Fireside takes over BNA

Photo: Fireside Sessions

Wild Son performs at Fireside Sessions in 2016.

Fireside Sessions will take over BNA Brewing for the second year in a row Sunday, but it's the fourth year the local one-day music festival has been held.

The brainchild of Aaron DeSilva, bassist for Kelowna's Wild Son and DJ under the name Deepsounds, Fireside Sessions began in 2014 as a gathering of friends at his home off Lakeshore Drive.

Growing in popularity year-by-year, DeSilva has sold out of the 170 tickets well in advance for the second year in a row.

“People love it,” DeSilva said. “Especially in a city where everyone always waits until the last minute, it's pretty cool.”

The shows begin at 2 p.m. and run until about midnight. In total, 13 bands from all over Western Canada will take the stage throughout the day.

DeSilva's Wild Son's set begins at 7:20, followed by Vancouver's JP Maurice at 8:10, and Kelowna's own Windmills at 9:00. Victoria's Kytami closes out the show, hitting the stage at 11.

A full list of performers can be found here.

“The caliber of the musicians locally is really good and I feel like with the set times being quite short, you get all the best of each artist,” DeSilva said.

While the location remains the same as last year, DeSilva has hired the talents of a full production team this year to properly control lighting and other visuals.

“The team has grown,” he said. “I'm overseeing everything rather than doing everything myself.

He's also hired a magician.

The event has partnered with downtown Kelowna's Hotel Zed as well, where the afterparty is being held. Only those attending the show will be staying at the hotel that night, and DJs Kris Falco, Romo and Mr. M will be playing there.

While still ensuring the 2017 show goes off without a hitch, DeSilva has his eyes set on the future.

“I want it to be a big Kelowna tourism thing where it's an outdoor event,” he said. “I want it as a weekend thing instead of just one day.

“I've been thinking about different venues for it to be outside and just logistically how that would work.”

DeSilva says he knows the $40 tickets are more than some people would normally spend to get into a bar in Kelowna, so he's meticulous about making sure it's worth it.

“It's hundreds of hours of my own time to manifest this,” he said. “I don't want any gaps, or issues or flaws ... I want to make sure they feel like there's a lot of value to the ticket.”

For those who missed out on grabbing an advance ticket, there will be a limited amount of tickets at the door that will go on sale at 1:45.