Paddlefest Music and Nature Festival has ushered in the warmer weather for its third decade, creating a point of reflection on the annual event’s history.
Throughout the last thirty years, Jamie Steel, a co-founder of Paddlefest, has seen it evolve from a yearly paddle with friends into a town-wide celebration.
“It was [originally] just a get-together of people who like to be on the water … celebrating a new season of paddling,” Steel said.
He said the festival’s name came naturally. These days, it features a large tent in the center of town which hosts a wide range of artists and bands throughout the May long weekend.
Artists like The Hypochondriacs, Adam Baldwin & The Jenny Wren, Loviet, Absolute Losers, and Ben Caplan played at the main stage.
The festival also featured many smaller stages scattered throughout the community with local businesses acting as venues.
Luke Macdonald, the artistic director of Paddlefest, said what makes the festival special is its feeling of community.
“Everybody feels like one big family,” Macdonald said. “There’s just this sense of homecoming.”
Over the festival’s history, that feeling has not changed, according to long-term Paddlefest fan Sara Burns.
She said the festival began in the Tidal Pool – now known as The Herring – and it has never lost the local community flavour.
“There’s a lot more people that I don’t know at the shows [now], but it still feels like a community,” Burns said.
After the Tidal Pool, the festival moved into the centre of town, and Luke Macdonald took over in 2012, alongside his co-chair Danielle Deonarine.
Steel said this transition in leadership was natural.
“I’ve been enjoying it all my life,” Macdonald said.
“I’ve been enjoying it all my life,” Macdonald said.
In recent years, Paddlefest has expanded to other venues and places throughout the town.
“We’re creating more community events and broadening our feel of all activities.”
Macdonald said it is important that Paddlefest broaden the scope of the festival’s free activities. The festival also embraces its full name, Paddlefest Music and Nature Festival, anchored in many nature-centric events.
Their non-music-centered activities included paddle with kayaks and canoes, a beach cleanup, a guided hike, a rolling bike rave, dragonboating and a wharf-to-wharf run.
“It’s a discovery festival in that sense — whether it’s music or its activities, maybe you learn how to paddle or you discover a new artist,” MacDonald said.
Steel and Macdonald both said that this year’s team at Paddlefest was impressive, and demonstrated commitment to the fluidity of the weekend.
“I was really, really impressed,” said Steel. “I always have been, but more so this year with the team and the way they’ve adapted and gelled as a unit.”
