THUNDER BAY — Live on the Waterfront, the popular summertime concert series in Thunder Bay, made its return on Wednesday evening at Marina Park.
The series will continue every Wednesday night starting at 6 p.m. until the two-night summer send-off on Aug. 27 and 28.
“We had a super successful night,” said Karen Kadolph, special events developer with the City of Thunder Bay.
“We had two local bands, which were Ezra and Loughlin, and our headliner was Bells Larsen.”
In an interview with Newswatch, Kadolph said it was exciting to see a great turnout for the first concert in the series.
“Now that there is free parking in the park, I think it helps out. We also have changed to theme or genre nights, so people know a bit more of what to expect when they're coming out," she said. "Last night was a folk and indie night, so not sure if that did play into it at all, but we also had some great talent. We find that with our local talent, friends and family members come out and support those ones.
“Just a good combination of a night, and then just good to get that first Live on the Waterfront done.”
Kadolph said there is a lot of local talent this year, more than they have had in the last few years.
“This is a free night of music. We also have community booths, we have artisans, we have food vendors. There are arts and crafts, outdoor games. There's something for everybody, the whole family. It's a free night that's at Marina Park and just a great opportunity for people to come together and enjoy some great music in a really pretty setting,” she said.
The summer send-off at the end of August will include two drone shows following music performances.
“There is one show each night, and they are two different shows. So, if you've seen the first one, then you haven't seen the second one. We really encourage people to come out for those nights.
“There are themes for those nights as well, the first one is a country night, the second one is a pop night. We have some really great bands for the country night, and we have the Lockyer Boys closing it all up for us on Thursday.
Kadolph said the best place to view the drone shows is from the festival area.
“They are a little bit different than fireworks that are like more of a 360 view. Because this is an image in the sky, you're going to want to see it straight on. We're highly encouraging people to come to the festival area to see those drone shows,” she said.
To check out the lineup and theme nights, visit the website for full details.
