New festival coming to Kentville
First Valley Electronic Music Arts Expo set for June 30
A new, family-friendly outdoor street festival will help kick off Kentville’s Canada Day celebration weekend.
The Valley Electronic Music Arts Expo (VEMAE), will take place June 30 on a closed-off section of Aberdeen Street between Webster Street and Main Street from noon until 10 p.m.
VEMAE is a non-profit organization created by Chris Rushton — a long- time electronic music lover and DJ from the Annapolis Valley — with the goal of introducing to the community the musical and artistic talents of those who live in, or are originally from, the Annapolis Valley.
Rushton has been part of the electronic DJ scene for a long time and has always wanted to throw a family- friendly electronic music event.
“A lot of the time, music festivals aren’t for all ages and aren’t family- friendly,” said Rushton, “so, with this case, I wanted to do something during the day so everybody that’s in the Valley could come and experience electronic music.”
Rushton also hopes that this festival will help to eliminate the negative connotation that often surrounds electronic music.
“Sometimes, there’s a black cloud that sits over electronic music,” said Rushton.
“We want to show that it’s here and there’s nothing wrong with it. Come down, bring your families, dance, enjoy, see the local vendors and artists.”
He’s hoping some Valley residents will get to experience electronic music for the first time at the event.
“We’re just trying to do some- thing fun for the community and expose as many people to electronic music and art as we can,” he added.
There are already 10 electronic music artists set to perform at the event.
Along with the live music, the festival will include many multimedia artists — including hula hooping, fire-spinning, light effect artists, sculptors and more — along with food vendors. There will also be activities such as face painting, skateboarding demos, craft-making, giveaways and much more. For more information on the event and what it has to offer, visit the VEMAE Facebook page: