Cathy Dobson
An organizer proposing a new annual music festival in Centennial Park says his group has a roster of musicians and bands lined up that will be released shortly.
“We’ve been working on this for months and have a lot of connections through working other events,” said Mark Perrin, one of four board members with PM Entertainment Group.
“I think the caliber of our first year will surprise some people,” he said. “We’ve had the artists we’re looking at in mind for a good six to eight weeks. It’s just a matter of getting the agreements in place before we announce them.”
Perrin is spokesman for the new Bluewater BorderFest planned for Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
City council recently granted the festival a noise exemption so bands can play until midnight both nights. That was the first the public had heard about it and Perrin’s phone has rarely stopped ringing since.
“We are starting as a small music festival with simple beginnings and hope to grow in the coming years,” he said. A press conference is likely in the next week or two to announce the stage acts, according to Perrin.
“The goal is a collection of good entertainment for all ages in country, rock and pop genres,” he said. “We want an atmosphere that will attract all music lovers.”
In seeking the noise exemption, Bluewater BorderFest presented council with a rough site plan for Centennial Park, which is scheduled to reopen in June. It shows a VIP area, licensed and unlicensed areas, vendors and a large rented stage in approximately the same position as the one used by Bayfest.
Bayfest was a wildly successful music event that brought in international headliners for 15 years before it was cancelled in 2013. It started small and grew to attract as many as 100,000 people to Centennial Park.
Bluewater BorderFest is hoping to draw 2,500 each day, said Perrin.
“We’re not looking to be compared to Bayfest. It was great for the community and a huge production but we want our event to be totally separate from that,” he said.
“This is a smaller festival for the whole family.”
Children’s entertainment is planned for Saturday afternoon.
While organizers didn’t initially consider local bands, several have contacted Perrin in recent weeks. “So now we’re going to see if we can incorporate them,” he said.
Bluewater BorderFest is looking for sponsors as well as up to three non-profit groups to assist with beer sales and ticketing.
At age 31, the Corunna resident said he has 10 years of experience in marketing and organizing events.
He’s a former marketing and sales consultant with the Sting and currently the VP and director of marketing for Walton Raceway. He’s also CEO of his own sport management company.
PM Entertainment was formed specifically for Bluewater BorderFest and has a three-year business plan, he said.
“I am 110% sure this is going to happen.”
The Arts Journal reflects Sarnia’s cultural life. If you have a story idea, contact Cathy at [email protected] or 226-932-0985.