Festival VENUES
Artisan Market
Come and check out incredible creations at the Artisan Market, a place to purchase hand-made arts and crafts, see demonstrations, and engage with the vendors. Products and services include original art, hand-made clothing, body care products, jewelry, masks, candles, toys, homemade instruments, hair braiding, henna tattoos – many with a “green” focus, using only found or recycled materials.
Children’s Area
There’s always something fun happening in the Children’s Area - great workshops, stories, music, dance, singing, yoga, crafts, face painting, nature walks, fencing, circus arts and theatre - providing fabulous entertainment for every NessKid, their families, and the young at heart. Don’t miss perennial favourites such as the songwriting workshop, the Main Stage children’s performance, and our spectacular Sunday parade.
Community Kitchen
REOPEN FOR 2023! YAY!
Home of our volunteer-built clay oven, the Community Kitchen offers a place to relax and enjoy delicious, communally prepared meals. Join old friends and new at our outdoor, family-oriented, potluck-style kitchen. Create healthy meals and sweet music together. Come prepared to contribute food, time and ingenuity. Enjoy workshops, music and more. Nothing beats a good “kitchen party”.
Drum & Dance Circle
Celebrate the common language of rhythm and dance, influenced by communities around the globe. Take part in a variety of experiential and traditionally-rooted performances and workshops at our beautiful new outdoor venue nestled in the forest. Join us--and jam with us--all day and all night!
MAIN STAGE
Our iconic main stage, nestled between the trees in the boreal forest, is where our festival comes to life. In the heart of Downtown Ness. With electric performances every day of the festival, you can catch programming here during both day and night.
Food Court
Grab some delicious grub from one of our food vendors! The Food Court is located in Downtown Ness as well as a food booth located in the 2nd camping field.
Forest Garden
The Ness Creek Forest Garden is a 1/4 acre organic, cold climate, permaculture demonstration site displaying some of the most cutting-edge strategies and techniques within the emerging fields of agro-ecology, permaculture design and edible landscaping. Daily tours are offered providing information and fun and answering all your questions about this fantastic undertaking.
PLAYGROUND
With sand to build castles, logs for balancing, a slide, frisbees, balls, hula hoops, stilts, a parachute and lots more, it’s no wonder kids love the Playground. And there’s nothing better than running through our Spray Water Shower to cool down during the Festival’s hot summer days. Parents and Caregivers remember the playground is not a supervised area so please stay and play with your kids.
SHARING CIRCLE
Come together at the Sharing Circle to engage in participatory workshops, interactive experiences and artistic expression. Share stories, poetry, songs, dance and music in the spirit of nurturing our rich collective knowledge and experience creating the threads that weave our community together.
WORKSHOP STAGE
Get up close and personal with your favourite Main Stage artists as they jam with their peers in the casual, intimate setting of the Workshop Stage.
The village
The Village is a place where environmental groups come together to showcase products, provide information & stimulate discussion. It is also where vendors for the World Market set up their shops.
The Village Ethic: Please note that all vendors in The Village for Ecological and Social Justice must be environmentally and/or socially responsible. Vendors will be required to demonstrate how they fit into the "Ecological and Social Justice" realm in their application and will be required to display this statement during the festival. Please consider if you are the right fit for The Village before applying.
THE JACK MILLIKIN CENTRE
The Jack Millikin Centre, named after the Grandfather of Ness and located Downtown, is a four-season venue that boasts one of two horsehair dance floors left in Saskatchewan. During the festival it plays host to dance workshops, History and Archives displays and much more. It is also one of our flush toilet locations for public use.