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We are excited to welcome many returning friends and new faces to BISQFest 2024! Below are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you prepare and navigate your time with us. 

If you have any questions that aren't covered below, please don't hesitate to reach out to the BISQFest team at bisqc@banffcentre.ca or 403-762-6231.

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Frequently asked questions for audience members attending BISQFest 2024
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Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ

Once I arrive at Banff Centre, where do I go?

If you are staying on-site with us during BISQFest, your first stop will be the Professional Development Centre (PDC) to check-in for your hotel, regardless of which campus hotel you are staying in. 

On Thursday, August 29 the BISQFest staff will also be in the PDC lobby from 3pm-6pm with BISQFest bundles (aka arrival info with program, tote, name badge with seating info).

 If you miss this, or if you are an off-site/passport holder, you can pick-up your BISQFest bundle before the first concert in the Rolston Recital Hall lobby in the Music & Sound Building at the BISQFest Audience Information Desk. 

If you are arriving late please email us at bisqc@banffcentre.ca or 403-762-6231 to make other arrangements. 

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I bought a BISQFest package. Do I owe anything more once I arrive at Banff Centre?

If you purchased one of our weekend packages – on-site or passport – you have already pre-paid and do not owe anything. 

If you reserved a Mountain Magic package, your credit card information was used only to reserve your booking, and you will be charged for your reservation once you check in.

I have questions now that I have arrived at Banff Centre. Where do I find answers?

BISQFest staff will be available to answer any questions prior to all concerts in the lobby of the concert venue. 

Plus, you can email or call us if you have any problems or concerns: 

bisqc@banffcentre.ca or 403-762-6231.

Is there assistance available to get around campus for audience members with mobility challenges?

Yes! An on-campus shuttle will be available to assist audience with any mobility challenges. This 11-seater sprinter van is operated by Banff Airporter and the schedule can be found in your BISQFest bundle.

The shuttle will do two runs before and after concerts (except on Saturday and Sunday afternoon when there are 4:30pm events). The shuttle will pick-up and drop-off in front of the Professional Development Centre (PDC), 3rd floor/back entrance to Lloyd Hall (LH), and the performance venue. 
 

I have an on-site weekend package. How do I access meals at Vistas Dining Room which are part of my package?

For our on-site weekend audience members, your name badge is your access to Vistas Dining Room for your meals. The name badge has a special image that helps staff identify you as an on-site guest that has prepaid for meals. If you lose your name badge, reach out to BISQFest staff to get a replacement.

I have a Mountain Magic package. How do I access my meals at Vistas Dining Room without a name badge?

Mountain Magic package holders will receive meal vouchers that they will present to staff when they go to Vistas Dining room for their dinner on Friday, August 30 and breakfast on Saturday, August 31. 

If you have any problems with your meal access, please reach out to BISQFest staff directly for assistance: 403-762-6231.

I received my name badge, but not my tote bag or program. Where do I go to get the rest of my BISQFest bundle?

If you arrive late and miss connecting with BISQFest staff during your check-in, you will receive your name badge from the front desk so you can access meals. 

Come and see us before the next concert in the venue lobby at the BISQFest Audience Info Desk and we'll give you the rest of your BISQFest bundle!

I brought my instrument and want to use a practice hut while I am here. How do I access the practice huts?

To gain the codes to access the practice huts that have been allocated for audience use, please see BISQFest staff at the BISQFest Audience Info Desk before or after any concert.

What is appropriate attire for the concerts during BISQFest, especially the opening night gala concert on Friday, August 30?

With its stunning mountain backdrop, Banff Centre is a unique place where you can wear your hiking boots to the concert hall. Many of our concert-goers opt for business casual (eg. slacks and a nice shirt) with comfortable footwear for getting around our campus located on the side of Sleeping Buffalo Mountain. 

That being said, some guests do dress up, ranging from casual to more festival, and all dress is welcome! 

The term 'gala' in reference to the opening night of BISQFest describes how special the performance will be, and does not define any formal dress code. 

 

Submitted by Sonia Zyvatkau… on
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Dr. Eric Sneathen is a poet and queer literary historian living in Alameda, CA. He is the author of Don't Leave Me This Way (Nightboat Books, 2023), Minor Work (MO0ON/IO, 2021), and Snail Poems (Krupskaya, 2016). With Lauren Levin, he co-edited the selected fictions of Camille Roy, Honey Mine (Nightboat Books, 2021). He received his PhD in Creative-Critical Studies from UC Santa Cruz in 2022, and his essays, reviews, and interviews have been published by Jacket2, SF MoMA's Open Space, Poetry Foundation, and Social Text Online. With Daniel Benjamin he organized Communal Presence: New Narrative Writing Today and edited The Bigness of Things: New Narrative and Visual Culture. He has worked with a number of small presses in the San Francisco Bay Area; new titles are forthcoming from his and Noah Ross's press, SPUNK Editions.

Sonia Zyvatkauskas via BanffCentre
Faculty

Submitted by Sonia Zyvatkau… on
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Amanda Crocker is Managing Editor of Between the Lines, a social movement press founded in 1977. BTL authors are academics, journalists, artists, and activists who hope their books will spark political and social change. 

As a publishing house, BTL embodies cooperative and democratic ideals: BTL has no boss, no individual owner; it is run by a small staff collective and a dedicated volunteer editorial committee. The press publishes books not to seek profit, but to document and promote struggles for a better world, challenge the mainstream, and offer readers new perspectives on critical political issues.

Professional Guest

Submitted by Sonia Zyvatkau… on
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Taras Grescoe, the author of eight non-fiction books (among them the best-selling Bottomfeeder, Shanghai Grand, Straphanger, and The Devil’s Picnic), has been a professional, full-time freelance journalist in Canada for the last thirty years. His works of book-length reportage and creative non-fiction, which have been published in Toronto, New York, and London and translated into half a dozen languages, have received international critical acclaim. His books have won major awards internationally and in Canada (the Mavis Gallant Prize, the Edna Staebler Prize, the Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-Fiction) and been finalists for prestigious non-fiction prizes (the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing). His features have appeared in The Walrus, Saturday Night, The Globe and Mail, L’actualité, Canadian Geographic, Maclean’s, The National Post and The Ottawa Citizen, and been published around the world in The New Yorker, Gourmet, Travel + Leisure, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Afar, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, The Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Times of London and more.

Sonia Zyvatkauskas via BanffCentre
Faculty

Submitted by Shannon Evans … on
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Shane Hawk, a member of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. Hawk’s literary contributions include his debut story collection, Anoka, as well as short fiction featured in numerous anthologies. He co-edited the Bram Stoker, Locus, and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated anthology Never Whistle at Night, which reached its tenth printing just one month after publication. He has co-written an Indigenous Horror stage play with Andrea L. Rogers, titled The Land Has Spoken, set to premiere in October 2024 and tour the country the following year. Hawk resides in San Diego, California with his beautiful wife and daughter. 

Shannon Evans via BanffCentre
Faculty

Submitted by Shannon Evans … on
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Jessica Johns is a queer nehiyaw aunty with English-Irish ancestry and a member of Sucker Creek First Nation. Her debut novel, Bad Cree, was shortlisted for the Amazon first novel award, was a Canada Reads finalist, and won the WGA Fiction Prize.

Shannon Evans via BanffCentre
Faculty
Description

Join us for one of two free evening readings hosted by our esteemed faculty Kazim Ali, featuring writers from the Early Career Writers Residency. This event offers a unique opportunity to hear from the amazing writers currently in residency who are poised to share their remarkable work with you. Program participants will be testing reading their written material to an audience and showcasing their talents to new readers. Experience a varied range of fiction that enlightens, engages, and inspires—their diverse backgrounds and experiences make for amazing storytellers.

Image of Winter Writers Residency Participant Readings 2024
Page Summary
Join us for readings by our talented writers in our current residency - Early Career Writers of Fiction hosted by esteemed faculty Kazim Ali.
Exhibition
No
Free
Yes
Donation
Off
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Age Restrictions
Ages 14 and Over
Performance Date
Date
Description

Join us for one of two free evening readings hosted by our esteemed faculty Kim Fu, featuring writers from the Early Career Writers Residency. This gathering offers a unique opportunity to hear from the amazing writers currently in residency, who are poised to share their remarkable work with you. The event allows program participants to practice reading their written material to an audience, and to showcase their talents to new readers. With their varied backgrounds and experiences, they contribute a diverse range of fiction that enlightens, engages, and inspires.

Image of Winter Writers Residency Participant Readings 2024
Page Summary
Join us for readings by our talented writers in our current residency - Early Career Writers of Fiction hosted by esteemed faculty Kim Fu.
Exhibition
No
Free
No
Donation
Off
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Age Restrictions
Ages 14 and Over
Performance Date
Date
Description

Join us for an enchanting evening of literary exploration in the serene mountains, featuring readings by award-winning authors Kim Fu (The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore) and Kazim Ali (Sukun: New and Selected Poems), faculty members of the Early Career Writers of Fiction residency. Books will be available for purchase. Bring your friends and immerse yourselves in the magic of literature.

Image of Program faculty Kim Fu (left) and Kazim Ali (right)
Page Summary
Join us for readings by Kim Fu and Kazim Ali, faculty for the Literary Arts Early Career Writers of Fiction residency.
Exhibition
No
Free
Yes
Donation
Off
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Age Restrictions
Ages 14 and Over
Performance Date
Date
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