Songstress Sarah McLachlan to headline this summer's Squamish Constellation Festival

As if we needed more reasons to be excited about the Squamish Constellation Festival's triumphant return this July after a two-year hiatus, it has recently been announced that Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan is lending her star power to headline the up-and-coming event.

McLachlan, who lives in Vancouver and has connections in Squamish, will be playing the final night of the three-day festival on Sunday, July 24.

After such a long hiatus from concerts and festivals, the singer says it is high time for this kind of event.

"The live music industry has suffered greatly over the past two years, and for a festival still in its infancy like Squamish Constellation Fest, the impact has been profound," said McLachlan, in a news release.

"We all need opportunities to gather and celebrate and this festival embodies what we've been missing: community, love, and togetherness — I am so excited to be a part of it."

McLachlan is no stranger to the Sea to Sky; she kept a retreat in Whistler for years before selling it last August. But with only one other date planned for 2022 so far, this announcement has festival co-founders Tamara Stanners and Kirsten Andrews jumping for joy, especially after such a tough start.

Andrews said they have been keeping the news under wraps for months, and it hasn't been easy.

The full 2022 line-up for the festival will be announced in early March.  

"It feels like forever," she said. "Understandably, it's been an incredibly hard secret to keep. I think it was in April that Sarah agreed to be a headliner for the festival. We were all chatting on the phone, brainstorming ideas, when she made the offer. We were thrilled, of course."

McLachlan's own groundbreaking festival Lilith Fair, which ran for a legendary three years in the late 1990s, made a huge stand for women in the music industry and launched the careers of many artists such as Christina Aguilera, Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott. For Andrews, this makes her a perfect headliner for the women-founded-and-run Constellation Festival.

"Having her on board, sharing in our vision, has been a real boost to us. Knowing she's in our corner means a lot," Andrews said. "She was the visionary behind Lilith Fair, after all. She knows a thing or two about festivals and what it means to be female in this industry. Owning a woman-run festival comes with a lot of unique challenges and she gets that."

The Constellation Festival premiered in 2019 to much fanfare and enjoyed a successful first year with Bahamas, The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red) and Serena Ryder among the vibrant roster. But rather than enjoy that momentum to propel ticket sales for the following years, the 2020 festival was called off due to COVID-19, same for 2021.

"That definitely hurt us," said Stanners. "When you are getting a new festival off the ground, you expect a few years of uphill efforts before you can stand on firm ground financially."

Such a big name headlining the festival for its return after two years is a huge win.

"We really could not be more ecstatic," said Stanners. "We already have so much love for Sarah that when she agreed we were over the moon. It's made rebounding from a couple of really tough years so much easier."  

To help get this year's festival off to a good start and to make up for that lost momentum, organizers have launched a Kickstarter to raise funds. Prizes include weekend passes, signed memorabilia, and even cocktail hour meet-and-greets with McLachlan.

"It's something we felt called to do — because our festival is about connection and oneness and we know people are thirsty for shared community experiences like Constellation," Stanners continued. "We are beyond excited to welcome everyone back to the festival grounds in July 2022 bigger and better than ever."

For more on the festival, go to www.constellationfest.ca.