Mission Statement
We present world-class, culturally diverse music and artistic experiences to enrich and build community.
Value Statement
To expose, entertain and enrich our community by delivering an excellent presentation of culturally diverse music and related artistic experiences, engaging a multi-generational audience.
Vision Statement
Celebrate Together
Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES is more than just a leading BC music festival. It’s a place where music lovers of all ages and backgrounds express themselves. It’s a festival where kids dance and play while parents and grandparents reconnect with old friends and swap stories of performances from the past three decades. ROOTSandBLUES is more than a community, it’s a family. And our family is growing.
Where Musicians Go to Play
Our ROOTSandBLUES festival is held annually every 3rd weekend in August held over 3 days on the festival grounds. From humble beginnings as standalone folk shows in Salmon Arm community halls, ROOTSandBLUES has grown into a major western Canadian outdoor event with a growing family of fans and volunteers from all over western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Now, we welcome that family to our community every summer for a relaxed tradition of Blues and Bluegrass, Indigenous, Celtic and Cuban, Americana and Afrobeat.
Come and experience the picturesque Shuswap Lake as you enjoy our annual festival complete with multiple stages and a varied set-list. Even our daytime workshops are renowned for delivering high-voltage performances.
Our focus always remains on the ROOTSandBLUES Festival. It’s the thread that ties incredible music into a shimmering tapestry of culinary delights from an international food village, a fun zone for children, an artisan marketplace featuring handcrafted Canadian made originals, and a tranquil camping site within earshot of the festival.
Outside of our BC music festival, we, the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, invest in our community to inspire emerging artists. We welcome visitors and locals alike to a Thursday night Community Super Crawl with entertainment located throughout the downtown core.
We respectfully acknowledge and recognize that the work of the SAFMS takes place on the unceded traditional territory of the Secwepemc Peoples.
Directions to the Festival
- Festival Location: 490 5th Avenue SW, Salmon Arm, BC
- Office Location: 541 3rd St. SW, Salmon Arm, BC V1E1V4
- Mailing Address: Box 21, Salmon Arm BC V1E 4N2
- By motor vehicle – 5 hours from Vancouver and 6.5 hours from Calgary.
- By plane – 1.5 hour drive from Kelowna International Airport (serviced by WestJet, Air Canada, and Horizon Air).
Enter the heart of B.C.’s beautiful Interior. Located halfway between Calgary and Vancouver on the TransCanada Highway, Salmon Arm is nestled on the shores of one of the largest, most pristine lake systems in British Columbia. Shuswap Lake alone has more than 700km of shoreline with plenty of sandy beaches for recreation and relaxation. Outstanding natural beauty, clean waterways, provincial parks, and an abundance of green space meet a storied history and vibrant culture that thrives in our world-famous recreation area.
Held at the Salmon Arm Fair Grounds, the Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES Festival lives on 17 beautiful acres with Mount Ida and the Fly Hills providing a scenic background.