The annual Gateway Festival left thousands of music fans with memories of great performances until next year. The festival, running for the thirteenth consecutive year on July 21-23 in Bengough, offered food, children’s activities, and local vendors but music was at the forefront of the fun. The regional park was packed with RVs well before the festival start time, and headlining acts attracted hundreds more for their showtime.
Day one began with a pancake breakfast with music and activities opening up in the late afternoon. Kaeli Dane, Tenille Arts and Ava Wild kicked off the music portion of the program at the garden stage. This stage provided a variety of musical performances by Library Voices, Factor & Kay the Aquanaut, Northhcote, The Wooden Sky, The Dudes and Badland Country Band until the wee hours. The main stage got underway later in the afternoon and featured the rising star Jess Moskaluke, Canadian country music female artist of the year, who drew a large audience, and 54-40 as well as Basia Bulat, Close Talker and The Wolfe.
Day two also started with a pancake breakfast. A “culture crawl” tour of key historical sites in Bengough started at noon, followed by music at the pool stage. Some of the performers from the Gateway main and garden stages played at the free stage at the pool throughout the afternoon. The garden stage opened just after noon featuring such performers as Megan Nash, Kirby Criddle and Etienne Fletcher. Lindi Ortega was remembered as much for her red boots as for her terrific voice and guitar.
Small City Blues took festival goers into the early morning hours. On the main stage, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider headlined on day two of the festival. The seasoned Cochrane never disappoints and continued to create an unforgettable show yet again. Other acts included the popular The Sadies, Nice Horse and Bombargo.
The Bengough festival billed itself as a family festival and provided activities for every generation. The little train ride continued to be a key attraction for children this year alongside the bouncy castles and face painting and the new science entertainment this year. Bengough also offered children’s attractions off the festival site. The park featured a new play set and the swimming pool was located next to the park. The ice cream shop downtown stayed busy too.
