North America’s only multi-day eMTB festival, MegaVolt heads to Vancouver Island and Squamish as the event continues to evolve alongside the industry.
The MegaVolt is getting bigger for 2026. Entering its sixth year, the eMTB festival is expanding from a single destination event into a two-stop series, bringing riders to both Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley in spring and Squamish in fall.
The expansion reflects both the rapid growth of eMTB riding and the increasing popularity of the MegaVolt itself, which has evolved into Canada’s ultimate eMTB weekend. The move to two locations this year allows the festival to showcase distinct riding experiences while building even more opportunities for riders to connect and explore the limits of the latest eMTBs.
Launched by the folks behind the BC Bike Race, the MegaVolt’s first event will take place May 29–31 in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, while the second lands in Squamish from October 2–4.
Last year’s festival in Naramata and Penticton brought together roughly 150 riders for three days of racing, group rides, bike demos and beachside events centred around the South Okanagan’s Three Blind Mice trail network. Riders tackled events including the eMTB Fondo, eEnduro Race and Hill Climb Challenge while demo brands, food trucks, beer gardens and live entertainment helped create a bona fide festival atmosphere that was equal parts race weekend and riding retreat.
Two Equally Awesome Trail Systems
The Cowichan Valley event brings riders back to Vancouver Island terrain that helped shape the festival in its early years. The region offers a mix of deeply forested singletrack, flowing networks and tech sections that suit the capabilities of modern eMTBs particularly well.
The second stop in Squamish offers a dramatically different setting. Known globally for its slabs, steep descents and dense coastal forest terrain, the Squamish region needs no intro.
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“The MegaVolt has grown right alongside eMTB. With two locations in 2026, we can dig deeper into what makes this sport so much fun: community, exploration, and the freedom to ride more.” –Andreas Hestler, BCBR Marketing Director and Co-founder
The decision to expand reflects how much eMTB has evolved. Early eMTB events often focused heavily on racing or technology, but the MegaVolt has sought to position itself as an annual hub of community riding. The atmosphere is more relaxed and collaborative than most races, with riders of different experience levels riding together, comparing setups and spending as much time chatting as competing.
The MegaVolt: A Festival Format Built Around eMTB
Each 2026 event will feature intermediate and advanced course options built around three core experiences. The eXC event remains the signature challenge, combining endurance riding with battery management strategy. Riders can race or simply ride the marked course (supported by eBike patrol and medical teams throughout the route).
The eEnduro returns as another major draw, using timed downhill stages linked by untimed transfers that allow riders to maximize the climbing advantages of modern eMTBs while still focusing heavily on descent performance. And the Trailforks Adventure Challenge continues as one of the festival’s most popular events; using the Trailforks app, participants navigate checkpoint-based routes on the world’s first eMTB scavenger hunt.
Beyond the organized events, both weekends will also include demo opportunities from leading bike brands, group rides, entertainment and aprés gatherings.
“The MegaVolt started as a small gathering of eMTB nerds, but it has grown into one of the most anticipated weekends of the year. Expanding to two events is a natural next step for the festival and for the eMTB community.” –Dean Payne, President, BC Bike Race
The move to two separate locations creates more opportunities for testing terrain and new tech, as well as broadening the eMTB community. What was once viewed as a niche category has become one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry.
More info and registration on the MegaVolt official website.
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