Thursday night kick off at SunFest saw 8 artist hit 3 separate stages getting the crowd warmed up for a long weekend of music to celebrate the beautiful province of British Columbia in the mountains of the Cowichan Valley. 
We had the chance to sit down with the winner of Project Wild, Brad Saunders, to stage an exclusive interview and acoustic version of his new hit summer song Play It By Beer. Brad was a true rockstar and hit the mainstage and the Saloon stage all in one night covering hit country songs and treating the crowd to his own music. Stay tuned for the interview and song in the coming days. 
We were also fortunate enough to say Happy Birthday to Aaron Pritchett before he hit the mainstage tonight. The crowd wished Aaron a happy birthday with signs and enthusiastic cheers. He played to them in his signature energetic style a mash up of his hits and 90s classics like the Back Street Boys and Vanilla Ice and the crowd belted them right back. Take a peak at our brief interview and more photos on the interview page.

SunFest Photo by Jeremy Mac Knott

Finally we finished the night with George Canyon who put on an amazing set with his Big Ass Kitchen Party as he called it. George played to the crowd through out the show as he gave insight into his songs, particularly beaming with pride over his children and his country. George was extremely personal as he shared his East Coast roots and his role in the Canadian Army. George also showcased his Canadian pride as he covered Stompin’ Tom’s Good Old Hockey Game and spoke of the honour he had of covering the song for a 50th anniversary record.

SunFest Photo by Jeremy Mac Knott

The crowd loved his hits and soulful voice throughout his entire set and of course he came back out to treat his fans with a two song encore.
Both Aaron and George raved about Jim Cressman and Invictus Entertainment Group with George going so far as bring Jim out on stage to take a selfie with the crowd. It was great to see such a solid bond in the cutthroat entertainment industry.
Overall, the first night of SunFest has the crowd ready for the next 3 days featuring 30+ artists and we can’t wait to share it with you.