Peterborough Musicfest Gets Ready to Put a Bow on Another Big Summer

By Scott Arnold

After a summer filled with big crowds, memorable performances and plenty of moments to talk about, Peterborough Musicfest is getting ready for its final night of 2026.

Local singer-songwriter Jeanne Truax will open Peterborough Musicfest’s season finale on Wednesday at 6:30pm, bringing her blend of retro-inspired pop, rockabilly and original music to the Future Sound Series stage at Del Crary Park (Photo by Scott Arnold)

It feels like the summer just got started, but after 16 concerts, countless hours of preparation and some of the biggest crowds the festival has seen, Peterborough Musicfest is down to its final show.

The Dreamboats will headline the final Peterborough Musicfest show of the summer, bringing their high-energy take on 1950s and 1960s rock and roll to the Fred Anderson Stage at 8pm, with local artist Jeanne Truax getting the night started from the Future Sound Series stage at 6:30pm.

Peterborough Musicfest Marketing and Communications Manager Raff Melito says The Dreamboats are a band where the performance is every bit as important as the music, with the group dressing the part, dancing and bringing the classic rock and roll era to life on stage. It promises to be a lively finish to a summer that has already featured plenty of big performances and memorable nights at Del Crary Park.

“They are this incredible band that is as much a performance as it is about the music,” Melito said. “So they put on a great show. It’s 50s and 60s rock’n’roll. They totally dress up. They’re like dancing. It’s going to be an excellent way to close out the season.”

Before the season comes to a close Wednesday night, there is still plenty to look back on.

A Show People Are Still Talking About

Last Wednesday’s Trans-Canada Highwaymen performance was one of those Musicfest nights that seemed to follow people home.

Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies, Chris Murphy of Sloan, Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness and Craig Northey of Odds brought their combined catalogues of Canadian rock hits to the Fred Anderson Stage, but the performance was more than simply four musicians taking turns playing songs from their respective bands.

“They all rotated positions in the band and it just made for such an incredible evening,” said Melito. “They were comedic, they were joking with the audience, they were just incredible.”

The four musicians also made the most of their time in Peterborough before taking the stage.

As it turned out, the Trans-Canada Highwaymen did not even know Peterborough’s Trans Canada Trail was there. After Chris Murphy wanted to find a good cup of coffee and the group was pointed toward the Silverbean Cafe, they walked from Del Crary Park along the trail toward downtown.

When they came across a Trans Canada Trail sign, they stopped for a photo, creating a particularly fitting Peterborough moment for a band whose name was inspired in part by the trail.

“They all stopped to pose for the photo because that’s actually one of the pieces that inspired their name,” Melito said. “So it was a real moment for the band.”

And then they returned to Del Crary Park and put on a show that many Musicfest fans have already described as one of the best they have seen at the festival.

The Trans-Canada Highwaymen stopped for a photo along Peterborough’s Trans-Canada Trail before their August 12th performance at Peterborough Musicfest (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest)

A Final Saturday Night to Rock Out

Saturday brought another packed night to the park, this time with Crystal Faith delivering the music of Styx and Bon Jovi.

The crowd was treated to a night of classic rock favourites, with people dancing and singing along to songs they knew from the opening notes.

Now, Musicfest gets one final chance to do it all again.

The Dreamboats will close out Season 39 on Wednesday night, bringing their high-energy take on 1950s and 1960s rock ’n’ roll to the Fred Anderson Stage.

“They are this incredible band that is as much a performance as it is about the music,” Melito said. “They totally dress up, they’re dancing. It’s going to be an excellent way to close out the season.”

But before The Dreamboats take the stage, the final Musicfest night will begin with a familiar local face.

Jeannie Truax Ready to Start the Final Night

Singer-songwriter Jeannie Truax of Kawartha Lakes will take the Future Sound Series presented by Cogeco side stage at 6:30pm, bringing her own mix of 1950s and 1960s pop, rockabilly and indie retro-inspired pop to the park.

And she could hardly be more excited about the opportunity.

“I’m so excited,” Truax said. “It’s going to be so cool.”

She is also particularly well matched with The Dreamboats.

“They’re right in the vein of what we love, that like 50s, 60s pop stuff,” she said. “It’s going to be so fun. Their show is amazing. I can’t wait.”

Music has been part of Truax’s life for as long as she can remember. She grew up in a family of musicians and started playing piano at eight years old.

“I was like forced right into it, sleeping in the piano case while I was growing up,” she joked.

It did not take long for the music to become something she genuinely loved.

She eventually picked up guitar, partly for a very practical reason.

“The reason I picked it up was because it’s really hard to bring a piano to a campfire,” Truax said. “It’s really difficult.”

Her brother later taught her how to play bass, adding another instrument to her growing musical repertoire.

But performing live was a different experience altogether.

Truax had been involved in theatre before becoming a musician, so she was accustomed to being on stage. Even so, her first musical performance brought a different kind of nerves.

“I was terrified, even though I was on the stage pretty much constantly,” she said. “But it was, as soon as I finished, it was like this euphoric feeling. I was like, this is the best day of my life. I’m going to do this forever.”

She may never have taken that first step without a little encouragement.

A friend who had heard her play for years decided she was ready, booked her a show and essentially told her she was doing it.

“He played with me and it was amazing,” Truax said.

From there, things moved quickly.

“I did one show and then I felt like I already had 10 more booked,” she said. “It was crazy how it happens like that.”

A Little Help From Home

For Truax, being part of Musicfest’s final night is about more than simply getting to perform on a big local stage.

It is another chance to play in front of a Peterborough audience that she says has embraced her music.

“The amount of people who take a chance and hire people or go for it in Peterborough just to see what happens is genuinely incredible,” she said. “And the amount of music listeners, like, oh my gosh, there’s so many people who want to listen to music and come out and support.”

That support has helped make Peterborough feel like home as her career has developed.

“It’s really cool to have a place you can come home to,” she said. “And it’s fabulous.”

On Wednesday, she will have plenty of friends and family in the park to cheer her on.

Her set will feature her band, with Truax on acoustic guitar, and will blend 1950s and 1960s pop, rockabilly and her own indie retro-inspired material.

The goal is straightforward.

“Our goal always is just to entertain and have fun,” she said. “The boys that I’m travelling with in my band, we’re all best friends. So we just hope that every time we’re on stage, you can tell how much fun we’re having up there with each other.”

One Last Night at Del Crary Park

There will be plenty happening before the music starts.

Food vendors will be open, with happy hour deals available early in the evening, while the Peterborough Musicfest merchandise booth will offer end-of-season deals on select items.

The 50-50 draw will also return for its final night. Musicfest has already sold more than $110,000 worth of tickets this summer, resulting in more than $55,000 in prize money.

Tickets can be purchased online from anywhere in Ontario through Musicfest’s 50-50 website, with the final jackpot set to be drawn Wednesday night.

For Melito and the Musicfest team, reaching the final show is a little hard to believe after spending an entire year preparing for the season.

“At the beginning of the season, you’re like, wow, there are 16 shows to put on here at the park,” she said. “And then all of a sudden you look at the calendar and you’re like, it’s the last week. How did that happen?”

There is plenty of pride in what has been accomplished, along with the inevitable bittersweet feeling that comes with bringing another season to an end.

“It’s a lot of work, a lot of fundraising, a lot of feet on the ground,” Melito said. “And then we’re here in the last week and it’s like we have to say goodbye to everyone until next season. So bittersweet, but we’re really looking forward to a fantastic season finale.”

That finale gets underway Wednesday at 6:30pm with Jeannie Truax, followed by The Dreamboats at 8pm.

After a summer of big-name performers, packed nights and plenty of reasons to make the trip to Del Crary Park, Musicfest has one more night to bring Peterborough together on the shores of Little Lake.

Want to enjoy the final Musicfest concert of the summer from some of the best seats in the park? We're giving away a pair of VIP tickets. The winner will receive two reserved seats in the VIP section directly in front of the stage. Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for contest details and your chance to win.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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