General Information
The Whitewater Festival, hosted by Churchill River Canoe Outfitters, occurs the last weekend in June. The weekend is full of people running awesome waves and trying new things. Don't know if you have what it takes? Don't worry! There will be plenty of knowledgeable people willing to teach you how to get on that wave you have been eyeing up. Some may even take you with them! This event is fun for the entire family. The weekend also includes a supper and band on Barker Island.
Generally people paddle upstream, about 3 hours from the boat launch at Devil Lake, and camp close to the main base, Barker Island. We will have motorboat shuttles available for hire to bring people, playboats, and gear upstream. More information about this is posted in the "Prices" tab.
Itinerary
Friday, June 28:
This year we will be holding an intro event on Barker island on Friday evening. Bring your own food and drinks for a pre-festival prep! We will host boat demonstrations, a safety talk and orientations for the festival. This is the day most people arrive and head up river to find a place to camp for the night. Plan to roll in early in the afternoon so that you don't miss out on any of the festivities.
5:30 pm: Bring Your Own Picnic Dinner. People will be meeting on Barker Island for some evening fun and interesting paddle sport related talks. Bring your supper and your instruments too!
7:00 pm: We will discuss what the plan will be for Saturday.
11:00 pm: People usually begin to make their way back to their campsites at this time
Saturday, June 29:
Depending on water levels, we spend the day at several different sets of rapids. We run a number of short courses - everything from how to surf, to rolling, to front ferrying, to how to get on to a specific wave, to eddy turns, etc.
9:30am: Rendezvous at Barker Island to set up paddling plans for the day. Sign ups for paddling clinics can also happen at this time.
10:00 am: Paddling clinic - Front Ferrys and Eddy turns
1:00 pm: Paddling clinic - Surf City surfing clinics (beginner to advanced)
5:00 pm: Paddling clinic - Intro to Rolling
6:30 pm: Supper. Our caterer will be serving an amazing supper on Barker island. Last year we fed over 100 people on the island. It's a great party!
7:30 pm: Band, TBA - Last year we hosted Rugged Little Thing, and the stringed singer/songwriter duo blew us away!
8:30 pm: Prizes on Barker Island
Sunday, June 30:
Some of the more advanced paddlers, generally go further up river to some of the larger rapids. The others go back to the rapids that they had fun in before or the rapids that they had not managed to try.
9:30am: Rendezvouz at Barker Island
10am: Guided Paddling Excursions. There will be three options: Barker Circuit (Intermediate/Advanced: up to Donaldson Channel and back), Murray Channel Circuit (Intermediate), and Three Sisters Circuit (Intro).
Monday, July 1:
Canada Day! There will be folks wanting to stick around an extra day. That's great! There's no better place to hang out than Barker Lake.
Quick Tips
Make sure you like Churchill River Canoe Outfitters facebook page for updates about the festival and an invite to the event with more details
Come prepared to get wet i.e. swimsuits, wetsuits, and warm clothes for in camp
If you know you are coming already and don't have a map of the area, buy one now! No matter how many we stock in advance we tend to sell most of them during the weekend. You can buy a Barker Lake map on our Canoe Maps Canada Website.
Prices
Early Bird Tickets until May 31: $75 + tax
Whitewater Festival 2019 Ticket: $80 + tax
Children 10 and under get in free
Includes: Festival Swag, Band Friday night, supper Saturday night, and the Canoe Clinics offered over the weekend
Tickets should be purchased in advanced at CRCO because there is a limited number available. You can call ahead or stop in at our office before heading upstream. You will also be asked to fill out a couple forms.
Does not include a motorboat shuttle upstream from Devil's Lake to Barker Island
Does not include equipment rental (e.g. canoes, camping gear, etc.)
Motorboat Shuttle from Devil's Lake to Barker Island: $40
Includes one boat load to Barker Island. This can be 3 people or 1 person and one boat or 2 people and a small kayak etc.
Shuttles are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Shuttles MUST be booked in advance with CRCO staff and will be available on a limited basis
