Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy, Five Alarm Funk, Jesse Cooke, Melissa Payne, British Legend Tribute, Glass Tiger, and Tim & The Glory Boys will be performing at Peterborough Musicfest this summer, in the series of free-admission concerts at Del Crary Park on Saturday and Wednesday nights from July 1 to August 19.
The non-profit organization’s new board chair Tracy Condon (replacing past chair Paul Rellinger), general manager Tracey Randall, and emcee Vince Bierworth revealed much of the remaining line-up for the music festival’s 36th summer season at an event at the Silver Bean Cafe in Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday morning (May 24).
Concerts previously announced include Celtic music superstars Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, who will open the season with a Canada Day concert on Saturday, July 1st, Toronto-based music collective Dwayne Gretzky who are performing on Wednesday, July 5th, and Little River Band who are performing on Wednesday, July 26th.
Here’s Peterborough Musicfest’s summer line-up, with performers still to be announced for five dates (July 15 and 22 and August 2, 12, and 16).
- Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy – Saturday, July 1
- Dwayne Gretzky – Wednesday, July 5
- Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy – Saturday, July 8
- Five Alarm Funk – Wednesday, July 12
- Jesse Cooke – Wednesday, July 19
- Little River Band – Wednesday, July 26
- Melissa Payne and Friends – Saturday, July 29
- British Legend Tribute (Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, and Freddy Mercury) – Saturday, August 5
- Glass Tiger – Wednesday, August 9
- Tim & The Glory Boys – Saturday, August 19
This season’s concerts will be performed on a brand new stage at Del Crary Park, replacing the previous Fred Anderson Stage that was found to be structurally unsafe one week before the start of last year’s season and was demolished earlier this month. Last season’s concerts were performed on a temporary stage.
According to the City of Peterborough, the new stage will allow for better lighting and sound and will be mobile for potential use for events at other locations.
Launched on July 1, 1987 under the name Peterborough Festival of Lights with concert series founder Fred Anderson at the helm, Peterborough Musicfest is Canada’s longest-running free-admission outdoor summer concert series.
VIDEO: “Let It Slide” – Matt Andersen & the Big Bottle of Joy
Dallas Green, Our Lady Peace, Serena Ryder, Gordon Lightfoot, 54-40, and Blue Rodeo are just a few of the many musical acts that have performed over the years.
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and a board of directors, Peterborough Musicfest is able to offer free-admission concerts thanks to corporate sponsorships (most of whom, including kawarthaNOW, are locally owned businesses) along with multiple levels of government funding, fundraising initiatives, and private donations.
Individuals and businesses interested in sponsoring the festival can email sales@ptbomusicfest.ca or call 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2023 season.
