Belleville’s waterfront festival named one of Ontario’s top 100 festivals

By Denissa Palmer

BELLEVILLE – After bringing Belleville 30 years of entertainment, the Waterfront and Ethnic Festival has been selected as one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario.

Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) made the announcement on Friday, March 6, at its annual Gala held in Niagara Falls.

Belleville’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Saunders said it’s an honour to be chosen from more than 2500 annual festivals in Ontario.

“This is the first time the festivals’s 30 year history it has received this recognition”, he said.

Saunders credits the festival organizers for the distinction. He said they’ve done a great job changing the event so it remains relevant and fresh to both new and old comers.

They’ve remained mindful of the constant social changes and demographics to engage community partners, making it truly a city event.

Belleville’s Waterfront and Ethnic Festival is a community highlight every summer at Zwick’s Park, attracting more than 35,000 guests including over 3,000 tourists.

Saunders said this announcement will attract more visitors and higher profile performers.

For the last eight years, this four day festival has been known as the largest free festival in eastern Ontario.

“The additional marketing and promotion that goes along with this kind of recognition will only assist us in attracting more visitors to the city and to the festival”, he said.