BAY ROBERTS, N.L. — The dates have been set and tickets are on sale for the annual Songs, Stages and Seafood Festival in Bay Roberts.
The eighth annual event is being held from May 20-24 this year and is expected net a big crowd.
Ron Delaney, director of tourism and economic development with the Town of Bay Roberts, said attendance has grown steadily over the years.
“We get people from all over Canada, there’s a group that comes from California each year, we’ve had people from Europe, Brazil, all over the place,” he said.
The format for the festival will be the same as in previous years, including hosting the NL Fishcake Championship on May 24 and the Chef’s Seafood BBQ on May 23.
Delaney said it draws in the culinary crème de la crème of the province every year and he expects this year to be the same.
Music is always a big part of the festival and this year will be no different. Delaney said the groups and music performed are rooted in the province which, he said, enhances the appeal.
Fergus O’Byrne will also host the Young Folk at the Hall workshops and concert, designed to give young musicians an opportunity to develop musical relationships and share their talents with peers in an informal setting. The workshops foster the idea that playing music in a “session” setting is an enjoyable and fulfilling activity.
The two workshops, joint ventures between O’Byrne, the festival, the town, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, will lead up the 7 p.m. concert May 26 at The Bay Roberts Lion’s Club.
“That concert celebrates the songs from Newfoundland and of Celtic origin,” Delaney told Saltwire. “It’s a great concert, these kids are only together only four to five times but what you get out of it is the excitement of the traditional music.”
The Fishcake Championship also brings in many people, Delaney said, and usually draws 10 to 15 competitors. People who attend vote on the winners, and it’s a real treat for lovers of the Newfoundland staple, he said.
For more details or to purchase tickets for the Chef’s Seafood BBQ or Fishcake Championship, visit www.songsstagesandseafood.com.
