Known for its unique venue, Forest Echoes takes place on Thorne’s own family property. In addition to its lively performers, the event’s vast 20 acres highlights its emphasis on nature by allowing guests to camp overnight with the purchase of a weekend festival pass. When asked what will make this year’s festival stand out from previous years, Thorne shared that the event has a few new inclusions this year.
“We love doing the lit up forest paths thing, and so we’re doing more of that this year. We’ve got a couple new trails, a bridge, and stuff over our creek, so that’s gonna be a nice addition.”
The festival will feature local bands of varying genres including Uncle Strut from Vancouver, Goldsauce from the Okanagan, and Like Bears from Chilliwack. Thorne shared that guests can expect to hear almost everything at the festival, including punk, rock, folk, blues, and especially indie music.
“We’ve got some really cool new artists this year that we’re kind of reaching out a little further for, that I think are really going to bring some unique energy this year.”
Forest Echoes was born from a moving experience Thorne had at the Kaslo Jazz Etc Summer Music Festival in 2017. When asked how the Kaslo Festival helped shape Forest Echoes, Thorne shared that he was inspired by the unique sense of community fostered at music festivals.
“I was really knocked out by how close everybody felt to each other, even though we were all strangers, and that feeling of acceptance and togetherness … Doing something like this is a way to bring people together and create a cool little community and celebrate music and nature. And then I had access to the property, so it was a no brainer for me.”
Thorne described the relationship between music and nature as a spiritual experience.
“I think music is very intuitive and it comes from our spirit, and if we are a part of nature like I like to think we are, then music is coming from nature in a way. And I really just think bringing those two things together, we’re just appreciating what it means to be human and be alive.”
Thorne further shared that growing up on his parents’ property highlighted for him the surreal experience of playing music in outdoor spaces.
“It was just the best thing ever to be able to play music outside and in a space like that, and I just knew I had to share that with other people and make the forest echo.”
When asked about any challenges that the festival has encountered, Thorne explained that the biggest has been balancing its budget.
“We’d like to make a little bit of money off it so we can put more into the infrastructure of it, but right now we’re kind of just breaking even. Hopefully we can maybe turn a little bit of profit and put it back into the fest.”
Thorne further shared that a common obstacle for attendees is parking, suggesting that guests arrive as early as they can to ensure they find a good spot.
“The later you come, the further down you’ll have to park. So I recommend people coming early and just being aware of the parking situation. But we do have parking attendants on and they’ll help you get situated.”
The Forest Echoes Music Festival will run from June 27-28, 2025 on Edmeston Road in Cultus Lake, B.C.
“The people there are just absolutely the best. You’re not going to have a bad time. You’re going to meet a lot of cool new people, and you’re going to feel like you’re part of a family, and the music is kick ass.”
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
