London’s adding an extra day of tunes to this year’s annual ‘Rock the Park’ festivities.
The Strategic Priorities and Policy committee approved a motion Monday, adding a fifth day to the July festival at Harris Park.
Ward 4 councillor Jesse Helmer says Londoner’s are in for a musical treat during the festival’s extra afternoon, which danced around city by-laws that regularly limit festivals to operating for only four consecutive days
“We’re talking about five hours on a Sunday right in the middle of the day,” he said. “If you’re going to add another day to amplify sound in Harris Park, this is a good time to do it. It’s probably the best time to do it.”
This 14th edition of the festival will host major headliners including Lady Antebellum, Wiz Khalifa, The Offspring and July Talk.
Ward 3 councillor Mo Salih is confident organizers will add another name to the diverse set of artists on the schedule to fill the new slot.
“Those are some of the names that are coming to town this year to London, Ontario,” he said. “These are some of the people who (are) going to be able to go back to their communities and say hey I was in London Ontario.”
This summer’s shows are raising proceeds for several charities, including the Brandon Prust Foundation, Southwestern Ontario’s Make a Wish and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of London.
In years past, the festival raised funds for Bethany’s Hope Foundation.
With files from Hala Ghonaim