The big festival by the bay is back and ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary — even if it's two years late.
Kempenfest returns to Barrie’s lakeshore on July 29 to Aug. 1 and the event’s chair, Todd Tuckey, says he couldn't be happier.
“Kempenfest is up and coming and that is such a great thing, especially being able to announce it today when the province is beginning to gently open things back up,” Tuckey told BarrieToday on Thursday.
The event would have celebrated 50 years in 2020, but the pandemic had closed up many festivals and events due to gathering restrictions. The same thing happened in 2021 when the festival was cancelled again.
But Tuckey said this time all things point to a fun and safe outing.
“As far as safety and health goes, we have set up a meeting with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit just to get some guidance from them," he said. "We’ll aim for more hand-wash stations and things like that, but if the mandates keep going the way they are and with the festival being outdoors, we should be all good come the month of the event."
Kempenfest draws approximately 200,000 people over the course of the festival. And not only does the festival help many charities, it also brings in around $12 million to the local economy, through hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc.
Known for decades for its hundreds of arts and crafts booths, the last few years have seen an entertainment side to the event become a huge attraction. Musical acts take over the staged area closest to the Southshore Centre and become a go-to spot as the day winds down.
Tuckey, who has been involved with the event since 1980 and on the board since 1999, says there are many different aspects to the festival and there truly is something for everyone.
“To me, what sticks out is Kempenfest has always been called the largest outdoor arts and craft festival in North America, and it still remains that way to this day, but it has certainly expanded,” Tuckey said. “It is certainly a full-blown festival and event, where it used to be the focus was solely on the artisan side.
"But now some come for the food or beer garden, some for the music and entertainment, some make sure to hit the midway every year and there are those who just make sure they take in the whole crafts side and everything else," he added. "It's easy to make a weekend of it.”
With the festival finally celebrating its 50th year and many people looking forward to getting back to it, Tuckey said everyone will be hard at work to make it a great event.
“We are underway with planning and hope to be able to start announcing some fun things everyone can enjoy,” he said. “Many of the favourites that make this the best festival around will be there, but we are looking to add some new things to help celebrate 50 years of Kempenfest.”
Head to the Kempenfest website for more information.
