It’s that time of year when festivals abound. And while there are some truly fabulous sights and sounds to behold, there are some that make it difficult to imagine people subjecting themselves to 30C windless heat and cloudless skies for, but that’s just me.

Of course, there really is something for everyone: for every outdoor fest there is an indoor one; for every fest during the day, there is one at night. And, regardless of where you are in Alberta, there’s sure to be something within driving distance.

This month, we’ve got the word on some festivals that have passed, some that are sneaking up awful quick, and some that might require a little planning. We’ve got festivals that aren’t normally associated with metal, some that are, and none that aren’t. How wicked is that?

What else is wicked is this wonderful artist we’re trying out this month. And by “trying” I mean hoping that he’ll grace this page with his pen again next month. A shout out goes to Calgary tattoo artist Colin Millar for your mad illustration skills!

Until next time, here’s a few of the festivals and festival related hard rock and/or metalvals headed our way. If you hear of anymore, or have any further details we can add into the Alberta Bullet, let us know. And before you say anything, yes, we have included Virgin Festival for the musicians among us who grew up on grunge and plaid and still can’t go camping without or beloved Doc Martens.

08/07-08/08 –Metalfest 2009 – Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
08/08 – Virgin Festival – Calgary, AB
08/12 – Vans Warped Tour – Race City Speedway – Calgary, AB
08/14-08/15 – Unrestfest – Edmonton, AB
08/15 – Mountain Metal Fest – Hinton, AB
08/15 – Alberta Bound Tattoo and Arts Festival After-Party – The Distillery – Calgary, AB
08/21-08/22 – PineStock – Pine Lake, AB
09/04-09/06 – Dethfest – Lethbridge, AB
09/04-09/06 – Harvesting Hell – Bent River Ranch – Drayton Valley, AB
10/02-10/03 – Noctis III Metal Festival – The Distillery and MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB

Under a tree a listening to tunes,