There’s possibly never been as many local bands in Sarnia than there are right now.
By Nathan Colquhoun’s count, at least 66 bands of every genre are actively looking for gigs and he wants to help them out.
“Everyone is just itching to play, so I came up with something that will link local artists with local venues and create a great monthly event,” said the former city councillor and co-owner of a local brewery. “There’s a lot happening in Sarnia after Covid. People spent all that time isolated and many of them worked on forming new bands.”
That’s why Colquhoun is introducing Third Thursdays. He hopes the third Thursday of every month will become THE weeknight to get out and see your favourite bands.
He’s modelling it after First Friday cultural walkabouts, which encourage downtown merchants to host special events and entertainment of all kinds on one designated night every month. First Friday has been around for years and is generally considered a great success.
If Colquhoun has his way, Third Thursdays will encourage pub and restaurant owners throughout the city to book live entertainment and list it on a website he developed called sarnianight.com. The website lists makes it easy for bands and venues to find one another and make bookings. Music lovers can log in to see what’s playing on Third Thursdays.
Colquhoun says he chose a week night because the weekends are already busy.
“I always wanted to do this,” he said. “It was one of my ideas if I became mayor.” Colquhoun ran for mayor in the last election after serving one term on council.
“But just because I’m not mayor, doesn’t mean I can’t organize Third Thursdays,” he said.
“Everyone loves the idea. The challenging part is going to be growing it citywide.”
The inaugural Third Thursday is scheduled for Feb. 16. Already, 9 bands are booked at various venues throughout Sarnia and listed at www.sarnianight.com. Sarnia Night also has a Facebook page.