Here’s your chance to curate your own Hillside experience! Remember how being at Island Stage for your favourite band meant you couldn’t also be at the Lake Stage for your second-favourite band because they were on at the same time? Homeside releases you from all of that pressure, giving you the opportunity to curate your own schedule from a feast of offerings that will be available online for about 54 hours July 24-26, 2020. So, play artistic director this weekend, and make your own playlist from over 130 performances and workshops. They will all be gone by Monday morning, so don’t wander off weeding and taking apart your wonky fan this weekend: you’ll miss everything!
How much is Hillside Homeside?
It’s free!
However, if you feel inspired to pay something for the experience, please visit our Donate page.
When does it start? Is there a schedule?
The festival opens at 6:00pm on Friday with our Welcome from the Main Stage. At 6:15pm, all of the programming will be available as video playlists on the different stages/pages of our new website (you might have to refresh the page if you open it earlier). The only exception is Gospel, where the programming will come on to the site Sunday morning, July 26, 2020 at 10:30am. The videos will be available all weekend, and by Monday morning they will all be gone.
Are you offering what you usually do at the summer festival?
We are trying to offer as much as we can in the way of programming on the Main Stage, Lake Stage, Island Stage, Rainbow Stage, Sun Stage, Workshops “Tents,” and Drum and Dance area. We even have a Food section where you can cook along with some of our food vendors, and an Artisan Market where you can shop for the same unique hand-crafted items you would have found on the island this summer. We can’t offer hugs, unfortunately, but we encourage those who are bubbling together to spread your joy around.
How do we watch performances?
Scroll down the home page and you will find photos that transport you to each area of our summer festival on the island, if only in imagination. Clicking on those heart-warming photos WILL lead you to hours upon hours of original videos created for Hillside Homeside. Here’s what you will find:
Main Stage – Opening / 37 Songs for a New World
Island Stage – Gospel / Youth Showcase
Lake Stage – Now and Then / Partner presentations
Sun Stage – Poetry / Comedy / Readings / Theatre
Rainbow Stage – Performances and children’s workshops
Indigenous Circle – Message
Drum & Dance – Performances and workshops
Workshops – Active Living / Body and Mind / DIY / Environment / Interplay / Performing Arts
Food – Cooking with vendors
Artisan Market – Links to online shops
Who’s playing?
Check out our lineup page for artists and workshop presenters. Or select an area to visit and browse the videos in the playlist you will find there.
Do you have any special projects?
Yes, we are programming 37 Songs for a New World and Now & Then. 37 Songs for a New World is a celebration of our 37th birthday that builds on our history of programming activist artists and artists who want to see a change in the world. We asked 37 artists to submit a song that tells their story of what they want more of in this world. Now & Then is an homage to artists we’ve showcased in our past–people who, for one reason or another, performed in a special way or had a special impact at Hillside. We have interviewed them about their experience at Hillside, and so we will show you what they did back when and what they think now.