Beach Fest organizers are looking for at least six new volunteers to help ensure the festival returns to Slave Lake in 2027. The Lesser Slave Lake Beach Fest Society says it ideally needs closer to 10 new members to spread the workload and make the event sustainable.

The society will discuss its future and volunteer needs at its annual general meeting on Oct. 6.
Melody Price, chair of the society and the 2026 event organizer, says the biggest challenge facing Beach Fest is finding people willing to commit to the year-round work required to put on the festival.

“Planning for an event like this includes pursuing sponsorships and grants, tons of back-end administration and organization, bookkeeping, permit applications, communications, social media campaigns, checklists, safety meetings, and so much more during the entire year leading up to August,” Price says in an email to the Lakeside Leader.

While community members have traditionally rallied to help in the week leading up to the festival, Price says much of the work happens long before the event itself.

For Beach Fest 2026, she says, the majority of the planning fell to three or four core group members, creating a significant workload for the volunteers involved.

The society’s most pressing recruitment needs include an organizer willing to commit for a couple of years, a social media manager and a sponsorship and grant coordinator.

Price says the society would still need additional volunteers beyond those positions for the event to be viable.
Based on the experience of organizing the 2026 festival, Price says at least six new members are needed, while 10 would be preferable.

“If we are unable to find enough new volunteers, unfortunately we will have to disband the Society, and there is potential for Beach Fest not to go forward into 2027 unless another organization would be willing to take it on,” she says.

The amount of work expected from new volunteers will depend on how many people join the society, Price says.
Last year’s board members often took on multiple responsibilities.

However, with a larger group, Price hopes individual commitments could be limited to roughly five to 10 hours per month, including monthly meetings.

Some positions would also have relatively little work during portions of the year before activity increases closer to the festival, she says.

Price, who organized the 2026 event, plans to remain involved in meetings and help train new volunteers on the society’s existing processes while offering advice on potential improvements.

“The biggest thing is showing up, participating, and being a person that we can depend on to make things happen,” she says.
The society says Beach Fest remains an important community event, with organizers receiving positive feedback following the 2026 festival.

Price says the society would like to eventually expand the festival, particularly its sand-sculpture competition, to attract participants and visitors from throughout Alberta and potentially beyond.

The Beach Fest Society’s AGM is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Holiday Inn conference room at 1551 Main St. SE in Slave Lake.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for prospective volunteers to learn more about the roles needed to organize the 2027 festival.

William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader