Gate and Travel Info

Gate

Gate

  • There are -no ins and outs- at this event. When you leave, you leave for good.
  • No tickets will be sold at the gate. You must buy your tickets before you arrive.
  • Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian AT ALL TIMES
  • Please obey the posted speed limits! When you enter the campground, there may be children, and Burners acting like children, running around loose. Drive very carefully.
At the Gate
  • You will be met by lovely gate volunteers who will make sure everyone in your vehicle has a ticket with matching ID, and then you will get your wristbands. All vehicles will also be quickly inspected.
  • All vehicles must head to the Main Gate first to receive wristbands.

Arrival 2026

All participants may enter the event beginning Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 11am. 

No matter where you will be camping, ALL participants must first check in at the Main Gate on Midday Valley Road. Photo ID is required. 


From there, vehicles will be directed based on campsite locations. If you do not know your camping location, Main Gate will assist you.

  • Field (North) Camping (including general camping)
    • You will be directed into the Flow Hub where parking instructions will be provided, and paper maps will be available
  • Forest (South) Camping
    • After check in is complete at Main Gate, You will be directed to re-enter the site through the Forest Gate
    • At Forest gate, every passenger will be checked for a wrist band, they will re-check IDs, and parking will be explained to you

Unloading and Parking

To reduce vehicle traffic within the site, please limit driving as much as possible after arrival.

Vehicles are NOT permitted to cross the bridge within the site. Any people or equipment that need to move between the Forest and Field sides must be transported by foot or cart (not provided).

Regulars Gate Hours 2026

  • Thursday, July 23 – 11am-11pm
  • Friday, July 24 – 11am-11pm
  • Saturday, July 25 – 11am-2:30pm

The gates to the site will be locked from 11 PM to 11 AM Thursday and Friday, and from Saturday 2:30 PM onwards. NO vehicle entries will be possible after the gate closes each day. If you arrive past gate close on Thursday or Friday, you will not be able to enter until the next morning at 11AM when the gates open. There will be no way to enter the event after the gate closes on Saturday!

 

Early Arrival 2026

Only select participants will be permitted to enter the site prior to Thursday July 23, 2026 and they must pre-register as per below.
Early Arrival is for doing set-up, not an early start to the event! Every adult on site early must be contributing to set-up or volunteering. If you need to give someone a ride, get them to sign up for DPW or LNT! 

Dates/Times

  • Entry on Monday July 20 will only be permitted to those that have a volunteer shift on Monday or early Tuesday, and members of the production team. 
    • Gate will be locked at 9pm, so please arrive prior to this time.
  • Entry on Tuesday July 21 will only be permitted to those that have a volunteer shift on Tuesday or early Wednesday, members of the production team, and set-up teams from  theme camps who have received explicit permission from Production that they can arrive on Tuesday after 12pm. 
    • Gate will be locked at 10pm, so please ensure you will arrive prior to this time.
  • Entry on Wednesday July 22 is permitted for participants helping with a theme camp or art project, members of the production team, and those that have a volunteer shift on Wednesday or prior to 12pm on Thursday.
  • Early Arrival registration at Flow Hub ends at 9pm and Gate will be locked at 9pm, so please ensure you arrive prior to this time.

 

Form information

  • Click here for Early Arrival Form
  • Each individual adult that will be arriving early must submit their own form. If bringing minors, the ticket purchasing parents/guardian should include all minors on their form.
  • Deadline to register for Early Arrival is Friday, July 17 at 11:59pm.
  • If you are registering for Early Arrival due to setting up a theme camp or art installation, you must ensure that yourself or your camp lead has gotten written confirmation from your Production Team Lead to arrive early.
    Contact your Team Lead for Tuesday Early Arrival confirmation before filling out the Early Arrival form: for Theme Camps: [email protected], for Art Projects: [email protected]
  • Folks will only be contacted if Flow has any questions or concerns about your request. If you have not been contacted and the form deadline (above) has passed, please assume that your Early Arrival request has been approved.

Gate for Early Arrival

Persons needing to access the Forest side are welcome to go straight to Forest Gate during the Early Arrival period. However those who are arriving during regular gate hours (Thursday-Saturday) must check into the Main Gate first.

 

IMPORTANT: Wristbands

All participants must have a wristband. Early Arrivals must attend Flow Hub or Forest Gate for your wristbands on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 between 6pm and 9pm – bring your tickets and ID! Wristbands will not be given out prior to this 3 hour window.

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Don’t remember if you submitted your request? Search your email for the auto-confirmation:
Subject: Early Arrival What If 2026
Sender: Google Forms <[email protected]>

Exodus

Participants may depart the event at any time, but there are no ins and outs. When you leave, you leave for good.

All participants must depart by Monday.

  • Everyone in Open Camping areas must have their personal camps packed up and cleaned up by 1 pm.
  • Theme camps and large art projects must be cleaned up and off site by 5 pm.

The only people who may remain on site after 5pm on Monday are folks who signed up for DPW teardown and LNT crew shifts IN ADVANCE of the event. See remaining volunteer opportunities here.

Rideshare Board

Carpooling is an ideal way to get to What If with friends – or meet a new friend on the way. You’ll also help to reduce traffic, air pollution, and limit our over-use of fossil fuels. It’s a great way to save on travel costs too. Share a ride and save the planet!

Browse the rideshare OFFERS & NEEDS or create your own post in our Rideshare Board!

Community Action Bus offering a What If Shuttle!

Coordinating rides to What If feel like herding cats? No need to keep chasing your tail – pounce onto the What If Shuttle!

Let the What If Shuttle do the driving while you sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.

With convenient pick-up locations from Victoria, Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, Vancouver (Commercial–Broadway), Hope, and Merritt, the shuttle offers transportation to What If on Thursday, with return service on Monday. It’s a great way to travel with fellow attendees, save on fuel, and start your What If experience before you even arrive.

🎟️ Reserve your seat in advance! Advance reservations are strongly recommended to guarantee your spot and avoid disappointment. Seating is limited to approximately 48 passengers (depending on luggage and camping gear), and registrations will close once the bus reaches capacity. If the shuttle fills up, information about joining a waitlist will be available through the shuttle ticketing page.

If you’re unable to reserve online, email [email protected] and the team will do their best to hold a seat for you.

🎒 Bringing gear? Please pack similarly to airline luggage, with one carry-on and one checked bag. If you’re planning to bring oversized items (larger than 24″ × 18″ × 18″), contact [email protected] before booking to confirm they’ll fit. Where possible, consider sending larger camping gear or coolers separately with others going to the site!

📧 After you reserve your seat, all confirmations and updates will be sent to the email address you used when booking.

📅 View the full schedule and suggested fares below.
NOTE: Greater Vancouver Interactive Arts Society (GVIAS) is subsidizing the cost of transportation to help make the service accessible, but we ask those who are able to contribute the suggested fare to pay the suggested amount (or more, if you can!) to help cover operating costs and support the continued availability of the shuttle.

🗺️🔗 View the interactive map here

🎟️🔗 Reserve your seat here

Questions? Contact [email protected] !

Driving Directions are below:

Main Gate

Check in for ALL participants is at the Main Gate on Midday Valley Road. Vehicles carrying personnel and supplies that need to go through the Forest Gate can do so AFTER they have checked in at the Main Gate and every person in that vehicle has received a wristband. Photo ID will be required at both gates.

Directions to Main Gate

Address: 1000 Midday Valley Rd
Enter into Google Maps: “What If main gate”

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/8xghehnqLTP8b1kHA

Map Coordinates: 50°05’18.2″N 120°47’47.5″W

50.08839813096574, -120.79652228698005

Plus Code: 36Q3+99, Merritt, BC V1K 0A3

Forest Gate

If you are camping in a theme camp or bringing equipment for a camp on the Forest side of the site and are arriving from Thursday 11am onwards, you will need to check in at the Main Gate first, and will then be directed to the Forest Gate. Equipment can only cross the river within the site by hand/cart, or gator (if you can find one to flag down), so it is important that vehicles enter through the correct gate (but remember, go to the Main Gate first).

©2026 Greater Vancouver Interactive Art Society