Have you ever gone to Banter or driven past Jubilee Park on a Thursday night in July and wondered, “What are all these people doing here?” The large crowds, booths, and food trucks are all part of Jam in Jubilee, an annual music festival hosted by the Abbotsford Arts Council, showcasing up-and-coming artists from the Lower Fraser Valley. Established in 2010, Jam in Jubilee is dedicated to encouraging emerging musicians throughout the early stages of their careers, giving them a space to perform for their home crowd. Every Thursday in July, a stage is set in Jubilee Park, with food trucks and vendors set up to accompany the event as well. Starting at 7 p.m., people bring lawn chairs and blankets to listen to the music.
The Cascade was able to chat with Stephen Munga, the music director of CIVL radio station and talent booker for Jam in Jubilee. Munga also hosts CIVL’s Earshot 20 countdown. What he likes about working Jam in Jubilee is the ability to bring as much “diversity to the line-up” as possible, which is evident in this year’s festival, which included music from soulful folk artists to R&B singers. The goal is to bring as much new music to Abbotsford as possible, and from different cultures and countries too.
“??I feel like we needed something else and what I really appreciated was, because my ethnicity is Congolese, being able to bring different countries from Africa to Jam in Jubilee … And to see people getting up and dancing, that to me is a win,” Munga said. With the crowd either bobbing their heads along to the music or dancing near the stage, he’s doing a good job of bringing together some entertaining artists.
But, in Munga’s eyes, there’s still room for the music festival to grow.
“It’d be nice to pack out the park every week,” the radio host said when asked about the future of the festival. “It’d be nice to have surrounding communities like Mission, Langley, Surrey, come out and also be a part of this.” Munga remarked that a lot of the Fraser Valley tend to make their way over to Surrey and Langley for their music festivals, and said how encouraging it would be to see the roles reversed, putting Abbotsford in the same spotlight when it comes to the music scene here.
However, with growth comes more work. Munga emphasized how it takes a village to put together the festival. All the people at the Abbotsford Arts Council and the volunteers who worked the festival are the ones who make it all worthwhile; everyone “really cares about the community and wants dope stuff to happen.” There are always more volunteers needed, which Munga also emphasized.
“We’re always looking for people to come help us out… if you feel pushed and you’re passionate about supporting local and pushing for the community that you live in, then hit us up anytime.”
For the aspiring musicians looking to get discovered, Munga had advice for you, too: “Use the resources that are out there.” Going viral on social media platforms has been a quick way to gain a following and a rise to fame. Or if you are looking for a more traditional way of getting out there, “Reach out to one of your local radio stations — here at CIVL, but if you’re in Vancouver, CITR, SFU has their radio station, right? There’s a bunch of radio stations throughout the Valley that you can reach out to and get your music played, or come in and do live performances.” Most importantly, stay consistent with making music; maybe we’ll see you playing on stage at Jam in Jubilee.
