Victoria City Councillor Matt Dell has filed a motion to bring the BreakOut West Music Festival & Conference back to Victoria in 2026.
The three-day festival and conference is presented by the Western Canadian Music Alliance, an organization that includes music industry associations from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and the North West Territories. It is capped off by the Western Canadian Music Awards ceremony.
“This is an important western-Canadian artist showcase and awards that will bring lots of great musicians, industry people and concerts to the city,” said Councillor Dell in a Facebook post. “It’s also huge for the local economy, with an estimate 700+ hotel rooms and $2 million in economic activity.”
The music festival is a multi-genre, multi-venue event that would present more than 50 western Canadian music acts. The conference connects music industry leaders with aspiring musicians through workshops, keynote speakers and meetings.
Dell’s motion recommends city council to direct staff to provide the Western Canadian Music Alliance with up to $25,000 of in-kind donations, in the form of space at the Victoria Conference Centre to help support the event.
Dell closed out his Facebook post asking anyone who supports bringing BreakOut West to Victoria to send an email of support to [email protected].
BreakOut West was last held in Victoria in September 2015 in a partnership with Rifflandia Music Festival.
If the motion passes, the event is tentatively planned to take place in Victoria in September 2026, but would not be during Rifflandia.
