The MusicBarge will be returning to the Avon River, bringing free outdoor music to southwestern Ontario.
Based out of Stratford, MusicBarge is an unusual type of festival that sees groups play on a docked boat while audiences watch on a field. This year the festivities will stretch across four weekends with a variety of musical styles on offer. Artists will include the Vocal Academy Opera “Stars of Tomorrow”, the Stratford Festival Brass band, a traditional Andean group called The Imbayakunas, and modern Celtic group The Bookends. Each group will play multiple times over the course of a weekend.
MusicBarge is held in association with the Stratford Music Festival, an annual summer event that celebrates instrumental and world music and often attracts music lovers from nearby areas like Woodstock and Windsor. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own seating to MusicBarge shows in the form of lawn chairs or blankets, with picnicking welcome. Outdoor concerts and music festivals such as this can provide invaluable exposure for local artists in unusual genres, often advertised through local radio promotion, poster printing, and other outreach tours.
The 2022 edition of MusicBarge will begin on July 22 and hold shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until August 14, with all shows being hold on the Avon River along York Street in Stratford.
