By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer
On September 15, the second annual Clean Air Festival was hosted at Slocan Park. The Clean Air Festival is an “immuno-inclusive,” hybrid event put together by a team of community members and organizations. Some organizations include Clean Air 604, a group that provides arts and cultural events in Vancouver with masks and air purifiers, and DoNoHarmBC, a group that advocates for “effective and equitable public health policies.”
Other organizers included Safe Schools Coalition BC, an organization that works to protect the rights and safety of marginalized students, as well as Protect Our Province BC, an organization that advocates for evidence-based public health policies. The first Clean Air Festival took place in 2023 and was inspired by the idea that protecting each other by wearing masks “should be considered a celebration.”
The Peak interviewed Dr. Karina Zeidler, co-founder of Protect Our Province BC. Zeidler described the event as a place where people can “get together and celebrate solidarity, mutual aid, and community care.” Considering the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she emphasized the importance of making “sure that the safety precautions for the event would be really robust” for people to enjoy the festival without unnecessary risks.
“It can be pretty isolating out there these days for people who are still wanting to stay safe from COVID-19 as well as other airborne pathogens or other air pollutants,” said Zeidler. “For some people, there’s very limited events and activities that they can participate in if they are particularly high-risk.” N95 and KN95 masks were provided to event-goers and required for participation at the festival. Zeidler also noted that a lot of effort was put into making sure that the festival was physically accessible and a safe environment for queer and gender-diverse people.
The event hosted activities for all ages, including kids’ games, live shows, and a workshop for making air purifiers that were later donated to schools and vulnerable community members. Zeidler explained that the live shows’ purpose was to deliver entertainment in a safe manner and uplift multiple marginalized artists. Zeidler described Rae Spoon, the main performer at the event, as a “trailblazer” in the music industry for their career as a Canadian trans musician over the past 20 years.
Other artists featured at the festival included Dani Your Darling, Kayli Jamieson, Travis Bernhardt, and Geoff Berner. Zeidler added, “They’ve been doing a lot of work in terms of wanting to create safe, live music performances” by holding outdoor concerts and wearing masks.
Zeidler hopes to see the Clean Air Festival continue to be an event where people can come together in a safe and accessible way. “We’re hoping every year that we’ll be able to push it a little bit further,” she said, referring to the festival’s growth in size and sponsorship since its first run.
