This will be the final year for Denim on the Diamond

Denim on the Diamond is only a month away, as the popular music festival is once again set to take over Kings Stadium in downtown Kelowna on the Labour Day weekend.

Thousands will flock to the ball diamond to see two days of music, with Friday’s lineup featuring more of a dance and pop theme before the country acts take over on Saturday.

Nate Smith, Bryce Vine, MacKenzie Porter, The Cadillac Three, Rêve, Preston Pablo and several others will take the stage for the 2023 edition of Denim on the Diamond.

This year’s festival is expected to sell out in the next week or two, but you can still grab tickets online if you want to be a part of the fun.

It will also be your last chance to be a part of the festival atmosphere at Kings Stadium, as organizers have confirmed to KelownaNow that this will be the final year of Denim on the Diamond.

“When we started this event six years ago, we never expected in our wildest dreams we’d be hosting tens of thousands of people,” explained Thick as Thieves Entertainment co-founder Kurt Jory.

“Unfortunately Kings Stadium just isn’t designed for this purpose - it’s been the home to Kelowna Men’s Major Fastball Association for decades and they have graciously collaborated with us over the years.”

While the collaboration has been a successful one, Jory says the overwhelming community support has the event “bursting at the seams.”

This means Denim will no longer be on the diamond starting in 2024, but Jory and fellow Thick as Thieves Entertainment co-founder Mitch Carefoot are working hard to find a new home for the festival.

“We’re working behind the scenes to find a new home that can accommodate the type of demand for this music festival,” he said.

“It will be bittersweet when we hang up the cleats and clean out the lockers at Kings for the last time.”

“You’ve knocked us out of the park, literally,” Jory added, just to pile on the baseball puns.

The duo says their intention for Denim on the Diamond was to create a space for locals to come together and celebrate at the end of summer.

They worked hard to transform a baseball diamond into a unique music festival venue, but as the event has grown, so has the need to consider another venue to ensure a “great and safe experience.”

“For now we’re focused on delivering guests the best Denim yet, and contemplating the growth of AltiTunes, Beer Fest and Island Time too,” noted Carefoot.

He told KelownaNow that the process of securing a new venue is underway and they hope to deliver some exciting news about the 2024 edition of the festival in the coming months.

In the meantime, they’re busy preparing for another fun two nights at Kings Stadium in what will be the festival’s fifth year.

“If you haven’t experienced a night of music with us on the diamond, this is the last chance,” Jory said.

Denim on the Diamond 2023 will take place on the Friday and Saturday of the Labour Day long weekend, Sept. 1-2, and you can learn more about the event and secure your tickets here.