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Trackside Set to Roll Through Western Fair for Canada 150

By Ryan Labreche
June 22, 2017 at 12:00 AM

It's festival season and the Forest City is livening up in anticipation. Can you feel it? We can! The city is filled with events both inherent to London and those just stopping through to spread good, summertime cheer.

No different to that is Trackside Festival, a London-based 2-day festival set to take place on July 1st & 2nd at the Western Fair. Making a huge return in 2017, the festival is ready to showcase its biggest Ontario country line-up yet, featuring both newcomers and those making a name for themselves, such as London's Genevieve Fisher.

There's lots of fun activities and food to be had at the festival as well, which always lends itself nicely to some wholesome tunes to get that foot stomping under the picnic table!

It's going to be a blast, so be sure to catch the details here or in the link below.

ORGANIZER'S SPOTLIGHT

It's quite a busy time as Trackside prepares to rock the Western Fairgrounds next week. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Vice President of Operations, Demetri Manuel, was able to provide us some insight into his thoughts on the festival and how festivals like Trackside helps the growth and development of local artists.

Demetri Manual, VP of Operations

Demetri Manuel, VP of Operations

LMO: Trackside is one of London’s premier country music festivals. What inspired the idea for this festival?

DM: There has been a growing appetite for country music over the past 6-8 years. We felt, as concert promoters and music lovers, that London needed an upscale music festival that you see in so many cities and communities around North America.

LMO: What differentiates Trackside from other festivals in and around London?

DM: The experience. We are continually trying to create a fun and comfortable festival experience for all of our customers. We have made many changes from year one to year two and I believe that Trackside festival-goers will have a blast and not want to leave the grounds.

LMO: For those who have never been, what can they expect from the Trackside?

DM: Non-stop entertainment from Noon until 11pm. We have two stages. At any one time, one of the stages has a live performance. We have fun, inflatable games for people of all ages. We will have a variety of food vendors this year as well. Even if you are not a country music fan, it’s a fun environment for all music lovers.

LMO: How do you see Trackside evolving in the coming years?

DM: I think Trackside will be a staple in our city for many years to come. There are so many directions that the festival can go in. With the support of the city and our partners, the opportunities are endless.

LMO: Festivals are a great way to expose new and emerging talent. What can more festivals do to help expose local musicians and develop their music scene?

DM: What we have done is built an entire second stage for Ontario emerging artists only. We have a ton of little known talent in our city and our province and when you have 12,000+ people gathered in one place to listen to music from some of their favourite artists, it’s a good idea to tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey, check out this band or this artist.” You never know what could come out of it.

LMO: How important is live music to you and how has it played a role in your life?

DM: Go to a concert, stand near the stage and look out at all the faces. It would put the biggest smile on anyone’s face. My role is to bring bands and artists to venues and festivals and, no matter how stressful the job can be, when I stand near the stage and look out at all the joyful fans singing along, it makes everything I have done up until that point worth all my time and effort. And it gets me excited to do it again.