Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the hot nights? Are you ready for the fireflies, the moonlit skies, and a whole lot of fooling around?

It’s not clear why I identify with the film, Meatballs. After all, I never went to summer camp. But there’s something about Camp North Star – and its real-life equivalent – that makes me feel sentimental about those lost summer days of youth.

Of course, I’m too old to go to camp now (though I would totally dominate the Camp Olympiad), but I’m still young enough to enjoy the occasional summer festival.

So are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the good times?

Then here’s a sampling of what’s going on in this neck of the woods.

Mission Folk Music Festival (July 19-22): If you don’t get your fill of folk music at the Vancouver festival, head out to Mission’s iteration: world, blues, roots and more.  Check out MissionFolkMusicFestival.ca for more info.

Neanderthal Arts Festival (July 19-29): Summer theatre emerges from its cave for a third year.  Featuring new and experimental work from local and national companies. It all goes down at the Cultch. Find out more at Thal.ca.

Rock the Peach Music Festival (July 27-29): Anyone up for a road trip? Check out this new festival in Penticton, with the Sam Roberts Band, Collective Soul, Ronnie Dunn, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, and more. Visit RockthePeach.ca for more info.

Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival (Aug. 5): Events start in mid-July and culminate with the parade on August 5. Get the full calendar at VancouverPride.ca.

Shamhbala Music Festival (Aug. 8-13): One of the premier electronic music festivals in Canada. It’s grown from 500 people in 1998 to 10,000 today. Accepts no corporate sponsorship and is hosted on the same working farm it started on 14 years ago: the Salmo River Ranch near Kaslo. Visit ShambhalaMusicFestival.com.

Live at Squamish (Aug. 24-26): Personally, I’ve seen enough Tragically Hip-headlined events to last a lifetime. But to each their own. Anyway, the Hip headlines this year’s LAS, with Mother Mother, Chromeo, the Sheepdogs, the Airborne Toxic Event, Wintersleep, and many, many more. Visit LiveatSquamish.com for more info.