Renfrew says bye to Bluegrass Festival
Posted Feb 21, 2023 01:15:00 AM.
The once popular week-long Bluegrass Festival held in Renfrew and Horton Township that once attracted close to 1,000 visitors is being phased out due to decreasing number of attendees and revenue and an increase in staff time needed to run the event.
The Town of Renfrew’s new Signature Events Working Group has recommended the annual Bluegrass Festival be replaced and incorporated into a new musical vent which would include the highly successful Renfrew Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival.
During the February 7 Economic Development, Planning and Tourism Committee, the proposal was discussed and approved with the understanding the new music festival would put greater emphasis on local talent performing over two days. It would replace the five-day Bluegrass Festival due primarily to the fact the bluegrass event required more staff time and did not generate the expected revenue.
Jenna McEwen, he town’s Communications and Marketing Coordinator, provided an overview of the rationale behind the decision.
“The Signature Events Working Group has developed a plan to enhance the music event, while building off the framework that has been successful in years past with a goal to attract a broader crowd base with increased visitors and increased ticket sales,” she said. “The plan would see artists from various genres of music including some great local talent be showcased over two days.”
She explained the 2022 Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival, has grown bigger every year and the 2022 event was a huge success and much of that was due to a strong focus on local music talent. The one-day event held over eight-hours on the front lawn of Town Hall welcomed just over 2,000 attendees. In comparison, less than 500 attendees registered over a period of five days with the 2022 Bluegrass Festival.
Although the COVID pandemic resulted in the postponement of both the Beer Festival and the Bluegrass Festival in 2020 and 2021, they returned in 2022 with vastly different results.
The Craft Beer Festival, which has been held on the first Saturday in October on the outdoor lawn of Town Hall, has increased in popularity since first introduced in 2017. In fact, the first event took place under steady rain conditions with temperatures hovering near the freezing mark, yet still attracted close to 1,000 guests.
In contrast, the Bluegrass Festival is held in July under ideal conditions and its attendance has fallen steadily from close to 1,000 guests down to a low of 500 in 2022.
These were driving factors that led to the decision to revamp the events.
“By building on the success of the Craft Beer Festival, the Working Group believes an evolved music festival would attract more attendees in a two-day format,” McEwan added. “The new festival format would be comprised of a Friday evening with gates opening at Ma-Te-Way at 4pm and a full day Saturday festival with gates opening at 12pm and closing at 11pm.”
She said the camping option would be eliminated in order to reduce staff time, expenditures, and liability.
“We are investigating the use of safe transportation options for attendees to access from designated pick up and drop off locations in Pembroke, Arnprior and other locations throughout the Ottawa Valley.”
She said the traditional Bluegrass Festival traces its origins back more than 20 years when it was held at the Johnston Farm in Horton Township and although it had a loyal following both there and at Ma-Te-Way Park, the amount of staff time and increased advertising failed to increase attendance or revenue.
Mayor Tom Sidney said the new format of a multi-genre music festival combined with the success of the beer and food truck event will become a successful event and likely grow in popularity over the next few years.
