Written by: Guelph Arts Council Staff
Hillside’s 43rd festival was one for the books. For yet another year, Guelph’s homegrown music festival took over the Guelph Lake Island with incredible music, food, dancing, art, culture, and a strong sense of community. This year was especially significant too, being the first time the festival had sold out in over 14 years, in many parts thanks to the merging of the festival’s own — and headlining artist Angine de Poitrine’s — cult-like followings.
Guelph Arts Council’s summer staff were on hand for the festival and have written some reflections on their experiences.
Caleb Smolenaars is GAC’s summer Communications Specialist/Programming & Marketing Assistant and was a media photographer at the festival. They wrote:
“What a weekend! Being a new Guelphite, this was my first time at Hillside, and you can bet it won’t be my last. I had the privilege of capturing the festival with a media pass for the weekend, and although it certainly wasn’t my first time shooting live music, it was definitely the most memorable to date.
While I usually try to be well prepared and familiar with artists I’m going to see, the Hillside model was perfect for discovering and falling in love with new artists too. With “performer jam sessions” scattered throughout the main sets, there was ample opportunity to relax and take in the incredible talent that every artist had to offer. Charlotte Cornfield, Housewife, and Jimi are among some of my new favourites that I discovered at Hillside, some of whom I was even able to see more than once at jam sessions before their main sets. I was also able to catch my long-time favourites Hollerado, Stars, Austra, The Darcy’s, and Mae Martin, who were fantastic as always.
And of course there was Angine de Poitrine, the newly-viral math-rock and microtonal alien duo. Upgraded to closing headliner, their crowd was by far the biggest of the weekend, attracting folks of all ages dressed in polkadots. Did I think they lived up to the hype? Absolutely.
Overall, my first Hillside was a weekend to remember. The feeling of community celebration and solidarity among artists and fans alike was undeniable. It was a strong reminder of the power of music and community.”
On behalf of the Guelph Arts Council, we’d like to congratulate the entire Hillside team for another fantastic festival. To the volunteers, staff, and board, we hope you are spending this week relaxing and reflecting fondly on delivering an incredible experience for the sold-out audience while navigating threats of poor air quality and storms. Having an internationally-recognized and world-class festival in our own backyard is something our community should cherish, and it was wonderful to see so many doing just that last weekend.
