Prior to 1982 our many talented musicians, along with their music teachers, traveled to Red Deer or Stettler in order to participate in a music festival. The number of participants grew steadily until it was evident that Lacombe could support our budding artists by hosting our own festival. The Lacombe Music Festival Association was formalized in March of 1981 and we proudly showcased our first festival that year. Our enrolment has ranged from 434 to 647 entries. While the numbers ebb and flow it is evident that interest and pride in our local festival remains. This year the number of entries is 438 with 1077 participants.

Our goals are to develop opportunities that enhance and further the cause of fine arts, and to bring the gifts of arts and culture into the lives of as many community members as possible. Over the years, our Festival Association has sponsored six free workshops for students and their teachers, in the areas of Vocal, Speech, and Piano.

The Lacombe and District Music Festival Association (a member of the Alberta Music Festival Association) is a registered non-profit organization that relies upon the combined efforts of many committed volunteers for human and financial resources. Fundraising has always been a large component of our committee’s work as annual expenses associated with hosting our music festival are over $18,000.00. We are fortunate to receive monetary support from local businesses and residents, and entry fees for the festival are supplemented by a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We operate without any paid staff positions and provide a well organized festival with highly accredited adjudicators. Our entrants have opportunities to compete for awards, trophies and scholarships at the local, provincial and national levels.

If you are interested in furthering the efforts of the Lacombe and District Music Festival your help would be most welcome in any way. For more information please view our "Support Us" page.