With the many hot and steamy days that we’ve experienced over the past few weeks, summer is certainly in full swing, and with the Civic Holiday long weekend upon us, it’s time for another Summerfest in Meaford.
For the fifth year in a row, Summerfest returns to downtown Meaford from Friday, July 31 until Sunday, August 2.
The first four Summerfest events brought Meaford’s downtown core to life for a mid-summer festival. Meaford’s Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event, are hoping that this year’s Summerfest will continue to build on the success of the first four years of the event.
In its first few years, Summerfest has become a highly anticipated event for many in this community, and for good reason. First, the middle of summer is an excellent time for a festival. After enduring hot, humid, and sometimes hazy days for the past month, a little festival fun reminds us that summer, in spite of the sometimes burdensome heat, is a time to get outdoors and enjoy the warm air and sunshine. Gathering with friends and neighbours along with the rest of the community to celebrate summer is a fine tradition indeed.
The second reason that Summerfest has become a much anticipated event is that from the very first year, the organizers have just gotten it right. It is a festival designed for all to enjoy from young to old, and a family can enjoy a day at Summerfest without having to squeeze their wallets.
This year’s Summerfest kicks off on Friday evening (July 31) with a ‘movie under the stars’ held at Market Square beginning at 8 p.m., this year featuring the classic movie E.T., a movie that I enjoyed as a teenager when it was first released in 1982, and that my sons enjoyed many years later when they were children. It is a movie that more than 40 years after its release is still universally loved today.
On Saturday and Sunday, in addition to a sidewalk sale held by downtown merchants, there will be a vendor market in Market Square and live music, along with a beer tent to be featured throughout the day on Saturday, and into Saturday evening. As in previous years there will also be a ‘Kid Zone’ at Market Square on both Saturday and Sunday, offering our younger residents to have some fun of their own.
Another much loved feature of Meaford’s Summerfest is the annual ‘Poutinefest’, which sees local restaurants compete to create the best poutine. Attendees will be able to sample the various poutine creations, and they can cast their votes online for their favourite. Winners will be announced on the Monday after Summerfest.
As I have written on this page in previous years, not enough can be said about the fine folks who dedicate their time and energy to getting a new event up and running. Not every new event captures the hearts of residents or visitors to a community, but the first four years of Summerfest in Meaford have proven to be a great success, gaining fans young and old.
As I noted above, I think that one of the keys to the success of the event in its first three years is that it is simple, it is fun, and there is no cost to simply attend and take it all in.
In addition to the volunteers who drive this event and make it happen, a number of local businesses also participate in the event. From the restaurants competing in the ‘Poutinefest’ to the retail shops that set up on the downtown sidewalks for Summerfest weekend, this is an event that brings the community together.
The amount of work put into the organization of the Summerfest event is no doubt enormous, but the impact of the event on the business district of this municipality has been clear: the event draws crowds, large crowds, and large crowds spend money, and in a small municipality, that is a very good thing indeed.
While you are downtown taking in the Summerfest fun, be sure to take a stroll down to the harbour area to take in the views, and perhaps even to cool off with a dip in the bay.
Summerfest truly is an event for everyone, young and old, and there will be no shortage of fun to be found in downtown Meaford this weekend.
Many thanks to the creators and organizers of Summerfest: your hard work and enthusiasm does not go unnoticed. This event was born in the wake of the pandemic period, a time when we were often asked to distance ourselves from one another, and to not gather in large groups; we were even asked for a short period to isolate at home, and it was a time that frustrated us all. As we have all learned from the pandemic experience, life is much more fulfilling when we can gather together as a community to celebrate something as simple as the summer season.
From the perspective of this ole scribe, Summerfest is good for this community, it is good for local businesses, and it is a great way to showcase this municipality while having a little fun in the heart of the summer season.
For more information, you can visit the Summerfest website:
https://www.meafordchamber.ca/chamber-news/summerfest-2026
Poutinefest information can be found at:
