New music, comedy festival brings sober entertainment to Langford
When catching a concert, comedy show or sports event, alcohol is almost always on the menu.
For recovering addicts, the temptation to drink at events can be strong, which is why a Vancouver Island man is launching a music and comedy festival that's designed to be a safe and fun place for those living with addictions challenges.
"Despair, disconnect," that's how Mike Manhas describes living through 21 years of addiction.
"I was addicted to everything is the honest truth," he told CTV News.
Staring down a possible jail sentence, Manhas entered rehab.
"While I’m there a lot starts to change," he said. "It’s the very first time I admit that I have a problem, that I’m an addict, and it’s the very first time I realize I’m not alone."
This October, Manhas will celebrate nine years of sobriety. It’s a journey that hasn’t been easy and has often meant avoiding social events altogether.
"There I was sitting in the corner with a couple of people in early recovery, nervous, thinking, 'Well, I want to do what they’re doing,'" said the recovering addict.
"I don’t want to have to give up music, I don’t want to give up comedy, I don’t want to have to give up watching events, but where do I go to do all that stuff?" he said.
Mike Manhas is pictured at his home in Metchosin, B.C. (CTV News)
That's the question that led to the idea of SoberFest. The festival is a one-day event with 10 live musical acts, 10 comedians and more.
SoberFest will be making its debut in Langford, B.C., on Aug. 27.
"Everyone deserves a safe place to be," Manhas said.
Manhas has also created a non-profit called The Rewired Recovery Foundation, which the festival will support.
"When someone is ready, we have to open the door," said Sharlene Law, executive direct of Umbrella Society, a mental health and substance use support organization in Victoria.
To get a spot in a publicly funded addictions facility, wait times can be anywhere from three to nine months. Proceeds from SoberFest will fund four beds which will be facilitated through the Umbrella Society in Victoria.
"Most of our clients are on the waitlist for some kind of treatment, so we’ll just be identifying people that are able to go as soon as the bed is offered and make sure it’s a good fit," said Law.
The goal for Manhas is to make SoberFest an annual event and fund more treatment beds.
"To be able to help even just one person a year is a miracle, but I think we can do better and I think we can do more," said Manhas. "In my heart of hearts, I just want to do more. "
SoberFest will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ranger Station in Langford.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased through the SoberFest 2022 Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.