Bass Coast Invites You to Bloom With This Year's Theme

This year’s theme for Bass Coast will fuse creativity and the natural world in an ephemeral ‘Avant Garden.’

Bass Coast has become known throughout North America as one of the top independent music festivals and is looked to as a tastemaking influence in electronic music. If you’re lucky enough to be in attendance at the sold-out edition this year in Merritt, British Columbia on July 7-10, you will be experiencing an unprecedented range of world-class dance music.

While honoring its bass-music moniker with standouts like CloZee, Eprom, Skeptical, and Tim Parker, the BC curators will also be providing a snapshot of what’s exciting in electronic music overall. Fan favorites from the other side of the musical coin will include Justin Martin, Paul Woolford, and The Funk Hunters. Beyond the sonic feast of headlining acts, attendees can also look forward to a stellar lineup of developing and up-and-coming acts sure to whet your appetite for new musical tastes.

Not sure who to catch at Bass Coast 2023? Check out our article outlining six sets that can’t be missed!

Beyond the music, each edition of Bass Coast embodies a unique new theme. Past years have ranged from the more literal, like “Gold” and “Zebra,” to the abstract, like “Mutiny” and “Duality.” A common thread throughout each theme has been it always plays a critical role in providing creative direction to every facet of the experience. This includes elements like the environmental design, art installations, and choice of performing artists, but more importantly, it also provides a forum for the astounding nature of Bass Coast’s community participation. This year, Bass Coast will play delightful host to an ephemeral bloom of avante garde creativity, or what one might call an “Avant Garden.”

“Avant Garden unites two defining elements of the Bass Coast experience: innovative art and the beauty of nature..As a theme, Avant Garden challenges participants to interact with the festival through fashion and art using elements found in nature in uncommon ways.”
– Liz Thomson, Co-Founder and Creative Director

At Bass Coast 2023, attendees are invited to participate in the “Avant Garden” theme through fashion, idea sharing, and on-site interactions. The driving idea behind the theme this year is that festivalgoers should feel empowered to embrace do-it-yourself forms of fashion and expression to create their own floral fantasy – after all, any flower has the power to “bloom” in nature.

This year’s gathering of big-hearted dance music aficionados is right around the corner, and we can’t wait to frolic in the Avant Garden! Whether you want to come as an over-the-top ornately decorated flower or simply pluck a flower from the wild and place it in your hair, anyone can take part. Looking for more guidance? Examples of some potential ‘inspo’ looks can be found on the Bass Coast website.