Dirbag Festival is back. After a major success and complete sellout of McKim Theatre in 2011, the festival has moved from fall to early spring. The festival goes Friday, March 8, 2013 and Saturday, March 9, 2013.
Dirtbag features the best of local photographers and storytellers, celebrating the ‘dirtbag’ lifestyle. One of the organizers, Alison Ko, says that the Fest will be showcasing more local film makers than ever this time
The concept is explained on the dirtbag website. “Dirtbag Festival is the collection of unlikely stories, told by dirtbags living in the rebel realms of the wild spaces they call home. It is a community of artists, activists, pranksters, and adventurers who carry us through the dark winters by sharing their story through film, photos, and word.”
Dirtbag asks the questions — What awes & inspires you? What keeps you going? What’s your place on earth? What’s your story?
The festival will have a slightly different look this year with a Spoken Word event at Centre 64.
Billed as an intimate evening with Wordsmiths and Story Ninjas, the show runs from 8 to 10 p.m. with a social following until midnight.
On Saturday the main event is at McKim Theatre at 7 p.m with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. The gala features photos, films and more, including the popular Community slideshow. The slideshow is simply a collection of the dirtbag community, which means the photos can be of subject, location or quality. This is always a hit with the crowd. And the fans will judge best photo, which will win a $1000 prize.
“There are other groups joining in on the Dirtbag theme too,” Ko said. “The Nordic/ Orienteering group have created a Dirtbag race on Sat. March 9 and the volunteer ski patrol is hosting a dirtbag after party at the Elks Hall.”
Tickets for Dirtbag Fest are now on sale at Sprout Grocery in Kimberley and Lotus Books in Cranbrook. $10 for Friday’s spoken word. $22 for Saturday’s gala. $28 for weekend pass if purchased before February 14.