Q&A with The Festival at Sandpoint

Photo by Racheal Baker

By Like Media Team

Forty-three summers in, the Festival at Sandpoint returns to War Memorial Field July 30 through August 9. What happens on stage draws the crowd, but what happens around it is what keeps people coming back. The series brings two weeks of live music to the lakeshore. Every ticket funds year-round music education across North Idaho.

Q. The 2026 lineup runs from Andy Grammer to George Thorogood to a live-scored film. What are you actually balancing behind the scenes?  A. Booking for the following year’s Summer Series starts over a year in advance. One of the primary factors we consider when sending artist offers is our audience and what they want to see. This feedback is delivered in many ways, namely, by the artists and genres that have performed best in the past, and by direct audience requests. Our goal is to offer multiple genres like pop, country, and rock, with something for every age group to enjoy. There are many variables, like whether the artist will be in the area during our dates or if our stage can support their production, to name a few. The best way to describe it is an intense, multi-faceted game of chess. Q. Opening night is July 30. When the gates open at War Memorial Field, what does that first hour look like?  A. Despite a majority of the staff having several years of the Summer Series under our belts, nerves are always high during the first hour of gates opening. In that first hour, every department is on alert, looking for ways to make real-time adjustments to improve the guest experience. For example, we constantly observe the flow of each line so we can redistribute staffing across gates to efficiently admit guests.

Q. Community Night on August 2 brings Hannah Meehan together with Joseph and Sydney Dale at $20. What makes that night different?  A. The 2026 Community Night will be our second annual. As a nonprofit, our main goal is to make a night of live music accessible to the community at an affordable price. At $20, Community Night is our most affordable ticket. This year, we are also excited to showcase two North Idaho singer-songwriters and give them a larger stage to share their work.

Q. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – In Concert closes the series on August 9. Who shows up, and what does a live orchestra add that a soundtrack can't? A. From grandparents and grandkids, aunts and nephews, parents and children, and more, our movies in concert, including How to Train Your Dragon 2, offer a live music and movie experience that guests of all ages can enjoy and where families can connect. The orchestra makes the film’s score feel much more impactful, with the music being performed live in front of you. The live orchestra also provides kids with a meaningful connection to classical music brought to life through a movie they already love.

Q. Programs like Snacks at Midnight, Little Live Radio Hour, and the instrument library run year-round. How much of the Festival's work happens outside the two weeks people see? A. We operate with seven full-time staff and two part-time staff. The team works year-round, planning, booking, and marketing for the Summer Series, often beginning 18 months before the concerts. We also run our year-round free music education programs, including in-class pre-K lessons, an instrument library, a youth strings orchestra, scholarships, and more. We also offer production services to support other local organizations’ events, like the Heart Ball, Lost in the 50s, and Little Live Radio Hour. 

Q. Every ticket supports music education across North Idaho. Where does that show up for students?  A. Every ticket purchase and donation supports our music education programs, allowing them to be offered at little to no cost for participating community members. Since 2024, we have partnered with Lake Pend Oreille School District to provide 14 trombones to students in the 6th Grade Band program. Over 300 students across the district now have access to trombone, an option previously unavailable.

During the 2026 school year, we provided 78 hours of music instruction across 188 in-class lessons to 84 preschool students at Huckleberry Montessori, Kaniksu Community Health Kids Club, Selkirk School, and Sandpoint Play & Learn. Students learn specific rhythmic elements while integrating new instruments, such as sousaphones, didgeridoos, and bongos. This rhythm-based approach helps students establish strong foundations between the ages of 3 and 6, an age group with one of the largest gaps in music education nationwide. 

Q. Forty-three summers in, what's one moment that says everything about why people come back?  A. It is not a specific instance but rather a collection of moments that represent the reason our Summer Series is more than a concert. It’s guests encountering friends they haven’t seen in years, singing along in unison, or dancing like no one is watching. The Summer Series is a community, whether you are from Sandpoint or not. Everyone unites over the same thing: the music. The Festival at Sandpoint Venue Address: 801 Ontario Street, War Memorial Field, Sandpoint, ID 208.265.4554 FestivalatSandpoint.com Instagram.com/festivalatsandpoint Facebook.com/festivalatsandpoint Check out more Q&As here!