The Hillside Festival is an annual three-day, five-stage summer festival occurring in Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 hosting musicians, spoken word artists, workshops and more. The Hillside Festival occurs in late July on Guelph Lake

Guelph Lake

Guelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake dam...

 Island.

History

Hillside's first festival was on Saturday, 14 July 1984. The festival location moved from a proposed Hillside farm site to the Riverside Park Bandshell at the last minute. Admission was free and donations were taken. The Hillside Program was a single sheet photocopy folded in half, stating the event was an "11 hour music celebration for all ages Noon-11".

In 1985, fees were charged for the first time. The cost was only $5 advance, $6 at the gate, $4 unwaged. The event was held the same day as the Live Aid

Live Aid

Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...

. The Guelph Food Co-op helped provide food to Hillside. The seven-act line-up included Common Ground, Tamarack, magician Tom Kubinek, The Reverbs, James Gordon

James Gordon (Canadian musician)

James Gordon is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known as a founding member of Tamarack. He has also released more than 20 solo albums. As a prolific songwriter, he is known for such diverse songs as "Sweaters for Penguins" and "Frobisher Bay". He wrote the weekly song for the CBC Radio program...

 and Aleod. All of the artists performed for free.

The Hillside of 1986 was billed as an event with "small town integrity" and included homegrown musical talent, craft displays, and wholesome foods. The one-day event began at 2pm so people had extra time to get organized. Workshops include topics like kayaking

Kayaking

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...

, angling

Angling

Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...

 and kite flying on the banks of the Speed River

Speed River

The Speed River is a river that flows through Wellington County and the Region of Waterloo in western Ontario, Canada. It flows south from its source near Orton, through Guelph, where it is joined by the Eramosa River, then through the towns of Hespeler and Preston, finally uniting with the Grand...

.
In 1987, The Hillside Festival moved to Guelph Lake

Guelph Lake

Guelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake dam...

 Island and expanded from a one day event to a three-day event, with multiple stages, bands, and booths. With the move to Guelph Lake, camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

 became part of the experience. Festival goers could also catch a bus from downtown Guelph for the first time (rides cost $1 each way). The first beer tent was also added to the festival. With 110 volunteers, Hillside was incorporated

Incorporation (business)

Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...

 as a non-profit group with a Board of Directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

, and the festival joined the Ontario Coalition of Folk Festivals.

In 1988 the festival celebrated its fifth anniversary, and gained increase support from the City of Guelph, who supplied blue box

Blue box

An early phreaking tool, the blue box is an electronic device that simulates a telephone operator's dialing console. It functioned by replicating the tones used to switch long-distance calls and using them to route the user's own call, bypassing the normal switching mechanism...

es for cans, glass and newsprint to make the festival environmentally responsible. The County of Wellington now supplies the Festival with recycling bins.

Hillside is labeled one of the reasons why Guelph is one of the "Top ten places to live in Canada" in 1989.http://insideguelph.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/history-of-hillside/ The first Ontario Arts Council

Ontario Arts Council

The Ontario Arts Council is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to promote and assist the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of all Ontarians...

 Grant and first City of Guelph Grant were given to the festival this year. Guelph Lake Park also improved the water and electrical services to the island. Hillside membership was only $15.

The first sold-out Saturday night of Hillside happened in 1990. The Hillside Community Quilt, which was quilted during the festival, was raffled off on site. The first map of how to get to Guelph Lake from out of town was also launched this year.

Poets were added in 1991 as well as putting the names in a hat and draw to see who plays together nicknamed "hat bands". This was also the first time Hillside had something called the "Free for All" after the last performance (on Sunday). This was a chance for festival-goers to share thoughts and ideas about the event.

In 1992, the lineup of bands become notably larger. The Main Stage featured "drumming in Hillside at 11am on Saturday and Sunday". The current Hillside logo was created this year. The Solar Stage (Tree Stage) supplied by the Energy Action Council was now being run on solar power

Solar power

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...

. The Body, Mind and Spirit tent offers workshops.

Hillside celebrates its tenth year (1993) by adding an Environmental Expo. A Youth Committee, open to 16-to-20 year olds, is formed. They call themselves the "Tofu Love-Punx".

In 1994, the tickets include admission to the GRCA/Guelph Lake for the first time. There were over 400 volunteers—a large increase from previous years. The program included food vendor menus. Youth bands chosen by peers perform short sets on the Main Stage for first time.

Bike lock-up and minor repairs were offered by Speed River Bicycle in 1995. The price of pass was early birds $35, advance $45. The festival had 450 volunteers and a $200,000.00 budget. This was also the first year the Hillside survey was done to get feedback from patrons and volunteers on the festival.

Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar (magazine)

Acoustic Guitar is a monthly magazine published in the United States since July/August 1990 by String Letter Publishing. The magazine offers information related to acoustic guitars for players of all levels from beginners to teachers. Each issue includes a half dozen or so songs with notation and...

ranked Hillside as one of the top 25 festivals of North America in 1996 (with one of the smallest budgets in the business). Hillside added a Watermelon-eating contest and Waste Management, Inc. implements Guelph's "Wet/Dry" recycling

Recycling

Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...

 program on the festival grounds.

In 1997, fashion policeman O.J. Anderson walked around the Hillside site and handed out hilarious citations.http://insideguelph.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/history-of-hillside/ Spoken word and hand drumming were in the program and a locksmith was on site in case keys were locked in a car.

A website was launched in 1998. The cost for access to festival was early birds $45, advance $55, and $65 at the gate. There were over 500 volunteers and over 40 acts.

The Aboriginal Circle was launched in 1999. The Evergreen Seniors Centre and Guelph-Wellington Seniors Association celebrated the "International Year of Older Persons

International Year of Older Persons

In its Proclamation on Aging, the United Nations General Assembly decided to declare 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons. The proclamation was launched on 1 October 1998, the International Day of Older Persons, by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Dr. Gunhild O...

" by being at Hillside. A major thunderstorm shut down the Main Stage, forcing organizers to reschedule all Main Stage acts onto the Island Stage and the Lake Stage.

In 2000, the Hillside CD was released. It features a "musical snapshot" of live tracks from the 1999 festival. The Hillside t-shirt

T-shirt

A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....

 is unveiled and was made in Ontario from 100% organic cotton. The Hillside Youth Committee got a tent to relax in for first time. There were over 800 volunteers.

In 2001, performer's merchandise is housed in a separate booth due to "unprecedented traffic and sales last year". First year for the hand drum check (a lockup area).

Phase I of the permanent Hillside Community Stage is completed in 2002. All the weekend passes sold out this year and the number of volunteers reached over 1,000.

The twentieth anniversary was celebrated in 2003 with a year-round "Hillside presents…" events in the community. The Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...

 return to Hillside (they first played in 1991) to inaugurate the new Hillside Community Stage in a "Raise the Roof" fundraiser. The roof went up on the stage as well. Ticket became available online.

From 2004 to the present, the festival has grown even more with more bands, booths and activities.

In 2008 Hillside started a second annual festival—Hillside Inside, which takes place at the Sleeman Centre in downtown Guelph in February. It is a ten-hour indoor music festival featuring some of the same values at the summer festival. The event was run again in 2009.

List of past performers

Notable performers who have played at Hillside include:

• The Acorn
  The Acorn
  The Acorn is a Canadian indie folk band from Ottawa, Ontario, formed in 2003. Their songs have charted on Canadian campus charts and have been in rotation on CBC Radio 3 and The Verge....
  
   (2008, 2010)
• Arkells
  Arkells
  Arkells are a Canadian rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, the label for other Canadian acts such as City and Colour, Attack In Black, Alexisonfire, and Tokyo Police Club.-Band history:...
  
   (2009, Inside 2011)
• Akron/Family
  Akron/Family
  Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and its members currently live in Portland, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.-Music and history:...
  
   (2008)
• Arcade Fire (2004, 2005)
• Joseph Arthur
  Joseph Arthur
  Joseph Arthur is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. Combining poetic lyrics with a layered sonic palette, Arthur has built his reputation over the years through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring; his unique solo live performances incorporate the use of a...
  
   (2008)
• Barenaked Ladies
  Barenaked Ladies
  Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
  
   (1989)
• Basia Bulat
  Basia Bulat
  - External links :*...
  
   (2007, 2010)
• Be Good Tanyas (2005)
• Bedouin Soundclash
  Bedouin Soundclash
  Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...
  
   (inside 2009)
• Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
  Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
  The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir were a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in 1985 in Toronto, Ontario. Their R&B-flavoured rock made them a mainstay on Canadian campus radio in the early 1990s, but the band never quite broke through to the mainstream....
  
   (2008)
• Broken Social Scene
  Broken Social Scene
  Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
  
   (2003, 2005, 2008)
• The Emerald City (2010)
• Buck 65
  Buck 65
  Richard Terfry , who uses the stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian experimental artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences.Terfry is also a radio host,...
  
   (2003, 2005)
• Burning Spear
  Burning Spear
  Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
  
   (2000)
• By Divine Right
  By Divine Right
  By Divine Right is a Canadian indie rock band, led by guitarist and vocalist José Miguel Contreras.-History:The band was formed in 1989 by high school friends Contreras, drummer Mark Goldstein, bassist Liz Teear and guitarist Steve Berman. They put out a number of independent releases before...
  
   (2002)
• Cadence Weapon
  Cadence Weapon
  Cadence Weapon is the stage name of Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian rapper.-Biography:Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, his father was Teddy Pemberton, a pioneering hip hop DJ on CJSR-FM, and his grandfather was Rollie Miles, a football player for the Edmonton Eskimos...
  
  
• Calexico (2010)
• The Canned Goods (2010)
• Neko Case
  Neko Case
  Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
  
   (2002)
• City and Colour
  City and Colour
  City and Colour is the recording alias for Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, who was also the guitarist and vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He plays melodic acoustic and folk music and is often accompanied by a rotating number of Canadian indie rock...
  
   (Dallas Green) (Inside 2007)
• Bruce Cockburn
  Bruce Cockburn
  Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
  
   (1998)
• Jason Collett
  Jason Collett
  Jason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums, and is a member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, Rat a Tat Tat, was released in March, 2010.-Early life:...
  
   (2008, 2010)
• Constantines
  Constantines
  -History:The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder...
  
   (2001, 2002, 2006)
• Cowboy Junkies
  Cowboy Junkies
  Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
  
   (2008)
• Cuff the Duke
  Cuff the Duke
  Cuff the Duke is a Canadian band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional country and folk music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an alt-country group.-History:...
  
   (2003, 2005, 2006)
• The Dears
  The Dears
  -History:The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance...
  
   (2003, 2007)
• Ani DiFranco
  Ani DiFranco
  Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
  
   (2007)
• Julie Doiron
  Julie Doiron
  Julie Doiron is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage.-Background:Doiron started playing guitar in Eric's Trip at the age of eighteen, having joined the band at the insistence of her then-boyfriend, Rick White, also of Eric's Trip...
  
   (2001, 2009)
• Gord Downie (2001, 2010)
• Feist
  Leslie Feist
  Leslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene....
  
   (2000, 2006)
• Final Fantasy
  Owen Pallett
  Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
  
   (2006, 2009)
• Sarah Harmer
  Sarah Harmer
  Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
  
   (2003, 2006, 2010, Inside 2011)
• Hawksley Workman
  Hawksley Workman
  Ryan Corrigan , better known by the stage name Hawksley Workman, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full length albums throughout his career...
  
   (2001, 2008)
• Hayden
  Hayden (musician)
  Paul Hayden Desser who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge rock to alt country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995. Since then his work has become...
  
   (2002, 2008)
• The Hidden Cameras
  The Hidden Cameras
  The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay church folk music"...
  
  
• Horse Feathers (2010)
• Islands
  Islands (band)
  Islands is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York.-Return to the Sea:In mid-2005 Islands recorded a debut album titled Return to the Sea, which was released in April 2006...
  
   (2008)
• k-os
  K-os
  Kevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
  
   (2002, 2005 surprise guest)
• K'naan
  K'naan
  K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...
  
   (inside 2009)
• Lights
  Lights (singer)
  Lights Valerie Poxleitner is a Canadian electronic musician, signed to her own personal label, Lights Music. Her most notable singles include "Ice", "Second Go" and "Toes". In 2009, she was awarded the Juno Award for "Best New Artist".-Early life:Lights was born in Timmins, Ontario. Her parents...
  
   (2008, 2011)
• Los Lobos
  Los Lobos
  Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
  
   (2010)
• The Lowest of the Low
  The Lowest of the Low
  The Lowest of the Low is a Canadian alternative rock group formed in 1991 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They were one of the most influential bands on the Canadian alternative music scene in the early 1990s, garnering widespread critical acclaim and radio play...
  
   (2005)
• Loreena McKennitt
  Loreena McKennitt
  Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
  
   (2009)
• Sarah McLachlan
  Sarah McLachlan
  Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
  
  
• Metric
  Metric (band)
  Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
  
   (2003, 2004)
• Sam Roberts
  Sam Roberts
  Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
  
   (2005, Inside 2009)
• Xavier Rudd
  Xavier Rudd
  Xavier Rudd is an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in 1978 and grew up in Torquay, Victoria. He attended St. Joseph's College, Geelong....
  
   (2005, Inside 2008, 2009)
• The Sadies
  The Sadies
  The Sadies are a Canadian indie rock and alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario.-Background:The band consists of Dallas Good , Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky...
  
   (2008)
• Buffy Sainte-Marie
  Buffy Sainte-Marie
  Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
  
   (2009)
• Tokyo Police Club
  Tokyo Police Club
  Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It consists of vocalist and bassist David Monks , keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook , and drummer Greg Alsop ....
  
   (Inside 2008, 2009)
• Jane Siberry/Issa
  Issa (singer)
  Jane Siberry , born October 12, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known for such hits as "Mimi on the Beach", "I Muse Aloud", "One More Colour" and "Calling All Angels"...
  
   (1993, 2009)
• Sarah Slean
  Sarah Slean
  Sarah Hope Slean is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and occasional actress from Pickering, Ontario. She has released eleven albums to date .-Major recordings:...
  
   (2005, 2008)
• Sloan
  Sloan (band)
  Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
  
  
• Stars
  Stars (band)
  Stars is an indie pop band from Canada. Originally formed in Toronto by vocalist Torquil Campbell and keyboardist Chris Seligman, the band relocated to New York City and then subsequently to Montreal, where they are currently based.-History:...
  
   (2005, Inside 2009, 2010)
• The Stills
  The Stills
  The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
  
   (2006)
• The Weakerthans
  The Weakerthans
  The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
  
   (2002, 2005, Inside 2008)
• Wintersleep
  Wintersleep
  Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Background:Wintersleep formed in 2001 and released two albums with Dependent Music, a music label and artists' collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1994....
  
   (2006, Inside 2008)

Notable spoken word artists who performed at the festival include Sandra Alland

Sandra Alland

Sandra Alland is an Edinburgh Scottish-Canadian writer, multimedia artist, small press publisher, performer and activist. She has published two collections of poetry, Proof of a Tongue and Blissful Times...

 (2005), Stuart McLean

Stuart McLean

Andrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...

 (2008), National silver medalists in the Canadian Improv Games, the Notorious G.I.T., Robert Priest

Robert Priest

Robert Priest is a British born Canadian poet and children's author. He has written numerous books of poetry, several children's novels, and has often appeared on CBC radio's hit spoken word show "Wordbeat" under the alias "Dr Poetry". He is well known for his aphorisms and performance poetry...

 (2005), Tony Leighton

Tony Leighton

Anthony "Tony" Leighton was a professional footballer who played as a striker for a number of Yorkshire clubs.Born in Leeds, Leighton played for Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley, Huddersfield Town and Bradford City....

 (2007, 2008), Tom King (2007), and Shane Koyczan (2010, Inside 2011). Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...

played a concert before the festival to celebrate the construction of the permanent Hillside main stage that had recently been built.

External links

• Hillside Festival Home Page
• Wellington Guelph Community Portal