Events lead up to Festival of Small Halls
With more than 50 performances over 14 days in June, in over 40 rural community halls, the P.E.I. Mutual Festival of Small Halls offers a traditional music, storytelling and dance festival across the Island.
It’s set for June 11 to 24, but fans don’t have to wait until then. A number of lead-up events have been scheduled from June 7 to 10.
The Tunes on Tap on June 7, from 7:30-10 p.m. at Upstreet Craft Brewing in Charlottetown, will feature the fiddle tunes of Cynthia MacLeod.
Ferry Tales & Tunes will be offered onboard Northumberland Ferries from Wood Islands on June 9 from 1-4 p.m. Gordon Belser and Todd MacLean will provide the entertainment. The Children’s Show & Musical Instrument Petting Zoo on June 10, at College of Piping in Summerside will star Michael Pendergast, children’s musical entertainer who is set to perform at 10:30 a.m.
The college event takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and includes a highland dance demo for kids with the College of Piping Dancers from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a stepdance workshop for intermediate to advanced dancers with Cameron Francis and Juliette Roberts, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Penderagast will be performing again that Saturday, but for an adult audience, when he appears at the Open Jam Session on June 10 from 7:30-10 p.m. at Moth Lane Brewing at 101 Mickie Allen Shore Road in Ellerslie.
The big opening show of the festival, “Shakin’ The Shingles,” goes Sunday, June 11, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Indian River. Hosted by J.P. Gaudet, it features performances by Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier, Colin Grant, Zakk Cormier and Jason Roach, It’s a Joyful Sound, and College of Piping Dancers. Tickets are on sale now.
The full schedule for the Festival of Small Halls has been finalized and brochures have been mailed to homes outside of Charlottetown. Despite being the Knutsford Women’s Institute’s first year of participation in the Festival of Small Halls, this venue, located in a rural community on the outskirts of O’Leary, has the festival’s first sold out show. In addition to the shows there will be workshops offered on various topics such as bluegrass guitar or song writing. The lineup of festival workshops starts with The New Tunemakers Cape Breton Fiddle Workshop at the Pourhouse (The Olde Triangle) in Charlottetown on June 11 from 1-2 p.m.
Then there are the Late Night Upstreet parties at Upstreet on June 16, 17 and 23, at 10 p.m. for late night performances by various festival artists. Show your festival ticket stub at the door for a $2 discount.