For the first time in more than 15 years, the Home County Music and Art Festival will include performers from outside of Canada.
Belfast, Northern Ireland folk artists Ciara O’Neill and Niall McDowell will be among the more than 35 musicians performing in Victoria Park over the festival's three day run. The 48th edition of the popular downtown festival runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
O’Neill and McDowell's inclusion is a nod to London's United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)status. Both London and Belfast are designated UNESCO Cities of Music. There has not been a non-Canadian act at Home County since 2007.
Festival Artistic Director Darin Addison said the idea to include performers from outside of Canada's borders came following discussions with the London Music Office.
"As London's longest running summer festival and one of the biggest festivals in the city, it was an opportunity for us to embrace that UNESCO City of Music designation," said Addison. "How could we turn it down?"
O’Neill has released two albums and EP 'La Lune' since 2016. Last year she was nominated for 'best emerging artist at the RTE Radio1 folk awards in Ireland. McDowell is a queer folk and alt-country singer-songwriter. They have performed an array of sold-out live shows and released their latest single 'I Have Given Up' in March.
McDowell hits the main stage on Saturday night, while O'Neill will appear on the same stage Sunday night. The two Belfast performers will also be participating in a songwriting session with two local musicians throughout the weekend.
Six stages have been set-up throughout Victoria Park for the annual festival. Among them, is a children's stage and area, which hasn't been a part of the three-day event since it was scrapped due to budget constraints in 2018.
"We are excited to bring that back. It is really important to have family entertainment to bring everyone together," said Addison. "We have face painting and an Indigenous author who will be reading from one of her books. There will be really awesome music that is geared toward the kids and someone called Miss T. the Bubble Queen, so there are going to be lots of bubbles on Saturday."
Main stage headliners include Hamilton's Terra Lightfoot, Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, and Canadian roots-rock group Blackie and the Rodeo Kings co-founder Stephen Fearing.
Nearly 100 artisan, craft, and food vendors will also be set up in the park. They will be offering unique items such as handcrafted jewellery, woodwork, soaps, pottery, paintings, apparel, and a wide variety of foods.
While weather conditions can play a huge role in attendance, roughly 50,000 people typically attend the festival over the course of its weekend run. Environment Canada is forecasting a 40 per cent chance of showers with a high of 28 for Friday. That increases to a 60 per cent chance of showers and a high of 27 on Saturday and Sunday.
"Wet weather can scare people off. But in 2018 we had a torrential downpour and the park was packed anyway for the Jim Cuddy Band on the Friday night," said Addison.
Admission to the festival is by donation.
"We encourage people to donate. A free festival is not free to put on," said Addison. "We have a system called "tip, tap, pay" that makes it easy for people to use their credit or debit card to make a donation to Home County. We know a lot of people don't carry cash, but we do accept cash."
Festival opening ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday on the main stage with a performance by Anishinaabe/Irish artist Dawn Redskye, followed by The Cedar Sisters and London's own The Pairs.
