Renfrew Town Council’s newly created Signature Events Working Group has been busy planning for two events that appear to be trending in different directions: The Bluegrass Festival and the Renfrew Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival.
The Working Group is a collection of elected officials, town staff, and community members who gather in an effort to brainstorm ideas with a view to enhancing the town’s so-called signature events.
After two years of not taking place thanks to COVID-19, the Bluegrass Festival came back in the summer of 2022 and, while eagerly anticipated by many, was attended only by some. Over a five day period, less than 500 people showed up to the festival, resulting in a serious decline in event revenues.
Working from what had been a successful framework from years past, there was a goal of attracting a broader crowd base to the Bluegrass Festival by including artists from different musical genres as well as more local talent. According to a publicly accessible document, the town’s Economic Development, Planning and Tourism Committee declined the proposed changes, and determined that the Bluegrass Festival will remain unchanged.
As to the Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival, a different situation completely. That event attracted over 2,000 people in just eight hours. The strong focus on local performers was felt to be one of the major drawing cards to the event, and so look for more of that in the future.
The Working Group proposed that the event be held over a two-day time period to greater enhance attendance. The main part of the proposal would be the opening of the festival on a Friday at 4 PM and running until 11 PM before coming back again Saturday from noon until 11 PM.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 