Stratford has a major summer event on the horizon, and the community continuously rallies around the Stratford Live Music & Food.
The annual event features artists from near and far, food trucks aplenty, vendors, and a children’s activity area. It’s a massive event for the town.
“This is an anticipated community gathering, and it’s grown so much over the years. We focus on offering exceptional performances and amazing selection of food and vendors in the park at the historical bandshell,” said event committee member Carrie Clark.
There are 12 of them who put it together each year, but a shift has marked the last few iterations.
“In 2020, we had time to reflect during COVID, and we decided on the name change. It started as The Stratford Blues and Ribfest, but that no longer reflected the changes made over the years It was more than just ribs and so many genres of music,” said Clark.
“Our new name, truly captures what the weekend is about, We changed things in 2020, but didn’t get to put on a new event until 2022. We are really excited about what’s going to happen this year.”
It’s an outdoor, family-friendly gathering that allows everyone to come together for live music, food and street-market vendors and artists.
“This is a great event with over 100 volunteers, and it has grown so much. We started with three ribbers and now there is a variety of tasty offerings. Our committee is dedicated to bringing the best musical experience to people, What is brought to the stage is electrifying.”
The weekend features Juno winners Steve Marriner and Steve Strongman, and audiences will be dancing with the six-piece Dave Murphy Band. There’ll be emerging talent like the Joel Dupius Band and an international band headlining Friday night, Just Heart, a cover band of the famous 1980s rockers.
Local bands like Thundersmoke, Small Town Strip Club, and more are on the playlist, There will be 23 bands over three days,
“We also partnered with The Local Community Food Centre, who are catering a free breakfast on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024, 10-11 am. We will graciously accept donations for the Local during that hour to support their programs. It’s amazing to see things go back to the community,” she said.
“The community has been so good to us. Businesses through sponsorship helped us surpass our goal, and it’s nice to see folks invest in their community and people look forward to the event. We’re just so grateful.”
With less than a month to go, Clark is getting more excited each day for the festivities.
“It’s fast-approaching now and we’re feeling great about this. I’m loving the progress we’re making, and we feel happy and prepared as a committee to put on an incredible event,” she said.
The Stratford Live Music & Food Event is June 21st to 23rd, 2024, and event details can be found online here.