PTBOCANADA is a website about Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Copyright ©2010-2022, PTBOCANADA Media Inc. All rights reserved.
PTBOCANADA is a website about Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Copyright ©2010-2022, PTBOCANADA Media Inc. All rights reserved.
In a hit-and-miss summer for festivals and gatherings in the Peterborough area, residents are going to miss out on the likes of Peterborough Pulse, the Kawartha Craft Beef Festival, Hootenanny on Hunter, and Kawartha Rotary Rib Fest.
The DBIA has put its focus on recovery for businesses downtown. Instead, people are being encouraged to get out shop, eat and explore the core.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a return of some of the other more popular events that the people have gotten used to.
Here’s a list to help you plan your summer:
PETERBOROUGH DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
Held on the shores of Little Lake, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival is a vital fundraiser for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, supporting world-class cancer and breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at your hospital. Race day is June 11.
NOGOJIWANONG INDIGENOUS FRINGE FESTIVAL
A proud to be a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, NIFF opens with ceremony on June 21 and continues with public performances from June 22 to 26 at the East Bank campus of Trent University.
PETERBOROUGH MUSICFEST
While it is still lining up acts, Musicfest has already announced three free concerts so far for Del Crary Park. It will kick off July 2 with Styx frontman Lawrence Gowan. The following Saturday, July 9, they welcome indie rock band The New Pornographers. And on Saturday, July 16, Dwayne Gretzky is back.
LAKEFIELD JAZZ, ART AND CRAFT FESTIVAL
The Lakefield Jazz Art Craft Festival invites all July 9 to a breezy day of outdoor summer living beside Lakefield’s scenic Otonabee River, to enjoy a wide variety of jazz music, colourful works for sale by artisans and crafters, local food, and beverage vendors.
BUCKHORN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Taking place at the Buckhorn Community Centre, festival visitors have the chance to admire beautiful works of art while surrounded by the natural beauty of Buckhorn. The 2022 Buckhorn Festival of The Arts will take place on Aug. 13 and 14.
PETERBOROUGH FOLK FESTIVAL
Held on the stage at the rear of Nicholls Oval Park, this free three-day music and art festival returns the weekend of Aug. 19 to 21. Organizers have yet to release an artist line-up.
The Lakefield Jamboree has officially been called off for 2022 and Havelock Jamboree officials have yet to announce whether the event will go ahead this summer.
After a three-year absence, the popular Celebrate Havelock event is back.
Celebrate Havelock returns for its 15th anniversary on May 7 and organizers promise a bigger and better event inside and outside the Havelock Belmont Methuen Community Centre.
The event will feature numerous exhibitors including local businesses and community organizations.
“This celebration of the local community was started by Linda and Cliff Clark of the Havelock Chamber of Commerce in 2007. In the first couple of years it attracted 200 to 300 visitors. It has continued to grow over the years and consistently tops one thousand,” writes organizer Paul Stevens, in an email explaining the event. “As the attendance has grown, so has the number of exhibitors.”
The doors will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The event will also feature a variety of food and beverage retailers with an array of offerings including perennial favourites Tim Horton’s, Grampa’s Fudge, Foodland BBQ, the HBM Firehall, and Back Alley BBQ. There’s also a chance to win prizes as well.
“Every year sponsors graciously donate thousands of dollars to help cover costs and ensure there is an enticing selection of draw prizes. So far, the Havelock Guardian Drugstore, Deal Taxi, Dunfords Powersport and Marine, Havelock Timber Mart, the Havelock Lions Club, JJ Hudson Remax, the Havelock Rail, Covia Holdings, and the Havelock Chamber of Commerce have come on board with more expected to join in,” writes Stevens.
The Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival will return to Little Lake and Del Crary Park on June 11 after not being held in-person for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registration will open at 12:01 a.m. on Friday at ptbodragonboat.ca.
It’s the 21st edition of the event, which raises funds for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation in support of cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.
It was cancelled in 2020 and held virtually last year, raising more than $95,000. COVID-19 protocols based on local and provincial guidelines will be in place.
“We are committed to creating a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience for all attendees and we have been working hard to update our safety protocols,” festival chair Michelle Thornton stated in a release.
A “fundracing” division will be set up for teams or people who are unable to participate in person.
“Proceeds of the 2022 Festival will allow Peterborough Regional Health Centre to invest in new state-of-the-art equipment and technology to serve more cancer patients, support earlier cancer diagnosis, and provide safer, more effective treatments,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway.
Planned amenities for race day include the One Stop Dragon Boat Shop, a Family Fun Zone, the Dragon’s Lair, Loft and Nest luxurious tent experience for the top three fundraising teams, the Vendor Village Market with more than 40 vendors, the Thirsty Dragon beer garden and the flower ceremony open to the community at large to honour their loved ones.
The first three teams to register will win a free extra practice in a dragon boat on Little Lake.