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…and many more!!!! Wow!

Every year Sappyfest is an act of collective dreaming, a seemingly impossible gathering of potentials and possibilities, and this 20th annual iteration was truly something special. From the very brim of our overflowing hearts, thank you for an incredible weekend, thank you for your brilliant art, thank you for your dedicated and intentional participation in creating this space, your volunteering, your mustering of staggering communal energies of care and kindness and creativity.We know it, we see it, and still it’s always the best and most impossible surprise. It is ever-new.

Thank you for being here, together. All of this: this is you!

Sappy birthday dear Sappy!

Video of Julianna Riolino, Sappyfest 20, Saturday August 2

Filmed by Blaise MacMullin

Sappyfest 20
August 1-3, 2025
Sackville NB

The Sappy Street Market brings together food trucks, snack sellers, craft and clothing makers, and unique performers in a site of sustenance and wonder just steps from the main stage tent! 

Interested in vending? Apply now through the link in the bio! 

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Le Marché de Rue Sappy rassemble des camions restaurants, des vendeurs de collations, vêtements et produits artisanaux, et des performeurs uniques dans un grand site de magie et de merveille à quelques pas de la tente principale du festival! 

Intéressé d’y vendre vos biens? Postulez dès aujourd’hui en cliquant le lien dans notre bio!

The Sappy Street Market brings together food trucks, snack sellers, craft and clothing makers, and unique performers in a site of sustenance and wonder just steps from the main stage tent! 

Interested in vending? Apply now through the link in the bio! 

—————

Le Marché de Rue Sappy rassemble des camions restaurants, des vendeurs de collations, vêtements et produits artisanaux, et des performeurs uniques dans un grand site de magie et de merveille à quelques pas de la tente principale du festival! 

Intéressé d’y vendre vos biens? Postulez dès aujourd’hui en cliquant le lien dans notre bio!

We are terribly saddened to hear about the passing of cellist / composer Cris Derkson on May 17. Our profound condolences to her family, friends, community, collaborators, and everyone who admired her as an artist and musician.

Photograph from Sappyfest 2018 by @matt_horseman

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

Are you interested in doing something really cool from July 31st - August 2nd? Do you want to support arts in Atlantic Canada? Come volunteer with Sappyfest, Sackville’s biggest music and arts festival. We’re approaching our 21st anniversary but need your help to make it happen! Visit www.sappyfest.com or send me an email at festivaloperations@sappyfest.com. You get free passes if you do!

See you there!

(Sorry for the wind sounds in the video! It’s windy in Sackville!)

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: BE A PART OF SAPPYFEST! / APPEL À BÉNÉVOLES: FAITES PARTIE DE SAPPYFEST!

Sappyfest is Sackville’s annual festival of music, art, and human creativity. It is the expression of a creative community -and it takes a community to make sure everything runs smoothly and safely, and to create the conditions for connection, magic, and surprise!

We do this together!

There are lots of volunteer roles to choose from and you can specify your availability to suit your needs. The volunteer call is open for all-ages, with youth opportunities available in certain roles. 

Volunteer for Sappyfest:
1 - Sign up with the Volunteer Form linked in the bio
2 - Get free passes to Sappyfest!

——————-

Sappyfest est le festival annuel de musique, d’art, et de créativité humaine. C’est l’expression d’une communauté créative - et ça prend une communauté pour assurer que tout se déroule de manière fluide et sécuritaire. Aidez-nous à créer un environment pour la connexion, la magie, et la surprise!

Il y a plusieurs rôles différents que vous pouvez choisir et vous pouvez préciser votre disponibilité selon ce qui vous convient. Cet appel est ouvert à tous les âges, avec des opportunités pour les jeunes dans certains postes. 

On fait ça ensemble! 

Faites du bénévolat pour Sappyfest:
1 - Inscrivez-vous avec le Formulaire Bénévolat dans notre bio
2 - Obtenez des passes gratuites à Sappyfest

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: BE A PART OF SAPPYFEST! / APPEL À BÉNÉVOLES: FAITES PARTIE DE SAPPYFEST!

Sappyfest is Sackville’s annual festival of music, art, and human creativity. It is the expression of a creative community -and it takes a community to make sure everything runs smoothly and safely, and to create the conditions for connection, magic, and surprise!

We do this together!

There are lots of volunteer roles to choose from and you can specify your availability to suit your needs. The volunteer call is open for all-ages, with youth opportunities available in certain roles. 

Volunteer for Sappyfest:
1 - Sign up with the Volunteer Form linked in the bio
2 - Get free passes to Sappyfest!

——————-

Sappyfest est le festival annuel de musique, d’art, et de créativité humaine. C’est l’expression d’une communauté créative - et ça prend une communauté pour assurer que tout se déroule de manière fluide et sécuritaire. Aidez-nous à créer un environment pour la connexion, la magie, et la surprise!

Il y a plusieurs rôles différents que vous pouvez choisir et vous pouvez préciser votre disponibilité selon ce qui vous convient. Cet appel est ouvert à tous les âges, avec des opportunités pour les jeunes dans certains postes. 

On fait ça ensemble! 

Faites du bénévolat pour Sappyfest:
1 - Inscrivez-vous avec le Formulaire Bénévolat dans notre bio
2 - Obtenez des passes gratuites à Sappyfest

It’s everyone’s favourite time of year!(?)

The Sappyfest AGM will occur (online) on May 20th! RSVP via the email in the slide!

And a reminder: if you are interested in joining the board please fill out the form in our bio links!

Huge shoutout to the community of members who caretake and maintain the heart and independent spirit of Sappyfest after all these years!

STEVE HALEY is a story-songer of the highest order and a beloved member of Sackville, NB’s thriving creative community. His recent album Secret Knock reflects on mortality, anxiety, religion, and the mundanity of domestic living - it’s spinning on every turntable in town!

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NB

GREEN EYES, WITCH HANDS is a folktronica band from the renowned folktronica hotspot of Bathurst, New Brunswick, known for pairing acoustic guitars with crisp, crunchy beats. They mix natural, unplugged sounds with innovative electronic layers.They shift easily in tone, moving from songs that feel serious or slightly unsettling to moments that are unexpectedly light and humorous. Their lyrics offer impression rather than direct narratives, giving listeners room to find their own connections.

Connect with Green Eyes, Witch Hands at Sappyfest!

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NB

Writhe to the euphoric hardcore of HRT at Sappyfest!

Sparked in 2018, Ana Westcott and Kirby Lees make up the transgirl duo of ur dreams. Born and based in the gurgling musical bellies of Montreal, seaborne sirens by way of their Maritime & Atlantic roots, HRT’s electronic sound is forever changing shape. Lees’ piercing gaze and voice cut above the noise, while Westcott nods, wielding the pulsing controls and skittering synths. Their latest work, warm wet stroke of luck, bottles the feeling live from the floor — the sticky, sweaty, the loud, the sheer bodies crashing into each other. HRT leaves not one crossed arm in the house, not one person undanced, not one person uptight. Take your medicine.

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NB

A little older, a little bolder, a little wiser, this summer BOYHOOD returns to Sappyfest!

When Caylie Runciman started calling herself Boyhood, it was a nod to childhood nostalgia. The alias – and the beguiling bedroom anthems – are one and the same. Tough-kid guitar grit and deadpan verses give way to whimsical synth lines and delicate harmonies. But like an off-kilter merry-go-round, or a candy shop in a seedy part of town, there’s a shady layer to Runciman’s perfect pop. Her black magic is raw – equal parts ecstasy and heartbreak. And in among the bright colours, there’s the joy and the pain in knowing what it means to grow up.

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NB

BIBI CLUB: The Montreal-based indie pop duo of Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque have been carving out distinct vibrations since their formation in the late 2010s, operating in the midst of the direct action and sonic intimacy that has defined their creative process from the very beginning. As young musicians, Adèle and Nicolas shared remarkably similar backgrounds: both grew up in Montreal, earning their musical chops playing classic rock with local bands before training in jazz. They studied music in school, and both fell in love with the arts of both composition and improvisation. This led Nicolas into the Canadian indie-rock band Plants and Animals, while it led Adèle into a singing career of her own. The pair met when Adèle joined Plants and Animals on tour as a vocalist, and they quickly realized they had shared musical affinities. Although they were each committed to their work with Plants and Animals, they had also begun developing musical ideas independently, finding a mutual outlet for these creations through their budding friendship.

Sappyfest celebrates friendship! Welcome Bibi Club!

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NB

ELIZA NIEMI is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and film composer from Toronto. Her lyric-driven, uniquely-arranged music has been described as “slice of life” and “ASMR pop.” Before she became a cellist and vocalist, her father taught her the basics of bass and guitar at home. They would play together by ear, which fostered her deep musicality and a creative ethic that prioritizes joyful collaboration. Collaboration has always been at the centre of her practice — whether it be in improvising, playing in her friends’ bands (Dorothea Paas, André Ethier, Little Kid, Evan J Cartwright), or running her label Vain Mina Records - or performing at artist-run, community-grounded festivals like Sappyfest!

Sappyfest
July 31 - August 2, 2026
Sackville, NBc