If you’re a fan of festivals, Vancouver is the place to be in the summer.

Each weekend offers its fair share of sun-splashed music and arts-related wonders, and it’s almost impossible to take it all in without having to make some really tough choices.

That said, there is always that itch to get away from it all that makes you want to hit the pavement or the ferry, running off to some remote corner of the province, away from the tall glass condo towers of False Creek.

So where do you go when you just have to give that itch a scratch, and what far-flung locale can you run off to and still get a little taste of a summer fest?

No matter what kind of music you dig, there’s a way that leads to it, and we’ve concocted a little B.C. festivals road map of 10 events that will enable you — should you decide to put the pedal to the metal — to enjoy a bit of everything all summer long, all across B.C.

So grab those crayons and let’s go off on an adventure ...

Keloha!

July 5-7 | Kelowna

keloha.com

Kelowna’s hip weekend bash is the perfect excuse for hipsters to dust off their Ray-Bans. With two stages featuring psych rockers MGMT, duo Matt & Kim, Canadian blue collar champs Arkells, rapper Shad, Brooklyn buzz duo Cults and Victoria’s sizzling slide guitar rockers Current Swell, among many others, Keloha offers a tall cool glass of good times for the whole family. Some tickets for the main event and passes for the after-parties are still available at keloha.com. If you really want to splurge, go for the Platinum Pass, which gives you VIP access and priority entrance.

Vancouver Island MusicFest

July 12-14 | Courtenay

islandmusicfest.com

Call it a little taste of everything for the discerning, mature listener, with performances by Mary Chapin Carpenter & Marc Cohn, Kris Kristofferson, John Hiatt and his Combo, Kiran Ahluwalia, and guitar heroes James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett and David Wilcox. So whether you walk, ride, carpool or fly-in — as the festival’s website says — the Island MusicFest offers an idyllic retreat in the heart of nature with great music for everyone. Got your tickets already? Good, because it’s completely sold out.

Fusion Festival

July 20-21 | Surrey

surrey.ca/fusionfestival

A free event as much about culture and food as it is about arts and music, Surrey’s Fusion Festival is the place to sample a tastes from all over the globe. That said, it’s the music that often stands out, with over 100,000 fans making their way to Holland Park last year. On the pop side this year: Rapper k-os, Vancouver indie faves The Zolas, bluesman Jim Byrnes, and acclaimed singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing. On the world side: the Ukrainian Prairie Band, Vancouver Korean Arts Society Drummers and Shannon’s Highland Dancers, among others.

Mission Folk Music Festival

July 25-28 | Mission

missionfolkmusicfestival.ca

The sibling to Vancouver’s own famous Folk Music Festival, Mission’s celebration of all things rootsy and folky will feature a wide range of smaller folk names like so-called “sons of Mumford & Sons” The Archers, named B.C.’s best teen band in 2012, playing alongside veterans like David Francey, Mary Gauthier, Lynn Miles and Juno-winning Latin band Locarno. The festival’s site itself is often the star of the event, featuring a pristine view of the Fraser Valley and Fraser River and, on a clear day, a spectacular look at Mount Baker in Washington State.

Victoria Symphony Splash

Aug. 4 | Victoria

victoriasymphony.ca

Classical music is what floats your boat? Perfect, because that’s exactly what many will be doing when they drop anchor in Victoria on Aug. 4 for one the largest annual classical music events in North America, with 40,000 in attendance to see the Victoria Symphony Orchestra perform a concert from a floating stage in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Suggested donation this year is five dollars, which gives you a souvenir Splash Button and supports the symphony. And what better way to top things off than with the 1812 Overture and the Splash’s signature fireworks?

Shambhala

Aug. 7-12 | Salmo

shambhalamusicfestival.com

Set on a private farm in Salmo since 1998, the Shambhala festival features six stages filled with up-and-coming electronic artists from all over the world. As the festival’s website says, “Shambhala is a celebration of music, art and life,” and the 10,000 fans that attend every year are some of the most — ahem — colourful you’ll meet. This year’s top acts include rappers People Under The Stairs, champion DJ A-Trak, dubstep favourites Excision and Datsik, and other electro acts like Zen Mechanics, Mat The Alien and more.

Squamish Valley Music Festival

Aug. 8-10 | Squamish

squamishfestival.com

Formerly Live at Squamish, the Squamish Valley Music Festival is in its fourth year hosting some of the best indie talents and a few of the biggest names on the touring circuit. This year — featuring Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, Dan Mangan, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Band of Horses, Jurassic 5 and more — may be the last we consider Squamish a mid-sized fest, as its announced expansion will nearly double its capacity in 2014, jumping from 19,000 to 35,000. Regardless of its capacity, when the sun shines on the Squamish fest, it’s a little taste of paradise.

Salmon Arm Blues & Roots Festival

Aug. 16-18 | Salmon Arm

rootsandblues.ca

A stellar lineup that includes Bruce Cockburn, Daniel Lanois, Cam Penner, City and Colour, Shakura S’Aida and a variety of eclectic indie acts ranging from Vancouver DJ Skratch Bastid to beach bums Watasun makes this year’s Salmon Arm Blues & Roots festival a must-see event. Now in its 21st year, the festival is set on an 18-acre park in the heart of Salmon Arm and features six stages during daytime and two stages running simultaneously at night. The site also features a global food village with western and ethnic delights, an artisan village and more.

Sunshine Music Festival

Aug. 31 — Sept. 1 | Powell River

sunshinemusicfest.com

If there is a festival that bears its name well, it’s the Sunshine Music Festival. The last gasp before the back to school and post-Labour Day blues set in, the festival features an array of beach-worthy acts including feel-good rocker Vince Vaccaro, indie folk up-and-comers Good For Grapes, acoustic roots trio The Sweet Lowdown and Juno-winning singer-songwriter Murray Porter. So bust out the lawn chairs, the summer hats and the sunglasses (one last time?) and head down to Palm Beach in Powell River for some good times on the waterfront.

Pender Harbour Jazz Festival

Sept. 20-22 | Pender Harbour

penderharbourmusic.ca

Bid summer adieu the same way Vancouver ushered it in: With a blast of cool jazz. The Pender Harbour Jazz Festival promises to blow its way into the fall with performances by Cory Weeds and jazz/blues pianist great Harold Mabern (whose pedigree includes performing with Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderly), Dal Richards and his orchestra, Gypsy jazz group Van Django, and duelling guitarists Bill Coon and Oliver Gannon, among many others. A little taste of jazz on the Sunshine Coast might just be what you need before coming home to the rainy season.

fmarchand@vancouversun.com

vancouversun.com/awesomesound

twitter.com/FMarchandVS