie Ruin, Le Tigre, Bikini Kill), celebrated musician, feminist activist and zine writer. Each year, the guest curator helps to set the direction and tone of the festival through specialized programming choices and with their presence at the festival. Past curators have included: John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees), Tim Hecker, Andrew W.K., Colin Newman (Wire), Fucked Up, Scott Kannberg (Pavement) and more. As long-time admirers of Hanna’s work across artistic media, the festival couldn’t be more excited to see the shape the festival takes with her thoughtful input.

Festival Passes are on sale now at limited-time price of... 

$179 Discovery Pass - access to all Sled Island events (250+ bands, art, film, comedy), subject to capacity.
$299 Discovery Plus Pass - all the benefits of the Discovery Pass as well as priority access to all Sled Island events (skip to the front of lines!), Artist Lounge privileges, a Sled Island delegate bag and more!

All-Ages Passes are also on sale for $50, granting you access to all-ages venues including Olympic Plaza, Tubby Dog and many more.

Sled Island is proud as well to announce a new Festival Presenting Sponsor and beer partner, Big Rock Brewery. The Calgary-based brewery’s enthusiasm for both the festival and larger music & arts community in the city is infectious and will help to ensure that festival-goers’ thirst is quenched and show-going experience as fun as ever!

Film Submissions Are Open!

Sled Island’s film program keeps on growing, incorporating traditional and non-traditional venues, interactive screenings as well as diverse programming including documentaries and narrative features. To submit a film for consideration for the 2014 festival, please fill out the submissions form. The deadline to apply is Friday March 7th, 2014.

And don’t forget band applications are open too! Apply today.

Sled Island Welcomes New Board Members

The Sled Island Music & Arts Festival is thrilled to welcome four new members to their board of directors: Chris Gokiert, president of Critical Mass; Sarmad Rizvi, general manager and talent buyer of the Hifi Club; Terry Rock, past president and CEO, Calgary Arts Development Authority; and Rob Schultz, Accountant at Agrium. The festival is confident that their enthusiasm and wide range of expertise will compliment the existing board to ensure both the success of the 2014 edition and the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Mr. Gokiert, Rizvi, Rock and Schultz are joining current board members: Christina Colenutt – Research & Insights Consulting; Brian Milne – Norton Rose Fullbright Canada; Dan Northfield – The Palomino Smokehouse, Drum & Monkey and Bamboo Lounge, Republik, Local 510; Chad Saunders – National Music Centre; and Craig Stenhouse – Cenovus.

Sled Island would also like to acknowledge the passion and dedication of past board members Jeremy Black, Peter Maitland, Zak Pashak and Scott Wenger.

About Sled Island

Founded in 2007, Sled Island is Western Canada's largest independent music and arts festival. The festival celebrates and showcases the best emerging and established local talent alongside international sensations, with over 250 bands, film screenings, art exhibitions and installations, comedy performances and more across five days in over 30 venues in Calgary. The 2014 edition of the festival is set to run June 18-22. Passes are on sale now at special limited time pricing at sledisland.com.