A group of local artists are planning a new independent festival for summer 2018 that will showcase DIY and emerging Canadian music and art.

The organizers want to know which artists you’d like to see, what suggestions you have for making events as inclusive and accessible as possible, and what places to consider as possible venues.

A bonus question to asks responders to “name the festival” for a chance to win a pass. Take the survey below before July 20th 2017 to help create the festival you want to see in St. John’s!

“We want the festival to be as inclusive and community oriented as possible and getting feedback through the survey is a great first step,” said Nicole Squires, an organizer of the festival (and member of two well-loved local bands, Bad Plan and Hard Ticket).

Organizers are grateful for the support they’ve been receiving from established festivals like Lawnya Vawnya, Holdfast, and Shed Island, who have offered advice and shared the survey through their social media channels.

Partly thanks to their help, the new festival has already gotten a huge response to the survey and organizers are noting some recurring suggestions.

A lot of responders are calling for all-ages shows and outdoor shows, accommodating those requests means the festival will be getting creative with seeking out venues. They are also prioritizing making the venues safer spaces for festival-goers, artists, and volunteers.

“We’re working on our policies, which will be viewable to anybody who’s going to our events. They outline that we’re not going to be tolerating certain types of behaviour including physical aggression, transphobia, homophobia, racism, or any kind of bigotry,” Squires said. “We are going to try our best to make everyone feel as safe as possible.”

Organizers were excited to see their instincts about what bands people might like to see brought to St. John’s reflected in early responses to the survey.

“A lot of the bands that came up in the survey were ones we had already discussed as possibilities in our meetings, which was really encouraging,” Squires said.

The organizers are looking forward to reading the responses that roll in before the survey closes next week.

“We’re going to be moving forward according to the responses we gather in the survey, it’s going to have a really big influence on the festival. If you care about music and art or you want to give us input on how we can make the festival more accessible to you, we want to hear from you so we can provide you with a safe space and some fun.”

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/378ZW7N