Internationally acclaimed favourites Weezer, Metric and John Butler Trio will headline this year's Live at Squamish Festival Aug. 20 and 21 at Squamish's Loggers Sports Grounds.
The inaugural festival attracted some 6,000 music fans to town and Brand.live organizer Paul Runnals said he was pleased to "take it up a notch."
"We're thrilled with the lineup that we've been able to put together so far," Runnals said.
"We're no longer a first-year festival. We proved the concept for the people that came out last year and got to see and touch and feel what the festival's all about and this year will take it to the next level."
Runnals said thanks to its first-year success and more time to plan, Live At Squamish was able to secure more high-profile acts this year.
"We've been able to go out and secure much more significant acts that are going to sell a lot more tickets," he said.
"Metric is one of the biggest bands in the country right now, so in terms of following, obviously they are bigger acts than we were able to pull in last year," he said.
"We're equally excited about Weezer because they'll bring out the original Indie rock crowd and the response has been overwhelming - people are very excited about it, as are we."
The lineup of performers for the festival also includes infamous "Master of Mashup" DJ Girl Talk, North Vancouver native Kyprios, and five-piece Toronto pop tunes band Sweet Thing.
Major Lazer, Doc Martin, Dubtribe Sound System, The Zolas, Bend Sinister and more round out the lineup.
Runnals admitted the festival is skewed slightly toward Indie rock and electronic.
"We feel this year we've really stepped up the level of talent in both categories - we've got Girl Talk and Major Lazer who are among the hottest DJs out there."
Runnals said that aside from the lineup, other differences include only one other main stage and an on-site camping area.
The second main stage will be located where the Clubzone stage was last year, and won't be limited to one musical genre.
"During the daytime no one really cared too much about the Clubzone stage because it's more of a night-time party thing," Runnals said. "So this year we'll program the afternoon period on the second stage for Indie rock and local acts, and as we get toward dinner time we'll switch it over into DJ electronic stuff."
Runnals said it will create a better environment overall.
"The second stage has a great place to sit and watch a band in the afternoon and an ideal dance floor for those who want to party on to the electronic music in the evening."
He said the organizers are also considering incorporating some strolling entertainment such as an acoustic café or something of that genre.
The former Squamish Equinox Rock Festival (SERF) stage area will now provide limited on-site camping, an option available when tickets are purchased.
Pre-sale tickets for Live at Squamish 2011 go on sale Tuesday (April 5), followed by a public on-sale date of April 8. Single-day, early-bird tickets start at $79, with weekend passes starting at $119 (plus service charges, while supplies last).
According to Runnals, the first limited batch of tickets is expected to sell out quickly and fans are urged to act quickly to avoid disappointment and get the lowest possible prices. He said the festival will be more than worth it.
"We're looking forward to coming back and we're very excited about what it's going to look like this year," he said.
"This year, everyone who was blown away by last year's experience gets to come back with a bunch of friends - we've cranked the bands up and we've made a few other improvements that people will see on site.
"It's going to pick up where the other one left off and I think that's going to be great."
To purchase tickets visit www.liveatsquamish.com.
