Record Breaking Year for Peterborough Musicfest

It was a record breaking year for Peterborough Musicfest – the longest running free concert series in Canada!

Live music has the ability to take a crowd of thousands and connect them all with one common string. Being able to experience the heart and soul that performers channel into their craft, seeing the energy and passion they bring to the stage, we learn that musicians are capable of creating magic that reverberates in your chest, and watching them leave everything they have on the stage in the name of music; well, it’s a feeling and a connection you never forget.

If you look at things by the numbers – the impact Peterborough Musicfest has on Peterborough and its surrounding communities is impeccable!

Their hard work brought you 16 concerts over 8 weeks in 2025 – that’s 31 artists on The Fred Anderson Stage + Future Sound Series presented by Cogeco. Their efforts to put together a well rounded season that appeals to every age brought 9 diverse genres to the stage: from punk rock to folk, and pop to country; this season even included 6 special innovative evenings that got the crowd participating in the show: Choir! Choir! Choir! EPIC Queen Sing-along, 80’s themed Canada Day Celebration, Woven Stories: A Night of Indigenous Music, Culture and Celebration + Irish Week!

The Future Sound Series – Presented by Cogeco was new this year and featured 10 talented local artists who kicked off the evening show early at 6:30PM on select nights. Staged in the vendor area, these local artists offered a festival atmosphere as concertgoers entered the park and sought out the perfect lawn chair placement.

Woven Stories – An Evening of Indigenous Music, Culture, and Celebration was hosted in partnership with Community Partners: the Canadian Canoe Museum and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. The evening began with a welcome water crossing, featuring the Canadian Canoe Museums Voyageur canoe, hand drummers and singers crossed Little Lake to land on shore at Del Crary Park. Attendees experienced a drum circle and traditional grass dancers while local artist Missy Knott opened the evening, followed by folk-country singer/storyteller William Prince who finished out the evening.

Irish Week – Presented in alignment of the bicentennial of the Peter Robinson emigration from Ireland, alongside a long list of programming by Nine Ships 1825 Inc. showcasing our areas Irish Heritage. These evenings shone a spotlight on Irish music with performers the Mudmen with special local guest Irish Millie, ACROBAT: The U2 Tribute, and the melodic harmonies of the Celtic Tenors.

Total attendance for the 2025 season amounted to 108,500 over 16 nights, with an average of 6,625 music lovers collecting to share in the magic of live music with their lawn chair neighbours; as you know seating can get cozy on Musicfest nights in Crary Park!

Kim Mitchell returned to the Musicfest stage again this year, and drew the largest 2025 crowd by far – 12,000 music lovers gathered together to dance the night away. 2025 was also a record year for food vendors – with 20 local options to fill your tummy and refresh your palette while enjoying the lakeside view.

If you are more of a ‘measure with your heart’ kind of person – the impact Peterborough Musicfest has on our vibrant community is without a doubt a labour of pure love. The team at Musicfest, led by longtime Executive Director and champion for the arts Tracey Randall, works tirelessly to bring the best free entertainment to the stage year after year. The collective impact that Musicfest Staff and their Board of Directors offers to the local tourism sector, and economy rumbles like an earthquake; and at the centre of it all? Their love of our community and of live music shines like a beacon.

With over 2,200 volunteer hours donated by 51 big-hearted volunteers this year, plus an incredible team of enthusiastic youth – provided through the Canada Summer Jobs program their roster of helping hands is exemplary. Many local businesses are also to thank for their support of live music in the park; with 94 participating sponsors and funders for 2025, including 22 new sponsors sharing the love. This local support helped to connect Musicfest concert goers with a diverse range of live music many may not have the opportunity to experience otherwise. We also can’t forget the heart of the festival – the crowd, the folks that come out week after week, who bring their families, picnic blankets and lawn chairs; we see you singing, dancing and applauding – and we are forever thankful.

Peterborough Musicfest also received SOCAN’s Licensed To Play Award in 2025! Executive Director, Tracey Randall accepted the award at the 35th SOCAN awards Gala in Toronto. This prestigious award is presented to a Canadian business or organization that consistently ensures ethical use of music by safeguarding proper music licensing for the public performance of live music; making sure that songwriters, composers and publishers are properly compensated for their work.

So whether you measure with numbers, or with heart, Peterborough Musicfest Season 38 and the community it created in 2025 really stacks up. Lets keep it going in 2026! If you have available time, a passion for music or a business that would be interested in sponsoring Peterborough Musicfest you could offer a hand in keeping the legacy of the longest running free music festival in Canada alive for future generations.

Want to know how you can help support Peterborough Musicfest and their free concert series? Online donations receive a tax receipt as Musicfest is a registered charity; you could also consider purchasing a Peterborough Musicfest Diners Book, and eat well while you support Musicfest! For $30 receive a coupon book that will lead you to 80 delicious restaurants and venues in Peterborough, The Kawarthas and Northumberland County – valued at $1000, the Diner Book is the gift that gives back to your community. www.ptbomusicfest.ca “Funded by corporate sponsorships (most of whom are small locally owned businesses), through multilevel government support, fundraising initiatives, and private donations and we remain steadfastly, and uniquely, free of charge for our audience.”

Cheers to 38 years of free music!