Organizers seek approval for new music festival in Cavendish
The Cavendish Beach Music Festival sees about 25,000 attendees each year - it’s a signature event on the island. Now the group behind it is hoping to add another.
Organizers pitched their food, drink, and rock-leaning music festival to about 100 locals in Cavendish, P.E.I., Monday evening.
While most of those in attendance agreed the event was a good idea, many questioned the planned dates, the weekend after the popular country music festival.
“We’re just not pro this concert during our peak season months,” said Adam Lowther, general manager of Fairways Cottages. “From July 1 to Sept. 4 we’ve had a committed, loyal, high-yielding demographic in families that has been steadily growing for 20 years now.”
Lowther said mixing 20-something festival goers with 30-something parents with kids doesn’t work well for accommodations, because the two groups are looking for very different experiences.
Whitecap Entertainment, which owns the festival, said the event is being designed to tap into an older demographic – the 30 plus crowd.
“Branding, the pricing, everything to do with this festival is aimed at an older clientele. We’re hopeful we can push that age up,” said Ben Murphy, Whitecap Entertainment CEO. “Will there be people under 25 there? Absolutely, but that won’t be the main target market.”
Murphy also said they are open to changing the date on subsequent years, but this year’s timing is to accommodate the acts they’ve booked, which have yet to be announced.
“As much as I would love to think, these world-class artist and chefs that we’re trying to get here, we get to pick the exact date they want to come,” said Murphy. “We have to be a little flexible.”
Many in the community are calling for the festival to be moved to the shoulder season, after kids have returned to school.
“We need to look at ways to diversify a product in all seasons,” said Lowther. “I think this event aligns really well with our off season.”
Lowther said that way tourism operators can take advantage of the festival, without pushing out the long-term customers the region has spent years cultivating.
Municipal council is set to decide if the festival will go ahead by the end of the month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Walmart Canada CEO says retailer not trying to profit from inflation
Walmart Canada is not trying to profit from food inflation, president and CEO Gonzalo Gebara told a parliamentary committee studying the issue Monday evening.

Hockey Canada says 2018 junior players ineligible for international competition
Hockey Canada says players from the 2018 world junior hockey team will not be considered for international competition until an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of the team is complete.
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
Landslide in Ecuador kills at least 7, with dozens missing
A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday.
How many COVID-19 vaccine doses should you have by now?
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
From silicon to brain cells: How biology may hold the future of computers
As artificial intelligence software and advanced computers revolutionize modern technology, some researchers see a future where computer programmers leap from silicon to organic molecules.
Pope Francis the fashion icon? Detecting AI images reaches 'uncanny valley,' cybersecurity expert warns
After a few altered images of Pope Francis sporting a white puffer jacket convinced the online world the Catholic leader could be a part-time fashion icon, one expert warns the rapid improvement of AI could pose larger societal problems.
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Indigenous concert in Vancouver cancelled over questions about performer's identity claims
The Vancouver Park Board and Britannia Community Services Centre cancelled an event Sunday that had been advertised as part of an Indigenous concert series in Grandview Park.