Sled Island Announces Guest Curator Sudan Archives

The Calgary-based music and arts festival is ready to get back to work.

by RANGE

Published on January 18, 2022

Let’s try that again — Sled Island Music & Arts Festival has been patiently biding their time through the unwelcome pause on live music, and today the Calgary-based event gets to celebrate one small victory and one big step towards reimagining the festival everyone deserves with the announcement of guest curator Sudan Archives. Originally scheduled to curate the indie festival’s 2020 edition, the R&B-infused violinist/songwriter is back on the bill, working with the Sled Island team to elevate their programming through thoughtful curation.

“I’m excited Sled Island invited me back again to be a part of this year’s event,” says Brittney Parks aka Sudan Archives. “It’s such an eclectic festival and I can’t wait to see my curatorial picks included within this year’s lineup!”

On her 2019 debut, Athena, themes of duality break open Parks’ lyrical prowess. The unearthly album embodies everything the rising artist stands for: understated feminism, electric sexuality, and rebellious vulnerability. These things are delivered in a very powerful way by her sultry voice.

In addition to pairing emerging artists with established acts that music fans already know and love, one thing that has always made the festival unique in its approach is the invitation of a guest curator; past personalities have included Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Peaches, Flying Lotus and Pavement’s Scott Kannberg.

In the coming months, Sled Island will announce 200 additional bands, plus a plethora of comedy, film and visual art events which will be hosted at multiple venues throughout the city June 22 to 26.

Passes are on sale now at SledIsland.com. Semi-early bird pricing will last until February 22, 2022, at 11:59 pm MST.