This information is also available as a downloadable PDF

This is the same as the last two years (2023-2024). For those bands who were not with us last year, read on!

Event Attendance

Fan support at live events is crucial to the energy and success of Govfest. It will also be a consideration in determining the progression of bands to the Grand Finale, as described below. Tickets will remain $25 + fees this year and will be available online at Eventbrite (the ticket link appears at www.govfest.ca). They will also be available for sale at the door for each event. Please promote ticket sales and event attendance by forwarding the ticketing information to your friends, family,  coworkers, and by posting it on social media and any other creative means you can think of!

Solicit Donations

As a recently registered charity and with the support of Canada Helps, Govfest is introducing this new opportunity for donations to our organization and the charities we support. Together, we can make a difference!  

For your band to participate in the fundraising portion: 

1. Register by following the instructions in the email your band lead will soon receive entitled “Join us in the Govfest Battle of the Bands!” from Canada Helps.  If you have yet to receive an invitation from Canada Helps, please let us know by sending an email to contact@govfest.ca. If you do not already have an account at Canada Helps you will need to create one, which only takes a moment.  
2. The one thing to note is to use your band or group name as the “Personal Fundraising Page Name”.  A photo of your band would also be great!  (This should all hopefully be pretty simple.  Please contact Darren at contact@govfest.ca if you have any questions or need help).
3. Ask your family, friends, and co-workers to sponsor you. This could be facilitated by you forwarding the link to your donation page to your email contacts and posting it on social media.  (It will also be possible for your supporters to donate in the name of your band by going directly to the Canada Helps fundraising page at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/govfest/p2p/BotB/ and choosing a band to support.  The fundraising page link will also be at our main website www.govfest.ca.

All donations received through Canada Helps will receive an official charitable donation receipt that the donor can use to claim a tax credit.  

Donations raised through the Govfest Charity Challenge will be a consideration in determining recognition and progression through the Battle of the Bands as described below. 

Battle of the Bands Progression to the Grande Finale

There will be two paths to reach the Grand Finale, which will feature six bands and will this year once again be at the newly renovated Mod Club on Friday, December 12!

Advancement to the Grande Finale as an “Audience Choice”

Attendees at battle rounds will be given six tickets to vote for their favourite band. They can devote all six votes to one band or split them among the participating bands in any way they like. The three bands with the most votes overall at the end of the battle round will be invited to participate in the Grande Finale.  Over the course of the entire event, from November 14 to 29, the Audience Choice standings for all bands will be updated at the end of each night and will appear on our website at www.govfest.ca.

Advancement to the Grande Finale as a “People’s Choice”

The three bands with the highest amounts donated through their fundraising page at Canada Helps, as of 9pm on Monday December 1 (two days after the last show) will also be invited to participate in the Grande Finale.  At any time the current top fundraising bands will be visible at the Canada Helps website.

So, there will be six bands at the Grande Finale: the three top “Audience Choice” vote getters, plus the three top “People’s Choice” fundraisers.

Grande Finale Awards and Recognition

All bands participating in the Grand Finale will be eligible for the “Judges Choice” award based on which is most deserving in the opinion of the MVP judges.

There will also be votes available to attendees at the Grand Finale. The band with the most votes cast at the Grand Finale will win the “Audience Choice” award. 

The ability for people to make charitable donations  will be reopened for the Grand Finale. The band with the highest donations at the end of the Grand Finale will win the “People’s Choice” award.

Note: The Govfest organizing committee will strive to follow these guidelines as closely as possible but also reserves the right to revise the approach towards band reward and recognition in the case of unforeseen circumstances.  

Frequently Asked Questions About the Shows

Note for Govfest veterans: nothing has changed about the shows from last year 🙂

How long is the set and how much time do we have to change over?

For Battle Rounds, each band has 10 minutes to set up (this includes the time for the previous band to clear the stage, and 30 minutes to perform.  

For the Grand Finale show, because of the large number of bands and the desire to finish the show at a reasonable hour, based on our survey results we may ask bands to aim for a changeover of 5 minutes rather than shortening the set from 30 minutes.  We recognize this is difficult for some bands and we’ll make allowances as necessary – we don’t want to stress you out or compromise your performance!

What equipment will be available at the gig?  

Here is the backline that will be provided.

1. A five piece drumset (2 rack + 1 floor tom, kick drum and kick pedal, snare, 14in hi hat + stand, two crash cymbals and one ride cymbal plus cymbal stands, stool)
2. Bass cabinet (100-200w, 4×10 or comparable).  Will be stage left next to drumset.
3. Guitar amp: Fender Twin or comparable.  Will be stage left.
4. Guitar amp: Vox AC30 (2×12.  Stage right next to drumset.
5. Guitar amp: Marshall cab/head half-stack.  Stage right.  (may not be available at smaller venues)
6. Keyboard stand and keyboard monitor wedge speaker  (may not be available at smaller venues)
7. 5 vocal mics + stands and cabling
8. 5 music stands with lights
9. 4 guitar stands
10. DI boxes (number TBD)
11. Adequate power outlets will be available around the stage

All venues will have a sound engineer, sound board, lights, stage monitoring, etc.  If you have any specific questions about the equipment please contact the Band Lead who will be happy to assist.

What should you bring? 

• Drummers: sticks.  Moongels/damping rings if desired though the stage manager *may* have some.  All other breakables are provided (though you can bring your own, see below).
• Guitarists and bassists, other instrument players: instruments (please tune up before you hit the stage, thank you!), effects pedals/boards.  Power outlets will be available on stage.
• If there are an unusual number of musicians in your band, please bring additional music stands/instrument stands/etc. as necessary.

Can you bring your own equipment?

We know musicians love their own gear, but it is not always possible to accommodate this while still respecting the 5-10 minute changeover.  If you really want to use your own gear, please let the stage manager know your plan (ideally, before soundcheck), and please be mindful of how long it will take to swap your gear in and swap the original gear back in at the end of the set.  These changes are allowed at the discretion of the stage manager only.  At the end of your set please help the stage manager put the original gear back if your help is needed.  Some accommodations we have made in the past:

• Vocalists: their own microphones
• Drummers have used their own kick pedals, their own snare/cymbals, or added extra cymbals (splash/china/etc.), even an extra floor tom one year!  Please bring any necessary stands for extra cymbals, and be aware that overhead mic’ing will probably have to suffice for these.  In our experience drummers require the most time for changeover (adjusting heights of drums, etc.) so please be mindful!  
• Guitarists: we have had guitarists use their own small combo amp in place of the one provided (in exactly the same place), or use their own head in place of the Marshall head.  Please speak to the stage manager if you would like to do this.  Please do not move any of the larger amps, they will have been carefully mic’ed by the sound engineer during soundcheck.
• Stage props like lights/fans/posters/etc.  Please speak to the stage manager about these at the show, or better yet in the days BEFORE the show, and we’ll do our best to help you set those up.  Please do your best to help us help you by bringing everything needed.  
• Offstage portions of your stage show:  Dancing Santa Clauses!  Flying bagpipes!  We’ve seen it all and we’ll help you make it happen.  (Please just tell the stage manager what you’re planning!)

The stage manager has a difficult job of balancing the show schedule and keeping it moving vs giving every band the best possible playing experience.  These changes are allowed at the discretion of the stage manager only.  Please do what you can to make their job easier, and respect their guidance and decisions, thank you!

Will there be soundcheck time available?

Organizers will make every effort to have the backline setup and mic’ed by 5:30pm on show day so as to allow bands who want it the opportunity for an optional soundcheck, both for the benefit of the sound engineer and the bands themselves!   In the past, while slots have been assigned to bands (530-545, 545-6, etc.), the soundcheck process ends up being fairly relaxed and informal, so whoever is ready to soundcheck gets to do it.  We do specify (for obvious reasons) that the first band to perform be the last band to soundcheck.  For evenings which have more bands scheduled, it may not be possible to offer every band a soundcheck, but we’ll do our best.

We realize it can be difficult with traffic to arrive at the venue on time for soundcheck but please do your best, as sound engineers typically require a dinner break from 6:30 to 7 and doors open at 7   It is much more professional looking, (and less stressful) to solve problems in soundcheck than it is in front of an audience!

Will the shows be recorded or filmed?

We are making arrangements for filming and/or recording of shows.  More details to come.

Performers or attendees at Govfest events may be photographed or video-recorded, and these images/videos may be used in Govfest promotional material.  Please contact the Govfest organizers at contact@govfest.ca if you have concerns.  Thanks!