Nova Scotia Summer time Fest in Antigonish has excessive expectations
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Whereas many individuals are counting the times till the warmth and occasions that include summer season, Antigonish is offering one more reason to focus on August on the calendar.
Nova Scotia Summer time Fest is returning to the neighborhood, from Aug. 17 to 19, at Columbus Area.
Ray Mattie, founder and govt director of Nova Scotia Summer time Fest, is busy getting ready for what’s anticipated to be one other profitable occasion that pairs prime quality musical leisure and excellent foods and drinks.
Music-wise, a few of the expertise will embrace Matt Andersen and The Huge Bottle of Pleasure, Natalie MacMaster, Jimmy Rankin, Again to Our Roots and Mattie’s band Ocean Playground, to call just a few.
“The teams we decide have a world resume. It highlights a few of the greatest in Atlantic Canada and, in some circumstances, throughout the nation … and every area is represented,” stated Mattie of the leisure.
“It’s a high-scale musical manufacturing close to the acts (and) the manufacturing itself … with large screens and staging.”
Meals is one other particular side of Summer time Fest. New this yr is the Nova Scotia Summer time Fest Cookout, which is able to happen on Aug. 17.
“We’re attempting to marry the high-quality music with high-quality meals and beverage to make it a very Nova Scotia summer season pageant,” stated Mattie.
Returning would be the well-liked oyster bar and different Nova Scotia meals and drinks. There can even be an growth of distinctive meals distributors on web site and a give attention to shopping for native. For the primary time, a cookout will happen.
“Based mostly on the success (of the occasion) we already had included Nova Scotia meals on web site earlier than,” so the thought was to reinforce that have, stated Mattie.
Particulars had been nonetheless forthcoming in regards to the cookout, but it surely’s identified it’s going to embrace oysters, Simply Us Truthful Commerce Espresso and way more.
The pageant, which started in 2019, is essential for a lot of causes, stated Mattie.
“It exhibits we’ve a small, quaint and charming downtown that’s showcased in a bigger content material. We may be within the leisure sport. It exhibits our neighborhood individuals help it as a result of they need it,” he stated.
And attracting diverse meals distributors can also be vital.
“It’s essential to (appeal to) extra from throughout Nova Scotia as a result of we’re bringing them into our city and introducing locals and vacationers to quite a lot of distributors they could know causally and might get to know higher. It (additionally) highlights the high-scale meals and drinks we’ve.”
There are additionally monetary and tourism parts to think about.
“It’s extraordinarily essential to Antigonish. Financially, simply our contributions alone has the pageant spending greater than $80,000. Our advertising and marketing attain and marketing campaign has been capable of (appeal to) vacationers … from throughout Nova Scotia and worldwide.”
Final yr was the primary Summer time Fest after a break as a consequence of COVID-19.
“As a result of it was the primary yr again after COVID, there have been plenty of unknowns, particularly with folks travelling and desirous to journey,” stated Mattie.
However the occasion was a hit, with vacationers arriving from each province and territory and guests coming from the US, Germany, France, the U.Ok. and Australia, stated Mattie.
He estimated the attendance final yr was just below 3,200.
“This yr I’d like to have not less than that. I believe this yr shall be even higher. We need to give folks worth for his or her greenback. There’s a way of neighborhood and we, as a folks, need to be out and social. There’s a consolation stage once more, there’s pent-up demand and extra consolation going out.”
For particulars on occasions – together with the cookout and themes corresponding to Blues Night time Out and Again to Our Roots – meals, musicians, ticket costs and extra, go browsing to novascotiasummerfest.ca. Tickets are actually on sale.
