After two years away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Festival returns to Laketown Ranch Music Park at Lake Cowichan June 17 to 19.

The lineup is almost entirely Canadian and includes Juno winners Pharis and Jason Romero; bluegrass/old-time stalwarts The Lonesome Ace Stringband; Toronto's The Barrel Boys; Vancouver traditional bluegrass purists The Lonesome Town Painters; the new pan-Canadian band Happy Trails, Prospector; singer-songwriter Eli West; Country Squall; Old Paint; Tammy Fassaert; Ella Korth; local country rockabilly duo Slim Sandy and the festival's signature Saturday night square dance with caller Paul Silveria. More artists to be announced.

New on site this year is a small chapel for intimate concerts and workshops; larger jam tents; mid-campground water and sanitation stations, and a festival kitchen with healthy options.

Workshops and mini-concerts include:

• Fiddle Frenzy with John Showman, Patrick M'Gonigle, Nathan Smith and Miriam Sonstenes
• The Grass Ceiling: Women in Bluegrass with Pharis Romero and Tammy Fassaert
• Sugar in the Gourd: Banjo with Jason Romero, Eli West and Chris Coole
• Bluegrass Karaoke, where you can get up a sing with one of the festival's headliners as a backing band
• Anytime is Old-time
• plus a post-bluegrass acoustic Country/Rockabilly session.

If that wasn't enough, there is jamming in the campground all weekend long, and the guitar raffle is back,.

For an additional one-night camping fee you can arrive early on Thursday and pick with The Barrel Boys as campgound jam hosts.

Come out to play (or listen) to the jamming circle which starts at 7:00 pm. Bring a chair, a small donation (suggest $2), an instrument if you play and let's have a great time.

Things to note:

• There are no washrooms
• Bring your own chairs
• Please adhere to the start and finish times
• Do your best to carpool to the site
• Acoustic instruments only (no amplification)
• Be familiar with Jam etiquette.

The Island's longest-running Bluegrass Festival is both relieved and excited to return to its normal place, time, and format.

The lineup includes: Lester, Swain, Hernandez & Cobb (Vancouver Island); Scout Mountain (Powell River); Story House (Vancouver); BackSpin (Vancouver); All In Good Time (Langley); BackPorch Banjo (Coombs); Branch 11, Coombs Old Time Fiddlers (Coombs)

Early Camping: Saturday July 23 until Friday July 29 at 10am.
Festival Camping: Friday July 29 10am until Monday August 01 noon.
Post-Festival Camping: Monday August 01 noon through Aug 07.