HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Iconic Ottawa events celebrate milestone anniversaries in 2014
This summer is anniversary season — musical and athletic, as well as matrimonial.
“This year is the 20th anniversary of RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest, Ottawa Chamberfest and the Ottawa Folk Festival,” says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism. “Furthermore, the 40th anniversary of Ottawa Race Weekend is also cause for celebration.”
One of the largest international music events in the world, the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest runs July 3 to 13. The festival has over 220 varied musical acts on several outdoor stages, attracting more than 300,000 music fan seach year.
Theworld’s largest chamber music festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, is July 24 to Aug. 7. It presents concerts in Ottawa churches representing a wide array of music.
Looking at an impressive 2013 photo from the Ottawa Folk Festival, Andre (AJ) Sauvé, director of media relations for RBC Bluesfest and the Ottawa Folk Festival, said that “this photo alone shows the evolution of the Ottawa Folk Festival from a small weekend event to a multi-staged, five-day ’fest with an inclusive lineup that appeals to a wider demographic.”
Since 2011, when RBC Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan began programming the festival and his RBC Bluesfest team has been involved in running the Ottawa Folk Festival event, “crowds have trebled and international awareness has been vastly increased,” said Sauvé. “This inclusive approach to programming and the effort to keep ticket prices low — compared to what other venues would charge for the same level of talent — is a tried and true approach. It has been the key to success for the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa, a music event that has been ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the Top 10 most successful music festivals in North America.”
The Ottawa Folk Festival runs Sept. 10to14, high lighting Canada’s rich traditions with music, dance, storytelling and crafts. Side-stage shows are a particular highlight as musicians share the spotlight.
“Each music festival is spectacular in its own right,” says Van Kregten. “Blues festis the marquee event, but the Chamberfest fans are rabid — they really get into it. It’s a beautiful festival; the venues, the acoustics. And the Folk Festival has really reinvented itself. With their new September date the weather is still great, and it’s a pretty time of year. They’ve really upped their game in terms of their music as well.”
On another front, “Race Weekend has one of the biggest impacts on Ottawa in terms of hotel bookings and economic impact,” says Van Kregten. “It’s a great attrac- tion for the region because it’s not just the runners coming here, it’s their support network, their family, their friends, their coaches; it brings a lot of people to town.” Total visitor spending during Ottawa Race Weekend is $10.1 million and total economic activity associated with the weekend is $27.8 million, according to a 2012 study.
“It’s important for people to realize the advantage to tourism annually,” says John Halvorsen, race director of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. “The feedback we get when we travel to other cities telling runners to come to Ottawa, it’s not about the organizational stuff which they take for granted. What people tell us is they love coming to this city and experiencing the event. The real message I got from watching the Boston Marathon is that there were spectators five deep along the course. It makes the event so attractive. We want to help the city by bringing more tourists.”
“I only run the 10 kand I’m always amazed how many come out to cheer every one on,” saysVanKregten.“Youfeelthatsenseofcommunity. Runners tell me Ottawa is a great course to run. The support of the fans really makes adifference.”
“The spectator side of it has re- ally grown,” agrees Mark Sutcliffe, author of The Magnificent Marathon, about 40 years of the Ottawa Marathon. “People said they liked running in Ottawa, and they really do appreciate the spectators.”