Peterborough Musicfest Wraps 39th Season With Record Crowds and Big Plans for 40
/By Scott Arnold
More than 110,000 people filled Del Crary Park this summer as Peterborough Musicfest celebrated its 39th season with 16 free concerts, new programs and plenty of memorable nights along the shores of Little Lake.
Season 39 brought plenty of memorable nights to Del Crary Park, with big crowds, local talent and free live music continuing to make Peterborough Musicfest a summer staple. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
There was a lot to celebrate as the final pieces of the festival were packed away at Del Crary Park.
From record crowds and strong 50-50 sales to the addition of new programming for local musicians and young music lovers, Peterborough Musicfest’s 39th season delivered plenty of highlights — and already has the team looking ahead to a milestone 40th season in 2027.
According to Peterborough Musicfest Marketing and Communications Manager Raff Melito, more than 110,000 people came through the park this summer, despite the cancellation of the Canada Day show.
“It’s just been incredible. We had such a great season,” Melito said. “We had a higher attendance than last season, even with our canceled Canada Day show.”
With 16 shows to organize, the season can look like a long way off when planning begins. By the time the final concert is over, however, it seems to have disappeared in an instant.
“At the beginning of the season, we’re like, oh wow, we have these 16 shows to put on and it looks like a long lineup and a big long summer,” Melito said. “And then we’re here and we’re like, I can’t believe it’s over.”
More Than What Happens on Stage
While thousands of people come to Del Crary Park to see the artists, much of the work that makes those nights possible happens long before the first note.
A setup crew of roughly five to seven people arrives in the morning to prepare the park, putting out chairs and tents and getting the vendor and information areas ready. A five-person office team handles everything from marketing and volunteer coordination to event logistics and answering calls.
Then there are the volunteers, board members and others who help keep the festival moving throughout the summer.
“It’s amazing,” Melito said. “Without them, the show would not happen.”
The work also doesn't end when the final concert does. While the festival team will close the office briefly for a break, planning for Season 40 has already begun, including early work on artists and sponsorship packages.
After another busy summer behind the scenes, Raff Melito reflected on the people, programs and packed park that helped make Musicfest’s 39th season one to remember. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
Building a Music Community
One of the biggest developments over the past few seasons has been the gradual expansion of what happens at Musicfest beyond the main stage.
The Future Sound Series has created a platform for local artists to perform before the headline acts, giving them an opportunity to reach a much larger audience than they might normally encounter.
This year, Musicfest added another piece with First Note, a free, hands-on music program that gave children and youth the opportunity to pick up instruments and try them for themselves.
Supported by a grant from the Peterborough Foundation, First Note became another way for Musicfest to introduce people to music — from discovering an instrument for the first time, to performing on the side stage, to eventually taking in a major concert.
Melito described the three programs as a “really beautiful ecosystem” that has developed over the past three years.
“I’m really excited to watch all of those programs grow,” he said.
That impact was also something Tracey Randall, Peterborough Musicfest’s Executive Director, singled out when reflecting on the season.
“Just seeing instruments in children’s hands again,” Randall said. “Like when I was a kid, I took my clarinet home every week. So just to see that music in their life. It’s so important.”
Randall said being able to launch First Note with support from the Peterborough Foundation was one of the special moments of the season.
Tracey Randall marked another successful season for Peterborough Musicfest while already looking ahead to what could make the festival’s 40th anniversary even bigger. (Photo by Scott Arnold)
A Season That Reached Beyond Peterborough
Musicfest’s appeal extended well beyond the city, with high-calibre performers drawing audiences from across Ontario.
Randall said the festival had also been looking at how many visitors were travelling more than 40 kilometres to attend, with surveying done throughout the season to help measure that impact.
But for Randall, some of the most rewarding parts of the summer were found in the people working behind the scenes.
Musicfest relies heavily on student staff, many of whom move on to full-time jobs after completing their studies. Watching those staff members grow throughout a fast-paced summer is something Randall said she particularly enjoys.
She also credited the festival’s board, staff, volunteers and the people who work throughout the year to make the summer possible.
“I’m very proud of year 39,” Randall said.
The Trans-Canada Highwaymen Take a Walk
One of the more memorable moments away from the stage came when the Trans-Canada Highwaymen were in Peterborough for their Musicfest performance.
The four Canadian rock veterans — Steven Page, Chris Murphy, Moe Berg and Craig Northey — headed out from Del Crary Park for coffee at the Silver Bean Cafe, walking along the Trans-Canada Trail along the way.
The trail’s connection to the band’s name made the outing particularly fitting, especially when the group stopped for a photo at a Trans-Canada Trail sign.
Randall had been working on bringing the group to Musicfest for three years and said walking with the band through Peterborough was one of her favourite memories of the season.
“We found the Trans-Canada Trail sign along the way and took a photo and it went viral or trended, whatever you want to call it,” she said. “So I really, that was a great day, just going for a walk with the band.”
The moment was followed that night by one of the season’s most talked-about performances, with the group delivering songs from their respective bands and bringing four major Canadian music careers together on one stage.
Trans-Canada Highwaymen brought four of Canada’s best-known alternative-rock voices together for one of the standout performances of Musicfest’s 39th season. (Photo courtesy of PEterborough musicfest)
