(This story is sponsored by Rifflandia.)

It’s an exciting time for live music fanatics—Rifflandia Festival will be taking over Victoria this September after a four-year hiatus that felt like it would never end.

From September 15 to 18, festivalgoers can immerse themselves in the ultimate live music experience with more than 75 artists, playing at Rifflandia’s two main venues: The Park and Electric Avenue. The Park, located at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park, is a licensed, all-ages venue featuring festival headliners, full day activations, and programming.

Electric Avenue, the licensed 19+ venue, encompasses Discovery Street, Pembroke Street, and Store Street, at the northern end of the downtown core in the Arts & Innovation District. Electric Avenue is the festival’s late night hub, featuring six different stages.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m. with four different festival ticket options: the Super Pass, VIP Pass, 3-Day Park Pass, and 3-Night Electric Avenue Pass.

If you want to live the Rifflandia experience to the very fullest, we suggest purchasing a VIP Pass. This four-day pass includes expedited entry, access to exclusive shaded areas with direct site-lines to the Main Stage at The Park, a full cash bar, premium washrooms, and mobile charging stations.

Now that the end of the pandemic is near, festival enthusiasts can finally resume what they do best: dancing with folks they literally just met.

Instead of pivoting to a virtual format during the pandemic, Rifflandia founder Nick Blasko concentrated on the ways they could elevate the live festival once restrictions were lifted.

“Even though there were opportunities to put the festival online, we thought we would stay focused on bringing back our event in a physical sense,” shares Blasko. “There were a lot of virtual festivals and sometimes they were brilliant while other times, they weren’t great. I felt there was also a real fatigue with the amount of time we spent staring at screens and I didn’t want people to connect the Rifflandia experience with sitting in front of their computer. Our festival is all about community, sharing an in-person moment with your family and friends, and listening to the music you love.”

Rifflandia provides the perfect excuse for a quick trip to Victoria if you don’t live on the island. In addition to the live performances, the festival will also feature numerous local food and beverage vendors, highlighting Victoria’s rich hospitality culture.

If one thing’s certain, it’s that this year’s lineup, filled with talented Canadian and international artists, is definitely worth travelling for.

Rifflandia 2022 will be headlined by two female powerhouses who know how to entertain a crowd: Lorde and Charli XCX. Other performers include: Cypress Hill, Black Pumas, Lauv, Ben Harper, DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal), Bikini Kill, Pussy Riot, BBNO$, The Funk Hunters, Cat Power, Allan Rayman, Bran Van 3000, Chali 2NA & Cut Chemist, Whipped Cream, Priyanka, Rêve, DJ Shub presenting War Club Live, Moontricks, Ibibio Sound Machine, Jessia, Ruby Waters, Boy Golden, Lex Leosis, Terror Jr, Luca Fogale, The Librarian, Art d’Ecco, Stickybuds, The Sponges, Astrocolor, Gold & Youth, Rumpus, Vinyl Richie & Foxy Moron, Jessu & Pyka, IKKY, Sabota, Joanna Magik, Alexis Tucci, Aspen King, and The Choir. Another 50 artists will soon be announced.

“I like to say that Rifflandia is ‘genre agnostic’ because we tip into everything,” says Blasko. “The variety is what makes the festival so exciting. We’re a mirror of how people listen to music right now as their collections on Spotify and Apple Music are diverse. For the most part, people’s playlists are all over the map so I think the festival should be like that too.”

The artists performing at this year’s event span popular genres like hip-hop, electronic, bass, pop, modern rock, and even folk—there’s an entertaining live show for everyone.

When asked about what audiences can expect at Rifflandia 2022, Blasko shares that they’ve kept many aspects of the festival the same while tweaking others to elevate the experience.

“Right now, we’re really trying to embrace the future and take some chances on some new things,” he says. “We’ll be bringing in more production, video screens, and things that will streamline the experience. I mean, it’s been four years since the last festival so it’s important that we rise to what people expect right now. If there was a summer where we could make up for lost times, this is definitely it.”

To buy tickets, visit www.rifflandia.com/.  For updates, follow Rifflandia on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.