It’s one of the oldest and most diverse music and arts festivals in Canada.

The Harrison Festival of the Arts continues to build on its stellar reputation for delivering live music in a beach-side setting with a great lineup, July 10 to 19, in Harrison Hot Springs.

The ticketed concert series kicks off with Yves Lambert & Bébert Orchestra (July 10), led by the man considered a reference point when it comes to Quebecois folk music. Then it’s the Red Stick Ramblers (July 11), a Baton Rouge band playing a mix of Cajun, Creole and western swing.

The duo Hapa (July 12) brings the best in Contemporary Hawaiian music including a champion hula dancer. Critics say acoustic bluesman Eric Bibb (July 15) is what the blues in the new century should be about.

Bellowhead (July 16) will bring English folk, but in a funky, contemporary and unique style with the help of a four-piece brass section. Umalali (July 17) is a performance ensemble presenting the Garifuna culture of Central America. Rastrillos (July 18) is a Mexican band blending ska, reggae and afrobeat with traditional Latin forms like norteno and cumbia. Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band (July 19) plays country blues reminiscent of the Mississippi Delta.

An evening concert runs each night of the fest at 8:30 p.m. in Harrison Memorial Hall — 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Now in its 31st year, the Harrison Festival has continued to present the best in Canadian and International performing and visual arts, while maintaining a relaxed, small town atmosphere. There’s music from all corners of the globe, visual and literary arts, theatre, a large outdoor art and craft market, workshops as well as a special day for children and is unique in that it takes place throughout the village, not on an enclosed site like most large festivals.

Music is performed on the beach each day of the Festival, with multiple performances on the weekends. Admission to the Music on the Beach area is $2, with a festival button. Performers this year include the North of 60 Fiddle Jam bringing fiddling traditions from Canada’s North, and music & dance highlights will come from the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration. Bringing the sunny sounds to Harrison, Jarimba is a B.C. band combining music of West Africa with jazz and Afro-Cuban influences and Canefire! is Toronto’s hottest calypso band. Lester Quitzau is one of Canada’s hottest blues guitarists, know for his work with Tri-Continental. The Ghost Brothers are a hot new BC pop/rock group getting a lot of notice. The Carrivick Sisters hail from Devon, and these twins are dyeing their English roots with highlights of bluegrass. Vishten features Acadian traditional music from Prince Edward Island, while Reveillons! presents Québecois traditional music and dance. M=Girl incorporates the sounds of blues, roots, and world beat with traditional Aboriginal rhythms.

More details at www.harrisonfestival.com or call the Harrison Festival Society office at 604-796-3664.