Sled Island

Our solar calendar is nearing an end and the staff at Sled Island has put together a list of their top 5 albums, top 5 shows and favourite Sled Island moment.

As always there was tons of great music to discover from all corners of the world including right here in Calgary! Our staff managed to check out some spectacular shows including one or two during Sled Island in between an insanely busy schedule. As a staff we're constantly being inspired by current music and how that leaves an impression on new generations of music lovers.

Have a look (and listen) here and let us know on Facebook and Twitter your favourite albums, shows and Sled Island moments. We'd love to hear your picks and carry on with the cycle of sharing and discovery! 

The early bird gets the...Sled Island Festival passes for special early bird rates! Just in time for the holidays (and that perfect gift, too). Early Bird Festival passes come in two varieties:

Discovery Pass - $159 (limited time price)
All-Access Festival Pass
Grants access to all Sled Island events including 200+ bands, comedy shows, film screenings, art exhibitions and installations and special events!
Buy Now!

Discovery Plus Pass - $259 (limited time price)
All-Access Festival Pass (everything you get from the Discovery Pass)
Plus Priority Access (skip to the front of any line-ups!), gain access to the artist lounge, score sweet Sled Island swag and more!
Buy Now!

Under 18 festival buds, check back in the new year for special Sled Island All-Ages Festival Passes...

If you're buying a Sled Island Festival Pass as a gift and would like it to arrive in time for the holidays, please place your order by December 17th, 2012.

The Mayans predicted 2012 would see the end of the world as we know it...but with a party like this, we feel fine. Sled Island is proud to be a co-presenting partner of The End of the World Festival on that fated date, December 21st, 2012, at the #1 Royal Canadian Legion (116 7th Avenue SE). If you had one last night on earth to perform, what would you do? Between Scars & Scarves' tribute to Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable parties via Velvet Underground covers to Chris Nevile's nod to the apocalyptic soundtrack of the 70s power ballad, all bases should be covered across the two floors of one of our favourite venues. Expect great local music from a heap of bands, weirdo art and interactive installations. Maybe if we party hard enough, we'll all survive long enough for Sled Island 2013.

We don't try to make a habit of tooting our own horn (why drive a car when you can ride a bike), but in this case - toot toot! Sled Island has been awarded the "Commended Greener Festival Award," signifying a well-managed and environmentally aware festival. Through a combination of our Green Team's initiatives to encourage: cycling (through cyclist education, increased bike rack presence and bike rentals), proper composting and recycling, particularly at our outdoor sites and partnerships with other environmentally aware local organizations - Sled Island has never been greener. Congratulations to our friends at the Calgary Folk Festival who also received the award in 2012! All signs point to an even greener festival June 19-22, 2013.

Formerly based in Victoria, Freak Heat Waves are a post-punk outfit that have set course on an epic tour to find their place in the vast musical landscape. Performing songs from their recent self-titled LP recorded with the late Chris Reimer, the band has driven across North America over the last two months. Their unique approach to an 80s minimal post-punk sound has captured the attention of fellow musicians and audiences alike. For the first time their album is available for digital download on their Bandcamp page. You can also order the physical copy, limited to an edition of 300 copies.

Founded in 2008, Le Guess Who? is an annual festival held in Utrecht, Netherlands with a special place in its heart for Canadian bands. The charming canal lined city played host to some incredible artists this past week with highlights including Grouper, Destroyer, the Chetahs, Mac DeMarco and Prince Rama and our own Paisley V. Sim was there to take it all in. We took some funny throw away photos on Instagram - you can see highlights from the weekend (as we sorted out wtf filters even do) and follow Sled Island events here.