[1]Residents and tourist enjoy the The Waterfront and Ethinic Festival taking place on July 9 to July 13. Picture courtesy http://rock107.ca
By Matthew P. Barker
BELLEVILLE –The annual Belleville Waterfront and Ethnic Festival returns next month for its 30th-anniversary celebration. There will be something for everyone in the family at Zwicks Park from July 9 to 13.
This year the midway is bigger and the attractions are better, says Susan Walsh, the special-events co-ordinator for the event.
“The festival has a huge family focus,” Walsh said. It will be “family-driven and affordable,” she added.
Shuttle buses will be running from the Bank of Montreal at the corner of Bridge and Front streets to the festival. Parking in the downtown area will be free during the event, courtesy of the city of Belleville.
The festival will include over 46 vendors, selling everything from jewelry and clothing to toys and art, and will include the midway, an indie music festival, and an ethnic food village.
Admission is free and on-site parking will cost $2, with the money going to support the local sea cadets, floorball, and girls’ minor hockey.
There will be a huge children’s village that will be sponsored by Tim Horton’s, and the midway is the “cheapest in the province,” said Walsh.
The ethnic food village will include foods from the Caribbean, China, India, Italy and many others.
The Rotary Club of Belleville will be running the dining tent. Alcoholic beverages will be available in the licensed dining area, staffed by volunteers of the Rotary Club.
There will be live bands on the Pavilion Stage throughout the weekend, including tributes to the Doobie Brothers, Bon Jovi, The Eagles, Johnny Cash, and the Quinte’s Got Talent competition.
The Waterfront Rocks 30th anniversary celebration that will be held on Saturday, July 12, will include acts such as the Tartan Terrors, the Celtic Experience and the Chilean Imbayakuanas.
The indie music fest, which has been included in the festival for the past three years, is in a separate area. Tickets are an extra $10. The indie fest’s headliner is the band Gob. The separate area is licensed for alcoholic beverages.
Many sponsors are involved in the five-day event, including local radio stations Cool 100.1 FM and 95.5 Hits FM.
Cole Nayler, promotions manager for the radio stations, said they have been involved for the past 11 years and have been a title sponsor for the event, working side by side with the Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
“We work closely with the chamber of commerce to co-ordinate the event,” Nayler said.
The stations have been doing live broadcasts as part of the event coverage.
Two new events that have been added to the lineup this year are a vintage boat display, where people can look at old ships and boats along the shoreline, and a yacht sail-past, with boats lighted and dressed up.