Record numbers for Northern Lights festival

Although the numbers aren't official, Northern Lights Festival Boreal's artistic director Max Merrifield expects this year's summer event to be one of the most successful in its history.

In 2011, 10,000 people visited for the festival's fortieth anniversary. Merrifield thinks this year will turn out to be over 11,000.

"People really responded to the programming, people came out," Merrifield said. "The weather was on our side, everything just really lined up, and it looks like it's at least a twenty year attendance record, possibly more."

But there's no sense of settling back, Merrifield said. It's also important to start preparing for the next wave of artists to keep the festival thriving.  

"For me, a number one priority is attracting a younger audience and building that next generation of festival goer, like who's going to be there in thirty years, and still supporting it in forty, fifty years," he said.

If he had to do it again, Merrifield said, he'd like to have another look at some of the services provided by the city. The costs, he said, could likely be kept down.

"[Costs like] policing and security, we'd like to see some measures taken to reduce the costs," he said. "Also the fees and technical costs associated with use of the amphitheatre. We find the costs to be quite high."

"But that's a dialogue we have ongoing with the city, and they're listening to us."

This summer's event was the first time organizers planned a four-day program, Merrifield said, and they will likely consider the same approach next year.