For years, the Shambhala Music Festival held near Salmo was the area’s little secret. The event was born of the unique art and culture of the region 14 years ago. About 500 people attended the first Shambhala in 1998 and the festival now draws about 10,000 annually, making it the largest city in the West Kootenay for five days out of the year. Now it seems the secret is out!

Last Friday in London, England, Shambhala was named ‘Best Large Festival’ at the 10th Annual Breakspoll International Breakbeat Awards. Shambhala was one of the smaller events in the Best Large Event category, up against festivals like Burning Man in the U.S.(50,000 plus attendees) and the U.K.’s infamous Glastonbury (150,000 plus attendees).

Shambhala’s award was received by Simon Shackleton, whose DJ name is Elite Force. Shackleton won awards for Best Producer and Best Record Label for U&A Recordings. The awards ceremony was accompanied by a night of electronic music from some of the biggest names in the Breakbeat genre at Cable in London.

The 2011 Shambhala Festival has already been experiencing its strongest year of sales on record and is over half sold out. International attendance has been on the rise in recent years, with many travelling from the US, UK and Australia (among other countries) to the Kootenay Rockies to experience Canada’s premier electronic music festival.

Now that Shambhala has been voted the world’s best large breakbeat event, those numbers may very likely increase further in years to come. Congratulations Shambhala Music Festival – you’ve arrived on the world stage.