CASTLE MOUNTAIN HUCKLEBERRY FESTIVAL

Come for the berries, stay for the fun!

Castle Mountain's Annual Huckleberry Festival is a full-day family event that attracts more than 300 people each year to come enjoy music & entertainment, a pig roast, and ride the chair lifts to some of the best Huckleberry picking around!

The main attraction of this fun family event is the Huckleberries! Castle Mountain's main mountain, Mount Gravenstafel, is home to thousands of Huckleberry bushes and those bushes are full of yummy berries! The "Blue" Sundance Chair operates for one day only during the summer and this year it is August 25th.

Make sure to bring a bucket with a good fitting lid so you don't lose your berries, sunscreen, water, a hat and good hiking clothes.

Mark this date on your calendar and plan to bring the whole family! If you haven't had a chance to experience Castle Mountain in the summer this is a great opportunity to check it out!

About Huckleberries

Huckleberries are a ground cover form of berry plant and grow in abundance in the Rocky Mountains all the way from Castle Mountain to Whistler and 300-400 km's on either side of the Canada/USA border. The best picking season for Huckleberries in the Pincher Creek region is typically the last few wees of August.

The berries are small and round, 5-10 mm in diameter and look like blueberries. Huckleberries range in color according to species from bright red, through dark purple, and into the blues. In taste the berries range from tart to sweet, with a flavor sometimes similar to that of a blu

eberry, especially in blue- and purple-colored varieties. However, many kinds of Huckleberries have a noticeable, distinct taste different from blueberries.

Event Schedule

Although the official festival day is Saturday, August 25th, the berry picking festivities typically kicks off on Friday, August 24th around 3:00 pm and runs through to Sunday, August 26th.

Friday, August 24th

4:00 pm to 1:00 am - T-Bar Pub & Grub opens for food & beverages (family friendly)
8:30 to11:00 pm - Campfire

Saturday, August 25th

9:00 to 10:30 am - Pancake breakfast at the Day Lodge
10:00 am to 2:30 pm - "Blue" Sundance Chair opens for Huckleberry Picking
10:00 am to 4:30 pm - Craft Sale, Bake Sale in the Day Lodge & around the base area
11:00 am to 4:00 pm - Castl e Community Association Silent Auction
11:00 am to 9:00 pm - T-Bar Pub & Grub Opens
11:30 am to 3:00 pm - BBQ lunch outside the Day Lodge
2:00 to 8:00 pm - LIVE music entertainment on the Huckleberry Stage (see below for band lineup)
6:00 to 7:30 pm - Pig Roast & Roast Beef Dinner at the Day Lodge
8:00 pm to Midnight - LIVE music entertainment inside the Day Lodge

*Please note that the exact times for the BBQ lunch and Pig Roast & Roast Beef Dinner will fluctuate depening on the weather & the pickers. If the picking is good these tend to start & finish later on in the day.

Sunday, August 26th

Sunday is generally a very relaxed day. The Sundance Chair lift doesn't run but the mountain will still be open to pickers

9:00 am to 4:00 pm - T-Bar Pub & Grub open for breakfast and lunch (family friendly).

Admission

Admission into Castle Mountain's Huckleberry Festival is FREE.
Sundance Chair lift is $10/person. Children 5 & under ride FREE.
Pancake Breakfast is $7/person.
BBQ Lunc h is $8/person.
Pig Roast & Roast Beef Dinner is $16/adult. $9/child (12 yrs & under)

Music Lineup

This years band line up is going to blow your berry bucket lids off! Patrick Sean Earl is back due to overwhelming requests from the Community. New to this years line-up are: Magnolia Buckskin, The Ruminants, Jackie Gingras and Therry Lawson!

*Outdoor music is weather permitting

Where to Stay

Festival organizers recommend that you stay on-hill at Castle Mountain to get the most out of your experience.

Click here for more information on where to stay.

Camping is available by reservation at Guest Services.

For more information visit www.skicastle.ca
Phone: 1-888-754-8667 or (403) 627-5101
Email: info@skicastle.ca

Unless specified otherwise, all information on the Castle Mountain Huckleberry Festival has been provided by festival organizers.