Eating Squamish Festival

Have you ever wondered what Eminem eats before a performance? How about Arcade Fire or Bruno Mars? I spent a weekend at the Squamish Valley Music Festival and asked myself those questions before each singer or band took to the stage. While I didn’t manage to sneak backstage for a taste of craft services, I did explore the festival’s overwhelming dining options and downtown Squamish’s vegan hotspot. 

After a full day of traveling and setting up our campsite, lunch and dinner morphed into one mega meal eaten while listening to Foster The People. With five separate food truck areas spread across the festival grounds, deciding on one single vendor proved difficult. I ended up picking the food trucks with the longest lines.

Choices included pad Thai, sushi, poutine, Greek kebabs, vegan wraps, grilled cheese sandwiches, French baguettes, macaroni and cheese, deep fried pop tarts, slushies, mini donuts, fish and chips, teriyaki bowls and Triple O’s burgers.

Urban Wood Fired Pizza had a large gathering on Friday, so my friends and I tucked into pizza and Greek salad. Both could have held their own against a brick and mortar pizzeria. Topped with pepperoni, red onion, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and a balsamic drizzle, my “Bella” pizza satisfied my craving for salty, sweet, and savory with each bite.

Saturday had us camped out at the main stage all day waiting for Arcade Fire to perform. I grabbed a late lunch from an all day breakfast tent. Leery of eggs cooked outside in the hot sun, I opted for pierogies, fried onions and sausage. Those close to me know I usually turn my nose up at sausages, but the smell reminded me of home, and I’d already fallen homesick after only a day. (Mostly, I missed my bed and a strong wifi connection.)

A trip into town Sunday morning provided a break from my fast food diet. I popped into my favourite little restaurant on Cleveland Avenue for a red smoothie (beet, raspberry, ginger, apple and orange juice) and a breakfast burrito packed with eggs, spinach, black beans and cheddar. My body felt nourished with each bite and sip. Zephyr Café deserves a visit whenever I’m in Squamish.

Sunday turned out to be the hottest day of the festival. I trudged across the grounds to the frozen yogurt truck, only to find their yogurt machines broken. I consoled myself with a chocolate chip cookie from Two Birds Eatery.

I ate an unforgettable pulled pork sandwich for dinner, washed down with a jumbo lemonade. Lemonade huts are beacons of hope on a hot and sweaty day. I’d been craving a cup since Friday, but resisted the temptation. At a festival where portable washroom facilities are the only option, calculating your liquid intake requires thought. How many times during a day does one really want to use the washroom?

Food and music touch our senses everyday. We know what tastes and sounds we have on repeat, and those that we’d rather skip. I ate my way through a music festival, which is a pretty cool concept. There’s no obligation for a festival to offer gourmet food, but it’s a tasty addition I’m all for.