'Don't deserve to drive': B.C. music festival ends with record number of impaired drivers | Daily Hive

BC Highway Patrol

A growing number of drivers who attend B.C. music festivals are starting to develop a bad reputation with the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP).

The BC RCMP division announced its enforcement results after the annual Sunfest Country Music Festival in Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island.

Up to 12,000 people attended this year’s Sunfest from July 29 to Aug. 1, featuring some of the biggest names in country music.

However, a record number of impaired drivers were also stopped by police before, during and after the event. And the BC Highway Patrol boss is “unimpressed.”

Tourism Cowichan

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According to BCHP, 153 violation tickets, primarily under the BC Motor Vehicle Act, were issued.

However, there were also:

Nine 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibitions (IRP), for when a driver registers a “fail” on an Approved Screening Device (ASD)
19 three-day IRPs (the first time a driver registers in the “warn” range on an ASD)
Six 24-hour suspensions (typically for drug-impaired driving)
Two 12-hour suspensions (any amount of drugs and alcohol for Learner or Novice drivers)
Six excessive speed impounds

The total number of impaired driving offences recorded during the Sunfest enforcement was 36 in 2026, which is up 227 per cent from the previous year.

It also smashed the previous record high of 25 offences set in 2024.

BC Highway Patrol

“To say that I’m concerned would be an understatement,” said Inspector Adam Tallboy, the Officer In Charge of BC Highway Patrol on Vancouver Island, in a release. “This increase shows outrageously poor decision-making. If you can’t have fun without doing the minimal planning required to avoid impaired driving, you don’t deserve to drive.

“After seeing these high impairment numbers from Sunfest, motorists can expect to see even more check stops. We will use whatever legal tools we have to improve this situation, and we expect better decisions from drivers.”

BC Highway Patrol

The BC RCMP division also recently announced its enforcement results after the Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo River Ranch.

Up to 50,000 people attended this year’s Shambhala from July 24 to 27, featuring some of the biggest names in electronic music.

According to BCHP, 311 speeding tickets and seven excessive speeding tickets were issued, with the latter including fines ranging from $368 to $483.

Just days later, at the end of the festival, two police roadblocks were set up to check people leaving Shambhala. That led to dozens of vehicles being towed and over 50 driving suspensions issued.