17 things you can only find at BC's Shambhala Music Festival (PHOTOS)

An eight-hour drive east of Vancouver in August for the last 22 years, thousands have gathered in Salmo, BC for a magical weekend of music and culture known as Shambhala Music Festival.

Shambhala began as a family-run event on the Salmo River Ranch in 1998 and has grown substantially over the years despite operating without any corporate sponsorship. So what makes Shambhala so special? Here are 17 things you can only find at Shambhala Music Festival.

17) Attendee organized events

Community is at the heart of this festival, as such groups of friends have gotten together to organize events during the 4-day festival. This year’s long list of attendee organized events included:

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Nicer Free Hugs Canada

A post shared by vanya stoycheva hitrova (@vhitrova) on Aug 15, 2019 at 5:10am PDT

Various dress-up events included: Day Onesie (wear a onesie on the first day), Saddle Up Saturday (dress like a cowboy), Panda Party, Toga At The Goda (dress in a toga at the Pagoda stage), Formal Friday, Santa Saturday and many more!

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4 years later and I finally made it in a group photo! Shambhala was a dream, so grateful I got to spend it with some amazing people and hotboxing the village was definitely the highlight of the weekend.💕 until next year schwillians! #shambhala #schwill #campschwill #festival #summeroflove #festiebestie #musicfestival #summer #canada #pnw #santa #thevillage #hotbox

A post shared by Ellé Matthews (@discotechnics) on Aug 15, 2019 at 11:00am PDT

Fractal Forest Naruto Run (run as fast as you can, hands straight back like the Naruto anime character)

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THANK YOU DDD FAM🎉 We wouldn’t be where we are without you🖤 Massive thanks to @the_amp_smf & @shambhala_mf as well for having us at our favorite festival!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @bananacam 📸 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #deepdarkanddangerous #octopus #bass #music #recordlabel #dubstep #soundsystemculture #worldwide #deep #dark #dangerous

A post shared by Deep, Dark and Dangerous (@deepdarkand_dangerous) on Aug 16, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

The Giant Group Hug (self explanatory).

Captain Thomas’ Shamb Virgin Train Tour (A guy dressed as Thomas the tank engine creates a conga line of first time Shambhala attendees and leads them on a tour of the grounds)

Magic The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons in the Forest.

For a full list of the events, 2019 attendee organized events you can check them out here.

16) The Wishing Tree

With positivity and kindness hanging from its branches in the form of handwritten notes, the Wish tree invites you to sit down and take a minute to reflect on all there is to be thankful for.

15) The Spirit Animal Wheel

Ever wonder what your spirit animal might be? Give the wheel a spin and find out!

14) The Wedding Chapel

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When you happen to walk by at the perfect time and catch a beautiful festival proposal. So happy for these two Shambhala-lovers. See you at the wedding next year!! #ShambhalaMusicFestival #SMF22 #ATSphotographs

A post shared by ATS (@a_straughn) on Aug 16, 2019 at 2:32pm PDT

Just a few steps from the Living Room stage is this beautiful chapel in which attendees get engaged and married year after year during Shambhala.

13) ANKORS Drug Testing

The AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society is on-site all Shambhala long providing free, fast, anonymous drug checking using FTIR Spectrometers and test strips to identify drugs, including Fentanyl.

12) The Village Stage

Shambhala’s dedicated Bass Music stage was graced by the likes of bass legends Excision, Downlink, Rusko, Chase and Status and more in 2019 alone.

11) The Pagoda Stage

Shambhala’s unofficial main stage boasted headliners Black Tiger Sex Machine, Zeds Dead, Kaskade, AC Slater, Grandtheft and more.

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#fbf to a couple weeks ago. Still cant get over how amazing and beautiful this place was @shambhala_mf #shambhala #plur #pagoda

A post shared by Nick bell (@njbell_1) on Aug 31, 2018 at 10:09am PDT

10) The Grove Stage

The Grove Stage which hosted the festival’s opening ceremonies had a groovy line up that included headliners: Bonobo, FKJ, and the festival’s biggest hip hop act: Earth Gang.

9) The AMP Stage

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Ayyyyye just one more week until it’s show time for AMPhitheatre‼️// See you next Thursday at 12pm with @thetrifinity taking us on the opening ride 🎪🤡🔥❤️ . . 📸: @beedee_

A post shared by The AMPhitheatre 🎪 (@the_amp_smf) on Aug 1, 2019 at 4:23pm PDT

As the most accessible stage in the heart of downtown Shambhala this stage is a fan favorite that hosted UK trap producer Troyboi, MIJA, 1000 Volts (Redman & Jayceeoh), A Tribe Called Red and more!

8) The Fractal Forest Stage

Hidden deep in the woods this mysterious stage is the funkiest spot in Shambhala. This year it was host to major headliners: Silk City (Diplo & Mark Ronson), Griz, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jack Beats and more!

7) The Living Room Stage

Also known as the beach stage, this stage is the most chill with many live performances including Holly Hoops, Mischief and Mayhem Circus, Spiralynn, I Love HoolaHoops and various day time activities such as Booty Luv Fitness.

6) Cedar Lounge Workshops

Want to learn how to grow your own weed, learn about the medical studies of MDMA or psilocybin mushrooms, or learn how to produce music? You’ve come to the right place at the Cedar Lounge.

5) Bass Camp Art Gallery

This massive dome in downtown Shambhala is home to visual art of all kinds from artist from around the world available for purchase and visual pleasure.

4) Daily Yoga

The dedicated yoga garden draws people to stretch, breathe, meditate and take organized classes every morning in Shambhala.

3) 24-hour Medical Services

From emergency contraceptives to drug overdoses, to broken bones, Shambhala’s medical team of doctors, nurses and volunteers are there to help all festival long.

2) The Sanctuary

Right next to the medical services area is a calm, quiet safe space for those feeling overwhelmed, stressed, isolated or tired. Open 24 hours a day and staffed with volunteers who are trained to care for attendees in need.

1) The Salmo River

Respecting the environment is one of Shambhala’s eight pillars, as the festival takes place on a fully functional farm along the Salmo River. River access is open to all attendees to cool off, relax and swim, but bathing even with environmentally-friendly soap is strictly forbidden.