New Belgium – Fruit Bats at the 2015 Doe Bay Music Festival (Video)

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago scattered like little gemstones in Washington’s gray/green Puget Sound and, VERY arguably, Orcas Island is the crown jewel of this group of heavily forested, individual, floating, mini paradises. Most of the islands are only accessible by ferry, and Orcas is no exception to this traffic-limiting factor, and as such, it manages to keep most of the island’s serenity intact despite the San Juan Islands’ close proximity to Seattle. Every August, 1,000 people brave the ferry system and descend onto this little island to revel in an expertly-curated lineup of musicians and community building that is the Doe Bay Music Festival and New Belgium has been there for years as the proud (and grateful) beer provider.

Each year at the festival, we try our best to connect the festival goers with the local island community in a way that makes everyone’s experience a bit more memorable. So we asked our favorite artist performing at the festival, Portland’s Fruit Bats, if they wouldn’t mind playing a surprise set to a lucky 30 people or so who wake up a little early, saddle up their bikes, and ride five miles south of Doe Bay with us to another little inlet where Buck Bay Shellfish Farm calls home for a crab, oyster, and beer-mosa brunch. Yeah, we fancy.

The Fruit Bats’ Eric Johnson played a short but truly great set, shellfish AND beers were cracked, and a magical morning shared with dozens of new friends was had by all in attendance. If you go to Doe Bay Festival next year, it’d probably be a good idea to bring a bike and set your alarm. It’ll be worth it, we promise.

A very, very special thanks to Buck Bay Shellfish Farm and The Fruit Bats.