Restrictions wash out Makin’ Waves

SYDNEY — A popular summer concert series is the latest victim of COVID-related social restrictions.

The annual Makin' Waves festival has been cancelled for this summer due to the travel and gathering rules that have been in place for almost three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The credit union-presented and CBRM recreation department-organized event is held at the Wentworth Park band shell in downtown Sydney and has become a Thursday evening summertime staple for locals and visitors alike.

But Cape Breton Regional Municipality spokesperson Joe Costello said all is not lost.

“Over the past few months our team has been able to reinvent and redevelop plans on how to offer musical experiences to our community,” said Costello.

“We always want to produce unique, high-quality presentations and we've come up with three programs that will blend live and digital mediums and fill the gaps created by the cancellation of so many events.”

The new initiatives include the Cape Breton Songwriters Studio's Isolation Edition with four episodes that delve into the songs and careers of four Makin' Waves alumni — Carleton Stone of Port Cities; Jah'Mila of Jamaica/Halifax; Rosanna Burrill of Halifax's Hillsburn; and Cape Bretonborn songwriter Greg MacPherson. The series runs online on the Makin' Waves website starting June 25.

And, in lieu of the Makin' Waves concerts, the municipality will host a twonight live and livestreamed concert, Aug. 22-23 at the Cape Breton Drive-In where a limited audience can watch the show from their vehicles. The lineup has yet to be finalized.

The popular Front Stage Program will also return to focus on the development of young Cape Breton songwriters.

More information is available on the CBRM and the Makin' Waves websites.