In two days, we will gather to celebrate this Festival’s 35th anniversary and the wonderful Canadian writers who inspire, enlighten, educate, entertain and sustain us all year long. We also celebrate
you, our audience of readers, who buy tickets and books and support Canadian writers and literary festivals!
First things first: Tickets to most events are available! While the passes sold out quite early on,
tickets to 17 events are still available. Current information is on our website at
www.writersfestival.ca. The next event to sell out is our closing night concert with the magnificent
Shari Ulrich, Kirby Barber and Julia Graff (Sunday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m.). The authors’ bios and ticket purchasing details are on the website.
Office hours during the Festival: Our door will be open at 8 a.m. and will close just after the last event of the evening begins. You can reach us by telephone at 604-885-9631 or by email at info@writersfestival.ca.
Accessibility
Our beautiful park is not terribly hospitable for people with physical challenges. The easiest route into the Pavilion for people using wheelchairs or scooters is along the paved walkway on the east side of the park. This leads directly to the lower entrance.
Please call the office 604-885-9631 before you come to the Festival if you have special seating needs (for you and one companion) or if you have questions about accessibility. There is more information below under Transportation and Parking and Washrooms.
NEW THIS YEAR: Look for
Accessibility Volunteers wearing
bright orange vests. They are here to help you if you need assistance and will be watching out for you on the pathways at night, during the lunch hour, in the line-ups, etc.
Babies and Young Children
Our events are programmed with adults in mind and it might be difficult for young children to sit quietly for an hour. We request that parents with babies sit on the aisle at the rear of the Pavilion so that a quick retreat is possible if necessary.
The Big Tent
This is where you will find our official Festival bookseller, Talewind Books (celebrating 30 years this year!), and Festival souvenirs. Authors go to the signing table in the tent immediately after their events to sign books and meet their readers. You will also find a group of Sunshine Coast self-published writers with books for sale. Grandmothers & GrandOthers will be selling homemade book bags with all proceeds going to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Cell Phones, Social Media, etc.
We would love you to Tweet about your festival experience using the hashtag #scfwa2017. Please mute/turn off and put away all cell phones and tablets during the events.
The Festival Pavilion, Seating and Line-ups
This 450-seat open air structure is our only venue and is tucked into the northeast corner of the Rockwood Park. You can enter the Pavilion by either the lower or upper gate. All seating is General Admission (no reserved seats). Each event is one hour and there is ½ hour between most events (longer breaks at lunch and dinner) to clear the house and set up for the next event. We try to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If standing in line is difficult for you, please proceed to the front of the line and speak to the Front of House Manager or ask an Accessibility Volunteer (wearing a
bright orange vest) for assistance. We will have a few folding chairs available for you to rest on.
The Festival Pavilion is open air and can be chilly depending on the weather and time of day. Evening and night time temperatures are forecast to be 12-15 degrees during the Festival. The seats in the Pavilion are hard plastic. Many people bring a seat cushion. Many people also leave their seat cushions behind! Please check with us if you have done so in the past year or two. We have quite a collection.
Although the Pavilion is open air, please refrain from using perfume and scented products. It can be very uncomfortable for people with sensitivities or allergies sitting in the middle of a crowded space on a warm day.
You are welcome to bring your beverages into the Pavilion. No glass bottles, please.
The Festival Site
We refer to the entire Rockwood Park as the Festival site. Everything is located in the park: the Festival Pavilion, our office, food and beverage booths, the Big Tent, and washrooms. There is a site map on the website at
http://writersfestival.ca/rockwoodmap.htm.
Food and Beverages
The Festival Café, located on the west side of the Rockwood Lodge (to your left, at the top of the main path) will have sandwiches, soup, baked goods, drinks and coffee. Strait Coffee operates a coffee booth in front of the Lodge and you will find the Beverage booth in the area outside the big tent. This booth sells beer, wine, cider, juice and soft drinks.
You can find a list of local restaurants and their hours of operation at the Information Booth.
Garbage and Recycling
My favourite topic! The onsite food and beverage booths use compostable beverage cups, plates, cutlery, “plastic” sandwich boxes and napkins. Please drop them into the marked collection bins. If you bring a cup of coffee with a plastic lid or plastic cutlery from elsewhere, please drop these items into the collection bins marked “Plastic”.
The biggest garbage culprit is styrofoam that comes from off-site. Rather than toss it into the garbage, please dump leftover food in the collection bins and drop your styrofoam into the bucket labeled “Styrofoam” in the collection area near the beverage booth and big tent. A lucky volunteer will be washing and bagging the styrofoam to take to the recycling centre.
Information Booth
This is where you can find bus schedules, ferry schedules, maps, restaurant hours, etc. and answers to your questions. The Information Booth is located in the lower garden.
Latecomers
The Festival has a really lovely, casual feel to it and we want to keep it that way. However, latecomers can be disruptive to both the author and to the audience once the event gets underway. Sometimes arriving late is unavoidable but please be aware of and keep an eye on the time.
The Don’ts
Smoking is not allowed on the Festival site. Please leave your pooches at home. We allow only service dogs and neighbourhood dogs on a leash that are just passing through.
Q&A
Most events have a Q&A session. If you have a question for the author, please wait until one of our stage managers hands you a wireless microphone. Please stand if you are able. This is an opportunity to ask a question (not make a statement). Please keep it brief and relevant.
Tickets
Pre-purchased tickets will be available for pick-up in the office or the Information Booth (watch for the signage) on opening night. Remember: if you purchased tickets online at share-there.com, you still need to pick up your printed ticket(s) from us. Tickets to most events will be available and sold right through the Festival so you can be spontaneous and join us.
Online sales to all events will be discontinued on Thursday, August 11 at 4 pm. Tickets will continue to be sold by phone (604-885-9631) and in-person.
Transportation and Parking
Bus information is
here. The BC Ferries schedule is
here. Pacific Ferries (a passenger service) is
here and information about the Sunshine Coast Connector bus is
here.
Consider offering or requesting a ride to the Festival at
www.share-there.com/writersfestival.
If you drive to the Festival site, please be prepared to park a couple of blocks away and walk. We hope you will leave the spots closest to the Festival for people who have mobility challenges. There is a large parking lot at Chatelech Secondary School, located up the hill and behind us. Please do not park on the south side of Shorncliffe Avenue or where curbs are painted yellow.
A limited number of spots for vehicles displaying the appropriate permit are available in the lower parking lot on Shorncliffe Avenue. These spots cannot be reserved and are available on a first come, first served basis. There is also a pick-up and drop-off area in the lower parking lot on Shorncliffe Avenue.
Saturday morning, August 18: The Sechelt Farmers & Artisans Market will be set up on Cowrie St. You can still drive into the lower parking lot along Shorncliffe Avenue but please approach slowly and cautiously to access the drop off and pick-up area. Parking will be limited in this area on Saturday until about 3 p.m. There will be many pedestrians on the road.
Washrooms
Gender neutral washrooms are located in the Rockwood Lodge (two washrooms, side entrance closest to the big tent) and at the rear of the Festival office building. There are three porta-potties along Shorncliffe Avenue (one is wheelchair accessible) and two in the upper parking lot.
Water
We have not sold commercially bottled water at the Festival since 2010! Please bring our own water bottles. You can refill your bottles in the washrooms in the Lodge and at the rear of the office building. There will also be jugs of water at the Festival Café, the Beverage Booth, and in the office. We will be selling filled and chilled stainless steel water bottles at the Café and Beverage booths for $12.
Weather
Look what we’ve arranged for you. You're welcome.
And that's all for now. Please be in touch if you have any questions. On behalf of the Festival Board, volunteers and production team, we wish you a wonderful Festival!
All the details are at www.writersfestival.ca.
