This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Midsummer Music Festival in Smithers, one of Northwest B.C.’s more prestigious and longest running concert gatherings.

Over three days Midsummer offered some of the biggest headliners from the past 40 years, and a slice of home grown talent with the return of the world renowned Beatniks, the MIP Power Trio, and of course, Grammy award winner, and Smithers' own Alex Cuba.

But after 40 years, what keeps the midsummer music festival hip and relevant? Where does it go from here and what mark has it left on Northern B.C. culture?

We’ll dive into that and more with stories from the past 40 years as the first generation of organisers pass the torch to those that grewup on Midsummer, or as some simply and affectionately refer to as: Festival.