One of Barrie’s signature festivals is about to get underway. Spanning the entire long weekend, Kempenfest will take over Barrie’s waterfront with live music, art vendors and a midway, expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors from across the province and country. Kickstarting the weekend of festivities will be Canadian singer-songwriter Jamie Fine, Friday’s headliner set to hit the stage by Southshore Centre at 8:30 p.m. Local artists Madison Mueller, Sydney Riley and Nicole Harber will get the crowd warmed up with the live music getting underway at 5:30 p.m. The musical entertainment continues all weekend long with Canadian rock band Big Wreck headlining Saturday, Canadian country and bluegrass group High Valley slated for Sunday and the Tragically Hip tribute band Practically Hip will wrap up the weekend on Holiday Monday. Meanwhile, on the Kempenfest Family Stage, a series of energetic Bollywood performances will get underway at 7 p.m. Vendors Nearly 300 arts and crafts vendors will line the shores of Kempenfelt Bay extending from Centennial Beach, all throughout Will Dwyer Park and the entire length of both paths, filling the space between them and all the way down to Southshore Centre. Attendees can take in a wide range of unique and handmade works of art including jewelry, pottery, textiles and fine art, offering something for every taste and style. There’s an entire section dedicated to antiques with more than 30 antique dealers displaying, offering those items you didn’t know you needed. Along with a plethora of food trucks, there are vendors offering up their kitchen creations. Plus for poutine lovers, the poutine village is where you’ll be sure to find every kind of poutine option possible. Midway For the kids, there’s a village solely made for them offering live entertainment across two stages as well as a vibrant Midway. Getting around To avoid having to circle around trying to find a space to park, the City of Barrie is offering free shuttle buses to and from the festival. The shuttles are easily accessed from Highway 400 and Barrie Transit. The stops include Park Place Transit Hub, H-Block Parking Lot on Worsley Street or from any stop along the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal on Essa Road, along Lakeshore Drive and downtown on Bayfield Street. Kempenfest has been recognized by Festivals and Events Ontario as one of the Top 100 Festivals in the province.
