Music is back in British Columbia.

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and outdoor gatherings reaching 5,000 person (or 50 per cent) capacity, festival coordinators have kicked their plans into high gear.

CICK News spoke with four music festival planners about their summer festivals, the new COVID-19 plans for their fests, and what audience members can expect.

First up is Smithers' Midsummer Music Festival. This festival is celebrating it's 39th year in 2021. 2020 was the first year missed and community members lamented the loss of the July long weekend festival: "Sad but necessary," commented Ezra Cipes on Facebook.

But the festival continued to find ways to present music in the months after the strictest lockdown times. The Bulkley Valley Folk Music Society presented online "coffee houses," a presentation of local musicians presenting their music and connecting the community through sound.

CICK spoke with the Bulkley Valley Folk Music Society's president William Elliott about the festival (audio below):