After a 2-Year Hiatus, Wicked Woods Music Festival Returns Bigger and Better Than Ever

In a word, the best way to summarize Wicked Woods Music Festival 2022 is with the infamous Owen Wilson phrase: “Wow.”

At this intimate Canadian festival, its organizers, staff, attendees and artists really do get wicked in the woods. Nestled in the heart of the Columbia Valley—minutes from Fairmont Hot Springs—Wicked Woods is hosted on 144 acres of land, with a backdrop like none other.

On Wednesday, May 25th, prospective attendees were welcomed to the festival site to get their camps set up and nestle into the woods for the weekend. Before long, the grounds materialized as the all-too-familiar land became adorned with colorful tents, tapestries and LED lights.

Thousands of ravers were elated to finally be at a music festival once again. There was a surreal, palpable feeling in the air.

The festivities kicked off on Thursday at The Hallow with a stellar hip-hop set from Sleeveless Records‘ label boss Stylust. While all were surely ready to throw down after a two-year hiatus, socializing and dancing all day and night did take some getting used to. 

But it wasn’t long before Wicked Woods came to life on Friday. By now, everyone was settled in and all three stages were open for business: The Hallow, The Unicorn Lounge, Ursus and a bonus stage called The Portal. While it was windy in the afternoon, the experience at the Ursus stage was nothing short of spectacular thanks to Lazy Syrup Orchestra’s groovy sounds and panoramic views of the Columbia Valley and Rocky Mountains.

The festival’s immaculate vibes were bubbling over by Saturday, the last day of Wicked Woods. Despite being the third and final day of the fest, you could feel the collective rapture from the festival’s ravers, who knew that this was just the beginning. Wicked Woods was one of Western Canada’s first music festivals to return following the onset of the global pandemic. 

All in all, the connection of friends—both old and new—at Wicked Woods 2022 was an integral facet of this intimate festival, which invited its guests to be their true, authentic selves deep in the wilderness. As mentioned, it took some getting used to, but we ultimately remembered why we love the electronic music scene with a burning passion.

After all, where else can you see a guitarist dressed up as Spiderman appear on stage during The Funk Hunters‘ set? At a festival, almost anything goes. 

That’s the beauty of it all.

If you’re interested in getting wicked in the woods this fall, tickets for the September edition will be on sale soon. For more information, navigate here.

FOLLOW WICKED WOODS:

Website: wickedwoods.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/wickedwoodsmusicfestival
Instagram: instagram.com/wickedwoodsmusicfestival