About
It was way back in 1979 when organizers of the very first Frostbite Music Festival had the crazy idea of bringing musicians up to the Yukon in the dead of winter. Now, 32 years later, Frostbite can lay claim to having brought some of the most exciting acts way north of 60. From Parachute Club to Ani Difranco, Skinny Puppy to the Rheostatics, Frostbite knows that the music has to be piping hot to sear through the darkest depths of winter.
The society
The Frostbite Music Society is made up of a board of directors and a loyal membership. Throughout the fall and winter board members meet weekly at the society’s cozy digs in Shipyards Park. Formerly the house of Harry “Shorty” Chambers, this modest, two-story log cabin was moved and then renovated almost entirely by Frostbite volunteers.
The volunteers
It may sound cliché, but it’s true: Frostbite would not be around if it weren’t for its volunteers. Over the course of a festival weekend, over 150 volunteers can be seen slinging beer, hawking t-shirts, cooking up feasts, sorting the cardboard from the plastic, shuttling musicians to and fro… and that’s just skimming the surface. Frostbite volunteers work hard, play hard and deserve credit for making the festival what it is.
The weekend
Held at Yukon College and the Yukon Arts Centre, which are side by side, the festival weekend usually gets underway by 7 pm on Friday night. There are four stages: the college gym, the Café Dégelé, the Woodshed and the main stage at the Arts Centre. Workshops occur during the day featuring groupings of musicians according to a genre or instrument. Concerts happen at night.
