Happy July, folks! Hope everyone enjoyed the fantastic Canada Day celebrations that happened all over our area. Kudos to all the volunteers who work so hard to make them happen.
Of course, the big event this weekend is the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia! Happening Friday to Sunday at Tudhope Park, this year things kick off with a downtown Vintage Market from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, throughout the city's downtown.
Combined with this fun and appropriate event, the Mariposa Downtown Stage on Mississaga Street will get started with Rebekah Hawker at 11:30 a.m. Following that, audiences will be treated to Lawrence Maxwell at 1 p.m., Ben Doerksen at 2:30 p.m., and the Downtown Stage will wrap up with Jiggity James at 4 p.m.
If you have Mariposa tickets, the fun gets started at Tudhope Park on Friday with Jessica Charlie at the Pub Stage and Amanda Rheume at the Lightfoot Stage, both starting at 5:10 p.m. Lots of great music all night long on both stages, wrapping up with Bahamas on the Lightfoot Stage at 10:30 p.m. and Union Duke on the Pub Stage at 11 p.m. What a way to get the party started!
Saturday and Sunday, get ready for non-stop music, shopping, eating, drinking, workshops, kids’ fun and more, from 11 a.m. to midnight at this fun-filled family-oriented festival, at the best folk festival venue around. You can check out the full schedule here.
This really is a wonderful weekend and the biggest event in town. You can still get tickets here, but they are limited.
Believe it or not, there are some things going on this weekend that aren’t the Mariposa Folk Festival. Braestone Farm in Oro-Medonte is hosting Braestone Farm Summer Market, running Friday to Sunday night from 4 to 9 p.m. There will be lots of amazing vendors with beautiful wares, as well as food items and tons more. Come out to 3288 Line 9 N. and check it out for yourself.
The Simcoe County Theatre Festival kicks off Monday, July 10 and runs until July 21, at Theatre by the Bay in Barrie. This is technically outside my usual location, but hear me out ... there are numerous local actors and directors involved in this, and it’s a great deal, and a great chance to see several shorter plays in a row, expertly done.
Added bonus? All the plays are written by local writers as well!
Here’s how it works: This is a festival of seven short plays written, directed, and performed by artists from across Simcoe County.
With your ticket, you get access to the two or three of the Festival plays (each under one hour) that evening, so make sure you pick the right night if you are looking for specific ones. OR you can catch all seven by purchasing a Festival Pass – be it on one weekend day, or across the span of the Festival. Up to you!
This year, they have also added a family show – Kempenfelt Kelly – that is presented a little earlier in the day. You can purchase a ticket to see just that show with your young ones, or add it to your ticket for that night. There is special child pricing for Kempenfelt Kelly only. You can get lots more details and buy your tickets, here.
