Cavendish may see back-to-back concerts again next summer
CBC
Cavendish residents had a chance to have their say Monday night about Whitecap Entertainment's decision to stage two back-to-back concerts in the resort municipality in July.
Grammy winner Chris Stapleton closed the three-day Cavendish Beach Music Festival July 6-8. The new Sommo Festival, billed as a music, food and drink event, hit the stage the next weekend, July 14-15.
Teagan Pringle, who helps operate La Rose Bistro in Avonlea Village, says being right in the heart of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival site wasn't a boon for business. She said people avoided her restaurant while the concerts were going on, so she's concerned about the possibility of another back-to-back concert next year.
Pringle would like to see the second festival in the shoulder season, earlier in the summer or later.
"We've only got eight, nine weeks of our full peak season. So, to have that back-to-back festival, it just really impacts our time," she said.
"We don't pick up until after that weekend so it definitely deters people from … coming to eat and try local restaurants."
Pringle said La Rose Bistro was busier during the Sommo Festival compared to CBMF weekend, but numbers were still lower than the restaurant would have liked to see at that time of year.
About 60,000 people attended the three-day Cavendish Beach Music Festival this year, while just over 20,000 people attended the two-day Sommo Festival.
About 50 people attended the Resort Municipality's public meeting Monday night to give feedback about the concerts and plans to update the municipality's special event guidelines. Those guidelines help the municipality decide what events should be staged in the community.
Ben Murphy, CEO of Whitecap Entertainment, said he's had two successful festivals, which operationally went very smoothly.
While dates have been announced for next year's Cavendish Beach Music Festival — it will be held July 5-7 — no dates have yet been announced for the Sommo Festival.
But Murphy isn't ruling out back-to-back dates again next year. He said he'd like to see the Sommo Festival either the weekend before or the weekend after CBMF.
"The back-to-back works for most people," Murphy said in an interview with CBC News after the municipality's public meeting.
"A couple of accommodation providers here tonight [said] it allows them to set up once and tear down once for their overflow sites."
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