Cavendish music festival comes back bringing thousands of tourists with it

After a two-year hiatus, Atlantic Canada’s biggest outdoor concert is back.

Cavendish is geared up for the biggest event of the summer, the Cavendish Beach Music Festival (CBMF).

About 25,000 people are set to walk through the gates on each of the three days, taking in 45 shows including this year’s biggest name, Luke Combs.

“We had a record year this year on tickets,” said organizer Ben Murphy.

“We sold out in about 62 hours since we announced Luke Combs, so tickets have just been, weekend passes and Thursday’s went real quick, and then Friday’s and Saturday’s, we still have very limited few available, but we’re expecting a record crowd this weekend.”

It’s been a rough couple of years. CBMF wasn’t able to be held in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.

In a small community like Cavendish that relies on tourism, that’s a big blow.

The festival is a huge draw, particularly among young adults who might not otherwise visit.

“Oh I’m so excited,” said Mackenzie Dawe, who came from Newfoundland and Labrador. “This is my first one, so I’m really excited to see everyone and kinda get back to normal.”

In the days before the festival, they have an opportunity to check out some of Cavendish’s other tourist attractions, like Grandpa's Antique Photo Studio.

“We had a couple of friends, three or four years ago, were up here for [the] Cavendish festival and they came here and got the pictures done and said it was a good time,” said Randy Clark. “We figured we’d check it out.”

And business owners in the community hope to make them repeat customers.

“Some of these kids and young people that are coming to the festival end up getting married,” said Paul Larkin, owner of Chez Yvonne Restaurant. “And return to this destination with kids of their own.”