On December 31 Take Time to Take Care of You for 2022

Banff ’s New Year’s Eve celebrations have been cancelled due to extreme cold and increased risk of COVID transmission. With a high forecast at -20C, any wind will create a deepfreeze that risks safety for performers, volunteers, residents and visitors. 

Even though the event was designed to provide more space for participants and protocols made the outdoors event a COVID-safe experience, the rapid rise in infection with the omicron variant of COVID-19 and evolving science about the transmission has resulted in a decision to cancel all indoor and outdoor NYE events out of an abundance of caution.

Outdoor pursuits provide safe adventure

Banff continues to provide a wealth of opportunities for safe and enjoyable experiences, perfect for renewal and rejuvenation in this special place in the mountains. Activities include skiing and snowboarding at one of the three local alpine resorts; cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the many trails around town; skating and shinny at the Fenlands outdoor rink; hiking on local trails such as Tunnel Mountain or Sulphur Mountain; window shopping on the famous Banff Avenue and brand new Bear Street; and visiting any of the many attractions in and around Banff. 

Take Time to Take Care
The central theme of the NYE event still stands true for everyone in Banff and beyond.

We’ve all been through a lot over the last two years and it’s important to take time to self-assess, reinforce our personal resilience, reach out to others, and focus on positive hopes for 2022.

We are optimistic that the New Year promises a transition away from the impact of the pandemic due to the increase in immunization. But we need to get past the “fifth wave.”

Each of us should reflect on our personal situation and make sure we are healthy as we enter a new year. Please reach out to friends and colleagues, especially if they are in isolation.

Many people may be unaware that they are struggling because we have been through this public health crisis for so long. Please take time to take the quiz and check out the tips and tools to nurture positive wellbeing, as well as contacts for support by visiting SeeTheSigns.ca

Please scroll down for more wellness resources in Banff and the Bow Valley.

Performers

We sincerely thank all performers, speakers and storytellers for planning to entertain in Banff. We had a great event planned and we look forward to hosting them in the future. 

• Order of Canada recipient and mental health advocate Séan McCann  
• Northern Quarter
• Swanee and Charlie B
• Sweet Barry Wine
• Chris Pegram 
• Amelie Patterson
• Indigenous Leader Daryl Kootenay
• Blackfoot Medicine Speaks
• Aurora Borin
• Alanna J. Brown
• Nurdjana De Rijcke
• Irene Poole
• Heather Jean Jordan
• Lori Reid
• Panic Station
• Arn Smit
• Allana J. Brown
• Bobby Hughes
• Steph O'dette

Artist Bios

Séan McCann

SÉAN MCCANN (the Shantyman) is a founder of the iconic Canadian band Great Big Sea and an Order of Canada recipient for his advocacy for people living with mental health and addiction issues. He has spent the last ten years touring the country solo, singing and sharing his story with front line workers, teachers, students, patients, inmates, veterans, and anyone who has been affected by addiction or abuse. Séan believes that music is strong medicine and a song is never more powerful than when it is sung with a friend so let's skip the hangover this year and PARTY LIKE OUR MENTAL HEALTH DEPENDS ON IT this New Years Eve!

Allana J. Brown

Alanna J Brown is a singer/songwriter from Toronto. She moved to Banff 8 years ago to follow her love of nature and adventure. Her songs are inspired by the great Canadian landscape. Alanna performs full-time in the Bow Valley, and when she's not singing she can be found skiing, hiking and exploring the mountains with her partner and son. 

Amelie Patterson

Bow Valley folk-pop songwriter Amelie Patterson is a pop music workhorse with hooks to spare.

Her new single, the dazzling alt-pop  ‘Let Your Trouble Go’ is about empathy, and “wishing you could hold a loved one's burden for them,” Amelie Patterson describes, making space for a loved one so they can “take the afternoon off.” Amelie penned the song in New Orleans in January of 2020 to the beat of French Quarter buskers. By the time she took the idea to producer Ryan Worsely (Dear Rouge, MONOWHALES, Mother Mother) in June, the world was a very different place. Worsely and Patterson took the folk fixations of the song and surrounded it with sprightly strings and a helplessly head-bopping beat. Moments of levity interrupt the cerebral track with vocal modulation and soaring chorus worthy of Imogen Heap.

‘Let Your Trouble Go’ is the latest drop from her newest concept-driven studio project, The Playlist. Rather than recording and releasing all at once, The Playlist is a stream of rolling singles, traversing the emotional, lyrical, and genre spectrum. Whatever captures Amelie’s creative imagination is harnessed and brought to the the world in a living and breathing series of songs. The first two tracks from the project have already received critical acclaim including winning Alternative Recording Of The Year from the YYC Music Awards in 2020 for ‘The Patient Kind.’ Her debut album Roll Honey Roll received Alternative Recording of The Year in 2017.

Amelie has performed alongside Sarah Harmer, Matt Anderson, and Serena Ryder, and has performed at festivals including the Calgary Folk Festival, BlockHeater 2020, and Stampede City Sessions. Amelie is a songwriting tour de force drawing heavy comparisons to indie-folk contemporaries including Arcade Fire, Kathleen Edwards, Begonia, and Feist. Patterson served as the inaugural poet laureate of Banff, Alberta.

Arn Smit

Arn Smit is a musician and performer originally from the rocky shores of Newfoundland. After being whisked away to Banff a quaternity of years ago, he has been consistently humbled to grow in and learn from this special place. Finding a strong sense of community in this mountain town (much like his east coast upbringing), Arn enjoys the company of others, music (obviously), snowboarding, hugs and hugging, volleyball, the woods, and being present. Perhaps he will record his debut album soon, which will include original folk-inspired songs such as "My Green Pants", "The Legend of Wild Bill Peyto (Why So Wild?)", and "The World Would Be a Better Place If We Listened to More Cat Stevens".

Chris Pegram

Christopher Pegram and his wife, Shanda, along with their two sons, Noah and Gavin, are an indigenous dance and drum troupe based out of Morley Alberta.  Chris is of the Cherokee and Creek tribes of the southern states in the USA.  He was born and raised in New York City

Currently, he resides on the Stoney Nakoda Nation, where his wife and sons are from.  Shanda, Noah and Gavin are enrolled members of the Stoney Nakoda Nation.  Depending on programing, other family members who are also Stoney Nakoda often participate as well.

Chris and his family shares his program with various schools and  organizations, including Heritage Park, Pomeroy Kananaskis,  Canmore Daycare Society,  Town of Banff, The Banff Centre, Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum, Girl Guides of Canada, and various schools within the Calgary Catholic School Board, Calgary Board of Education,  Rocky View Schools and Canadian Rockies Public Schools.

Chris has performed and facilitated Indigenous programs for over 30 years in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe.

Chris is honoured to be part of the New Years' Eve celebration in Banff.  He enjoys sharing and bringing awareness to our Indigenous culture, dances and songs. Chris values the opportunity to building bridges and promote cross-cultural connections.

Northern Quarter

Northern Quarter hail from the charming Albertan mountain town of Canmore. The indie pop group formed in 2017, and their varied influences have created a genre-spanning band with songs ranging from Indie Folk to Jazzy lounge style vibes.

Centrepiece to this line up is vocalist Kerry Hunter. The Fort McMurray born singer and lyricist weaves beautiful imagery with fascinating, sometimes stark tales about her own life experiences. Starting as a solo artist and playing these songs acoustically, the evolution to band songs has been an exciting journey for her.

Carlos Nadeau's guitar skills cover every single Northern Quarter song. Carlos' unique style and highly expressive solo abilities leave their mark on everything he touches. 

Backing all this up are Wendy Crewe on bass, and Dave Crewe on drums and samples. The use of samples played via a drum pad adds an extra dimension to the band. This is best demonstrated on 'Searching For Freedom', an almost orchestral, angelic opening combined with Carlos' wonderful guitar riff and arpeggiated synthesizers make this a band favourite.

The past two years have been challenging for all, but the band has gone from strength to strength, the pinnacle of which was winning the 2020 YYC Music 'Group Of The Year' award, which was a humbling and unexpected achievement. They were also selected to be part of the soundtrack for virtual reality video game 'Groove Gunner'. In addition, their latest single 'Perfect Fit' was launched into space with William Shatner! 

The upcoming album features a number of interesting collaborations, most notably Tim Newton from Shred Kelly (banjo on 'Rocky Mountain Song'), and Geoff Hilhorst from Deep Dark Woods (organ on 'Fighting For You'). Also featured are Matt Burke on Trumpet and Chris Desborough on Saxophone. The collaborative aspect is one that Dave as producer finds very exciting - "It's amazing to hear all these people come together without meeting each other and sound like a cohesive unit. Some of the players are in Canada, some are in the UK, but all of them have extreme talent and we're blessed to have them on this record."

Panic Station

What started over a decade ago as two high school friends learning their instruments and practicing together has grown into Panic Station; a local garage rock band consisting of Adam Bronsch on vocals and guitar, and Eli Twoyoungmen on drums/percussion. Rock and roll, with a twist of lemon. 

Swanee and Charlie B

Swanee and Charlie B are longtime friends and favourites of the  Bow Valley.  They each have long independent music careers including National and International Recording and performances.  They decided to team up and entertain with a collection of classics blues Folk, Soul and underdetermined classifications.

Sweet Barry Wine

Sweet Barry Wine is a collective of active musicians formed in Calgary, Alberta. Led by Sweet Barry Wine himself, Barry Mason (Vocals and Guitar), along with Kyle Tenove (Bass), Cam Buie (Keyboards) and Carson Gant (Drums), the group is often rounded out with some of Calgary’s finest musicians creating a variety of different configurations for their live shows, reflective of the group's ever-evolving sound. Influenced by a wide variety of artists including, but not limited to: Vulfpeck, Weather Report, Chick Corea, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Parliament/Funkadelic, D'Angelo, and Prince; Sweet Barry Wine draws on the past to help guide them on their quest to create funk of the future!

Wellness Resources 

See the Signs

Look inside and see the signs & take care of your mental health. https://www.seethesigns.ca/

At some point in our lives we all have stressful times. We can be impacted by such things as financial pressures, unexpected difficulties, unemployment, or stressful situations such as the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Remember, if you are struggling you are not alone. There are supports in place to help you.

If you need to talk, free and confidential support is available for Banff and Lake Louise residents. You can also find information in Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, Oromo, Amharic, and Tigrinya. http://www.bllha.ca/support/

Counselling

• Alberta Health Services Urgent 2-9 p.m. at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital
• Alberta Health Services Non-Urgent at1-844-943-1500
• Kids Help Phone: Confidential phone / text / live chat support for youth (ages 10-18) https://kidshelpphone.ca/ Call 1.800.668.6868 or Text CONNECT to 686868

24/7 support from a registered nurse
Information about mental health supports, crisis intervention, referrals.
Mental Health Helpline 24/7: 1-877-303-2642

YWCA 
Counselling via phone or online for YWCA residents and to victims of domestic or sexual violence.
https://ywcabanff.ca/
Seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.: 403.760.3200
Email: support@ywcabanff.ca

Addiction Helpline
Alberta’s Addiction Helpline is available 24-7 toll-free and offers confidential support for alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and problem gambling: 1-866-332-2322

AlbertaQuits Helpline
The AlbertaQuits helpline is FREE for all residents of Alberta, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week. Call toll-free at 1-866-710-7848 to receive confidential, non-judgmental support from trained Quit Counsellors. They will help you deal with cravings and help you stay motivated. Translation services provided.

Alberta 211
Focused on building a comprehensive Information and Referral system accessible to all Albertans. https://www.ab.211.ca

Sponsors 

We thank our event sponsors for their commitment to providing beneficial experiences to residents and visitors. 

• Banff National Park
• Fairmont Banff Springs
• Three Sisters Taxi
• Banff Lodging Co.