The 48th edition of the Home Country Music & Art Festival is taking over Victoria Park this weekend, with an exciting new addition.
The music festival features roots, traditional, and indie folk and pop acts, and for the first time since 2007, Home County will be featuring non-Canadian performers.
Darin J. Addison, Home County’s artistic director, says the international performers are thanks to London’s status as a UNESCO City of Music.
“We’re partnered with another UNESCO city of music and that is Belfast, Northern Ireland. And we have brought two musicians from Belfast,” he said.
“They were doing some songwriting with a couple local musicians, they’re going to do some recording, and then they’re going to be at Home County all weekend.”
The musicians in question are Belfast-based singer-songwriters Niall McDowell and Ciara O’Neill.
Addison says London’s designation as a UNESCO City of Music helped Home County secure the Irish performers.
Also being brought back for the first time in a while is the family area and children’s stage, which has been absent since 2018.
“We got music for kids, we’ve got face painting, we’ve got an Indigenous storyteller and lots of bubbles. That runs Saturday and Sunday afternoon from noon till four o’clock on Saturday, and three o’clock on Sunday.”
In addition to the family area and children’s stage, a showcase of Fanshawe music industry arts students will be coming to the east stage Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Home County will feature 33 total performers, including headliners Terra Lightfoot; Ashley MacIsaac, who was the festival’s Saturday headliner in 2014; and Stephen Fearing, who founded Canadian roots-rock group Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
In addition to the artists performing, the festival will have more than 90 artisan vendors, and 26 food vendors.
More information about performance schedules, vendors and more can be found on the Home County Music & Art Festival website.
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