Twenty Years of Hillside

From Arts in Guelph- July/August, 2003

by Anna Contini

From its humble beginnings in 1983, the Hillside Festival has grown to a world-class three-day event taking place in the idyllic setting of Guelph Lake Island. This year the Festival celebrates a landmark 20-year anniversary on July 25 to 27.

To commemorate the special occasion, the new Hillside Community Stage will be unveiled on Guelph Lake Island. The new venue, a permanent stage to be used by Hillside as well as other presenters and community groups, will provide an adaptable performance space as well as an incentive for national promoters to bring more events to the Guelph area.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the commemorative project took place on May 24. The first phase of the project, a cement foundation and stage platform, was completed in time for last year's festival. Phase Two will include the stage proper, steel structure and roof elements, and will be completed in time for this year's festival. Phase Three, completion of the roof deck and protective membrane with a "living roof" system, is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2003 and spring of 2004.

The first major event to be held on the new stage will be a special fundraising concert that will literally "raise the roof" and help fund the stage's completion. The Barenaked Ladies will perform with special guest Danny Michel on July 23, just two days before the festival begins. The Canadian superstars last performed at Hillside in 1991, and have remained avid fans and devout supporters of the event ever since.

Hillside's 20th-anniversary celebrations began earlier this spring with the Hillside Moments Project where individuals were invited to share their own special "Hillside Moments" through any chosen medium. Hillsiders everywhere have been invited to submit a description of their favourite festival memories or moments. Entries have been collated so they can be included in an on-site retrospective display. In addition, a special 20th-anniversary tent will showcase Hillside photos, memorabilia and other visual records from the past two decades. To acknowledge the festival's ongoing role in the development of Guelph's vibrant cultural community, Hillside will be making the first installment of a major archive donation to the Guelph Public Library.

The Hillside Festival began modestly in 1983 when a small group of volunteers organized a one-day event that was supposed to be held at Hillside Farm in Guelph Township. But because township council refused a permit fearing traffic congestion, the venue was switched to Guelph's Riverside Park. Within three years, the festival had become so popular that a larger venue had to be found, and Guelph Lake Island was chosen as a permanent home.

Hillside has grown steadily since then. It is now considered one of Canada's "must see" summer festivals and was dubbed as one of the "World's Top 25 Festivals" by Guitar Magazine in 1998. The three-day event features performances by local and international artists, cross-genre jam sessions, a spoken word stage, hand drumming area and a range of community workshops. Hillside also hosts an environmental expo, aboriginal circle, healing arts tent, a children's area and an International Food Pavilion.

This year's Hillside Festival promises to be better than ever. To learn more about the dazzling array of performances, visit the Hillside website at www.hillside.on.ca or call (519) 763-6396.