Bestival brings music, food and fun to Kitchener’s Belmont Village
The sounds of ukuleles, fiddles, and bagpipes drifted over Kitchener’s Belmont Village as a two day music and arts festival returned.
Belmont Village Bestival is held every year two weeks after the Labour Day weekend to celebrate the end of summer.
“This is our eighth year,” Bestival President and Artistic Director Tammy Lawrence said Saturday afternoon.
“Our founder, Tim Moher, started this eight years ago and it’s grown substantially over the last eight years. We close the street off the same weekend every September from Glasgow to Union Street. It’s lined with vendors, artisan vendors and a stage at each end. We have live performances running on the hour.”
The Sonic Uke Ensemble delighted the crowd near the Union Street closure Saturday afternoon. Moments after they finished, Tim Moher returned to the stage with his group, Clefs of Moher, near the Glasgow Street closure.
Clefs of Moher perform during Belmont Village Bestival on September 14, 2024. (Shelby Knox/CTV News)
In between the two stages, vendors offered food, handmade toys and unique artwork.
A stretch of green turf gave kids a place to relax, play, and join in some guided yoga or meet their favourite characters from movies.
This is the third year vendor Roz Niles from Crafts by Apollo has been part of Bestival.
“We just love seeing all the community and seeing everybody. All the crafters and vendors come together and get to share creativity with the community,” Niles said.
Niles said events like Bestival allow her to meet her customers in person and make connections.
“We’ve had a few customers that come back as well. We’ve had a couple people come back and say, ‘Oh! We saw you last year.’ So it’s neat to see just how the festival has grown.”
Lawrence said the weekend helps the community come together and connect, but it takes a lot of work.
“I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to be a volunteer. Please come out and help events like this. The festivals are hurting for volunteers and it’s really important to get involved. Even if you have a little time, a couple of hours, I guarantee you it will enlighten you spiritually. It’s a really rewarding experience and we need this stuff to keep going.”
Bestival continues Saturday night with performances from Fiddle Stix, Momma’s Kitchener and Danny Michel Band. A full schedule is available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Rogers Communications to buy out Bell's share of MLSE for $4.7 billion
Rogers Communications Inc. is buying out Bell's 37.5 per cent share of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for $4.7 billion, giving it 75 per cent ownership of the sports conglomerate.
Affordability crisis could be reaching its peak in Canada, economist says
With Canada's annual inflation rate reaching the central bank's two per cent target, the country's affordability crisis could be peaking, according to an economist.
Record-breaking Lotto Max jackpot tickets sold in Ontario, Quebec
Two lucky people in Ontario and Quebec will split Tuesday’s record-breaking $80-million Lotto Max jackpot.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, goes back to work days after cancer treatment update
Catherine, Princess of Wales has held her first engagement since revealing that she has completed her chemotherapy treatment.
Ukrainian drones strike a large military depot in a Russian town northwest of Moscow
Ukrainian drones struck a large military depot in a town deep inside Russia overnight, causing a huge blaze and prompting the evacuation of some local residents, a Ukrainian official and Russian news reports said Wednesday.
How to prevent lung cancer, regardless of whether you smoke, according to a doctor
More people who have never touched a cigarette are getting lung cancer, but there are ways to prevent it, according to a doctor.
Bride's family speaks as West Vancouver woman sentenced for driving SUV into wedding party
Sixty-five-year-old Hong Xu, who drove her SUV into a crowd of people celebrating a wedding at her next-door neighbour's house in West Vancouver on Aug. 20, 2022, has been sentenced under the Motor Vehicle Act for driving without due care and attention.
This airport landing is so challenging only 50 pilots are qualified to do it
Bhutan's Paro International Airport (PBH) is widely considered one of the most technically difficult plane landings in the world. Maneuvering onto a short runway between two 18,000-foot peaks requires both technical knowledge and nerves of steel.
Exploding Hezbollah pagers in apparent Israeli attack made by Hungarian company, Taiwanese firm says
A company based in Hungary was responsible for manufacturing the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria in an apparent Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah’s communications network, another firm whose brand was used on the devices said Wednesday.