Victoria, British Columbia will be in for another unforgettable week-long summer party when VICTORIA''S 6th ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL—aka “The Festival of the People”— once again combines great music, beautiful weather and good times. In July, people from around the world will be joining Vancouver Islanders in celebrating some of the best ska, reggae, funk, punk, jazz, hip-hop, soul and more from North America, South America and beyond! For 2005, VICTORIA''S 6th ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL will run from July 13th – July 16th at four separate venues throughout the city. For this year''s Festival, the Victoria BC Ska Society has managed to land some of the biggest names in ska music today! These bands include FISHBONE, LONG BEACH SHORTBUS, VICTOR RICE, THE MAKESHIFT HEROES, and MAD BOMBER SOCIETY to name a few! VICTORIA''S 6TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL IS THE LARGEST AND LONGEST RUNNING FESTIVAL OF ITS KIND IN NORTH AMERICA! The majority of the bands that play at SkaFest have traveled great distances just to be at the Festival and would not be appearing in this part of the world otherwise. Lineups for the free and ticketed performances have been uniquely assembled and cannot be found anywhere else in North America. (For example: on July 16th, this year''s Ska Festival will mark the first time FISHBONE and LONG BEACH SHORTBUS have played back to back on the same bill.) In addition to a huge concert on Saturday July 16th with FISHBONE, LONG BEACH SHORTBUS, MAD BOMBER SOCIETY, THE FURIOS, & DJ SU-COMANDANTE, the Victoria BC Ska Society is also very excited about our opening night on Wednesday, July 13th which will feature VICTOR RICE (producer of the The Stubborn All-Stars, The Slackers, The Scofflaws and the much acclaimed recording, Dub Side of the Moon). During this special appearance, Victor Rice will be giving a keynote address and dub demonstration. In addition, the Victoria BC Ska Society will be presenting a special video featuring many of the bands that have performed at SkaFest, past and present. Other shows at this year''s Ska Festival will be held at Steamers Pub, and Victoria''s Centennial Square. All performances will be all-ages, except for those at Steamers Pub, and will include a bar or beverage garden for adults. In addition to the ‘official'' programming, there will be parties abound during the week of SkaFest. Advance tickets are available for the Main Event Concert only (July 16th @ the Victoria Curling Club). Tickets for all other performances will be available at the door only! TICKETS FOR THE SKA FESTIVAL MAIN EVENT CONCERT ARE AVAILABLE NOW ON TICKETWEB.COM & AT YOUR LOCAL TICKET OUTLETS!! FISHBONE, LONG BEACH SHORTBUS, MAD BOMBER SOCIETY, THE FURIOS, & DJ SUB COMANDANTE ALL-AGES with BEER GARDEN, FOOD & MERCHANDISE TENTS SATURDAY, JULY 16TH @ VICTORIA CURLING CLUB – 1952 Quadra Street, Victoria BC, Canada; (Doors at 7:00pm – 2am) Ø $25 when purchased in advance at the following locations: VICTORIA: ¨ Lyle''s Place—Ditch Records—A&B Sound—Backstage Pass VANCOUVER: ¨ Zulu Records—Highlife Records—Scratch Records NANAIMO ¨ Fascinating Rhythms DUNCAN ¨ Area 51 COURTNEY ¨ Backstage Pass SALT SPRING ISLAND ¨ Acoustic Planet ONLINE AT: http://www.ticketweb.com