Kat Harlton
JUNO Award-winning pop-folk band The East Pointers are proud to present the Harvest Home Festival, set to take place on September 23rd and 24th at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Grounds near Souris, Prince Edward Island.
The Harvest Home Festival will feature a diverse range of Canadian artists. On September 23rd it includes Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy, Reeny Smith, Kaia Kater, Morgan Toney, and Mi’kmaq Legends, leading into September 24th with performances from Andy Shauf, Ria Mae, Villages, Rosier, and Kierrah.
The Harvest Home Festival was developed by PEI’s very own The East Pointers in 2020, but unfortunately had to be cancelled just ten days before the 2021 event due to the global pandemic. This year has also been difficult for the band with Harvest Home Director and member of The East Pointers, Koady Chaisson, passing away suddenly at the beginning of January 2022.
Tim Chaisson and Jake Charron of The East Pointers made the decision to continue with the festival this year to honour what Koady started and pursue their goal of creating a new world-class music festival with some of their favourite artists. The relaunch of the festival will include incredible mainstage entertainment, craft beverages, a marketplace village, local East Coast fair, family-friendly activities, and on-site camping for a full weekend festival experience.
The festival is anticipating 3,000+ guests over the weekend and are offering big festival value, with a small-town feel. Weekend passes (including on-site camping) and single-day tickets are available now via https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2022-harvest-home-festival-454309.
I had the opportunity to chat with Tim Chaisson from The East Pointers about what festival goers can expect from the 2022 Harvest Home Festival this September.
Kat: The Harvest Home Festival is set to take place on September 23rd and 24th. What can festival goers expect to experience at this year’s festival?
Tim: Great music, tasty local food and drinks, and good people! It’s also on a beautiful property in Rollo Bay, PEI – still beach time if you want to hike through a gorgeous forest for a dip. ;)
Kat: The festival was originally planned in 2020, but unfortunately had to be cancelled before the 2021 event due to the global pandemic. How is the team preparing for the relaunch of the festival?
Tim: We’re excited! It’s a lot of planning, but totally worth it. We really just want to host you in our hometown, show off the local culture with the best music (our favs anyway).
Kat: The festival is located on the Rollo Bay Fiddle Grounds near Souris, PEI. Tell us a bit about why you chose this location.
Tim: The history! My grandfather purchased the land in 1976, hosted the 1st annual Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival (we just finished the 46th edition, our best year yet) and in 2016 Koady and I (along with a few other cousins) purchased the land off of our parents to continue the tradition. It’s full circle, keeping the culture alive in our community. The grounds are too nice to only have one festival, so here we are!
Kat: The festival has a diverse lineup of Atlantic Canadian artists. Can you share a little about the artist selection process?
Tim: We are big fans of everyone on the bill. It’s what we’re spinning on our own time, and basically just reached out to friends to see if they could come. We’re fortunate they can all make it!
Kat: How do you see the festival evolving in the future?
Tim: We’d love to keep growing it! :) If we can continue to bring our favourite musicians to Harvest Home every year, we’ll be happy!
Twitter: @HarvestHomeFest
Facebook: /HarvestHomeFest
Instagram: @harvesthomefestival
Website: https://www.harvesthomefestival.com