The first time I made my way to a music festival, I had no idea what I was in for. I was fourteen, and until that point had associated an event with the word ‘festival’ in its name with any combination of balloon animals, clowns, face painting and hotdogs. I learned quickly that music festivals, while they may include all that, are a little different.
People gather on grounds that have been seasoned like cast iron pans – years of connection, freeform dance and music magic baked into the soil. Music festivals are like concerts, but better in that when the show ends, you don’t need to go home. Instead, you pull out guitars, wade in the collective stream of consciousness and join hands in these little pockets of creativity, that on the surface, look like jams, but feel more like rituals.
After that first music festival at fourteen, I was hooked. Every year, I made the trip to any festival I could scrounge up the money for. As my passion grew, I started learning what it was that I craved most, and became choosier when it came to which festivals I’d seek out.
In July of 2025, I attended my second Four Winds Music Festival and was, once again, rewarded with my choice to do so. There’s only so much you can do when it comes to creating an atmosphere. There’s no formula that ensures success in the vibe department, but whatever the folks at Four winds Music festival are doing, I hope they keep doing it.
Many of the festivals I tend to avoid nowadays have common denominators like inflated ticket prices, unapproachable headliners with triple generators running their busses and an overall sense that the festival is more of a business than a festival. Four Winds is none of the above.
Set and setting are everything, and from the moment you pull through the tree-lined single-road drive and you’re greeted by smiling volunteers as they check your tickets and give advice on their favourite on-site food truck, the experience begins.
The choice to host a music festival in a space like the Riverstone Eco Retreat speaks to the intentions of the organizers. From the forested surroundings and the flourishing gardens to the farmhouses and the flowing river, it feels like entering a different world for the weekend.
After parking my car and changing into much shorter shorts to match the warmth of the day, I strolled through the woods, making my way to the main stage powered by local pros Cass Audio. With a crisp pale ale, I chatted with local vendor Nancy Knight, who was running a booth of locally-made clothing and accessories, with her husband Ryan and son Ollie.
When the Conor Gains Band took the stage, the energy in the crowd was dynamic. Some swayed, danced, cheered, while others quietly engaged from their comfy throw blankets or camp chair lawn spots.
This, to me, is some of the magic of a music festival like Four Winds. Because of depth of flavour in the artistic lineup, the range of activities and the setting, festival-goers are free to enjoy the festivities at their own pace. It’s this collective experience where everybody has the ability to enjoy it on their terms.
Later, standing with my feet in the Saugeen River, chatting to Ian James Bain from Jeremie Albino’s band, I was struck by the balance this festival creates amongst attendees and performers. Musicians roam freely through the grounds, some grabbing ice cream and catching up; others take advantage of the unlimited cooling powers of the five minute river float.
Here, the separation between artists and fans is minimal and it works. Four Winds Music Festival feels like hanging out at a weekend-long woodsy extravaganza, where top-tier Canadian artists just happen to be performing. There’s no pretentiousness, no agenda, no stress.
It’s the kind of place where artists can be themselves, where fans and headliners can jam around campfires at night, where you can witness world class performers from the comfort of a rural setting while you eat the best jerk chicken sandwich you’ve ever had, before wandering through the woods or taking a nap at your campsite.
By late afternoon I was floating in the cool water as it washed over me when I was reminded that My Son The Hurricane was about to go on. On account of the welcoming atmosphere, I was unbothered by my wet swim trunks and towel as I rushed over to catch the kind of horn-laden electric performance that had everybody in the field moving.
After the performance, I wandered around, running into familiar face after familiar face, feeling the positive effects of community while listening to Jeremie Albino and his band bring their tried-and-true blend of rock n’ rollicana to the gazebo stage while the entire festival audience wrapped around them in a c-formation to take in yet another glimmering example of Canadian music. As they played, the setting sun punctuated the day.
Great music can happen anywhere, but when the setting puts people in a place of peace, there’s a lot more engagement, creation and overall happiness that flows freely. Four Winds Music Festival does what a music festival should. It brings people together in a place and fashion that puts us at ease, connects audiences and artists and shuts the world out for a couple days. Get yourself to this year’s festival happening July 10 – 12 at Riverstone Eco Retreat.
Find this year’s Four Winds lineup and tickets at fourwindsmusicfest.com and on socials @fourwindsmusicfest
Written by Marshall Veroni
