Two of the Gauntlet’s own are on the road to Shambhala. We’ve been annoying our colleagues all week with filthy drops whimpering from blown speakers, and it’s been a few years since either of us have been to the festival that goes from August 8–11.

Four days of music. Four days of inevitable schedule clashes. Moby plays at the same time as Griz. Datsik plays at the same time as A Tribe Called Red. You’ll have to make the tough choices, and we at the Gauntlet have no illusions about that.

Shambhala Music Festival has built a reputation as Western Canada’s top destination for electronic music over the course of 16 summers.

Nestled on a ranch in the Kootenay mountains, Shambhala brings 10,000 people an hour’s drive south of Nelson on the second weekend of August.

What started as a party thrown for friends on a ranch 17 years ago is now British Columbia’s most infamous electronic music festival — and for good reason.

World-renowned DJs like Skream, Moby and Bassnectar headline this year’s festival.

This weekend thousands of folk music fans will descend on Prince’s Island Park, running with their tarps to nab the best spots to sit and listen to some of the finest folk music the world has to offer.

There’s a lot going on at Folk Fest, so to help you decide what to see, the Gauntlet has picked five performances you shouldn’t miss.

Basia Bulat — Thursday, July 24 - Stage 4 - 7:00 p.m.