The 50th annual Summerfolk music festival is getting ready to take Kelso Beach at Nawash Park by storm.
Artistic Director James Keelaghan says he is feeling really good about this year’s festival, which is set to go Aug. 15 to the 17.
“The forecast is looking good, all the bands are booked, the hotel rooms are assigned, the artisans are in place, the food people are cutting up the fries, I think it is going to be a great weekend,” says Keelaghan.
To help mark the 50th anniversary of the music festival, he says they are holding a special homecoming concert on the night of the 14.
“We are going to celebrate the music of Owen Sound by highlighting a bunch of people who are from the area,” says Keelaghan. “Music is alive and well in Owen Sound. People are still craving live music.”
The lineup for this year’s festival includes the MacMaster Leahy Family, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Sechile Sedare, Shakura S’Adia, Coco Love Alcorn, and several Youth Discoveries winners.
Keelaghan says some other highlights to keep an eye out for during this year’s festival include the various workshops.
“The songwriters workshop with Ron Sexsmith, Catherine MacLellan, and Luke Wallace that I think is going to be a don’t miss. I think the gospel workshop this year, 10:30 on Sunday morning in the Amphitheatre is going to be outstanding, the house band for that is going to be The Barrel Boys and it is going to be a cavalcade of people coming through, everybody doing one song in a real sort of gospel mashup,” says Keelaghan.
Additionally, he says they have several food vendors and over 40 artisans ready to go.
Leading up to the event, Keelaghan says ticket sales are reaching 2018 numbers, which were the most the festival raked in over the last 10 years.
More details on the festival and tickets can be found on the Summerfolk website here.
