Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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Music fans will be flocking to Manitou Beach this weekend, as the community hosts its 6th annual Manitou Beach Busking Festival until July 5.
The festival, which has been expanded to 10 days this year and started on June 26, will feature things like hands-on workshops, feature stages, and community outreach performances.
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Sarah McKen is the chairperson for the festival and said that it’s really a community-built event.
“This is the sixth year of the event, and we have had amazing support, really every small business in this area has stepped up to make this happen,” she said.
“It was Covid that got us going back then. Musicians were not able to perform indoors, so we thought maybe we can have some kind of a gathering where we’re outside and have a couple of venues on street corners, sort of thing, and it worked really well to the point that we’ve kept going, and we’ve grown.”
What started from humble beginnings has grown to over 60 acts expected to take place at this year’s event, with over 100 artists taking part.
McKen said busking is based around an old tradition.
“It’s where artists are working for tips, basically they put out a guitar case, and they are looking for the audience to express their appreciation and encouragement by throwing a little bit of cash in, and the audience can go around to each artist and contribute,” she said.
The festival will feature six full days of continuous busking entertainment, nine scenic busking venues along Little Manitou Lake, weekday workshops, evening performances and a busking central event at the Little Manitou Art Gallery.
McKen said it’s not just the music she believes will attract attendees, but also the community’s popular lake.
“Of course, don’t forget your bathing suit. All that has gathered here at Manitou Beach is because of Little Manitou Lake. It’s a saltwater lake, it’s very medicinal, and it has, well, I like to say it’s had people gathering here since stories began, and that salt and the minerals of that water are very healing and relaxing, so a lot of people come for that therapy,” she said.
— with files from CKOM News
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