Eminem, Bruno Mars, Arcade Fire To Headline Squamish

You’ll want to set your GPS for western Canada come August when Eminem, Bruno Mars and Arcade Fire top the lineup for “Virgin Mobile Presents The Squamish Valley Music Festival.”

Photo: AP Photo / PA, Yui Mok

Reading Festival, Richfield Avenue, Reading, UK

Set for Aug. 8-10 at the Logger Sports Grounds and Centennial Fields in Squamish, British Columbia, Squamish will also host Broken Bells, Foster The People, The Roots, Lykke Li, Thievery Corporation, The Head And The Heart, Sam Roberts Band, Atmosphere, Serena Ryder, Tokyo Police Club, Boys Noize and others.

Promoter Live Nation is giving Squamish a huge upgrade for 2014, more than doubling the festival site from 32 acres to 81 acres and expects to accommodate more than 35,000 fans per day, up from 19,000 per day in 2013.

Squamish will also boast a newly redesigned EDM arena to be curated by western Canada electronica promoter Blueprint Events.

“This event represents a turning point not only for BC’s live music industry, but also for Canada’s event industry as a whole,” Live Nation Canada president Paul Haagenson said. “To date, Squamish is Eminem’s only festival announcement in 2014, and will be his first western Canadian show in more than a decade.”

Photo: John Davisson

Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, Calif.

Squamish is boosting its radio frequency identification operation and will be mailing RFID wristbands to ticket holders via registered mail during the weeks leading up to the festival. The wristbands will allow for easier entry and faster processing of transactions on the festival grounds.

“We’re pleased to announce that our RFID system also allows us to be the first fully cashless festival in Canada,” Squamish Valley Music Festival executive / brand.LIVE VP Paul Runnals said. “This will speed up service times at beer gardens, food vendors and merchant sites around the grounds. Guests can load their RFID wristband with credit prior to entering the festival grounds, and will have multiple options to add credit if necessary.”

Photo: Denise Truscello

Performing at The Chelsea located in The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

A Virgin Mobile members presale begins Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. and runs until Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. Members who purchase festival passes will receive $20 credit on their RFID wristbands. The general onsale launches Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. All times PST. Head over to SquamishFestival.com for everything you need to know.