An Island of Music and Art: Beat Summer Boredom With Kids at Hillside Festival This July 🎶
Photo Credit: Nicci Pryce 2023.
Guelph, ON. July 3, 2024. With school now out for the summer, parents looking for engaging, fun, and screen-free activities for the whole family should look no further than Hillside Festival, Guelph’s iconic music weekend that was recently awarded "Best Small Festival in Canada" by the Canadian Live Music Industry Awards. The festival offers epic live music on five stages, exquisite local food vendors, artisan crafts, and a family-friendly outdoor atmosphere at Guelph Lake Island Conservation Area from July 19-21, 2024. With free tickets for children 12 and under, over 30 hours of music, crafts, and activities for kids, including free childcare available so that parents can take in a performance or two on their own, Hillside Festival is the perfect escape in a beautiful outdoor setting with a jam-packed weekend of activities the whole family is sure to enjoy.
"Hillside Festival is one of the first places we felt comfortable letting our children wander and explore their independence,” says Alana Sutherland, who first attended Hillside Festival with her husband and children when they were aged 6 months and 4 years old. “Our entire family feels welcomed and nurtured by the amazing community at Hillside – There are so many activities for kids to participate in in a hands-on way, from sing alongs, to crafty workshops to parading around the grounds to the main stage. Now that we have a pre-teen and a teenager, 9 and 13, Hillside offers us all incredible music, food, crafts, and workshops, and an entire island to explore, for all ages. It's a family affair for us that we would never miss!”
If caregivers or children want to join in the fun, but need a safe space to decompress, Hillside Festival has got you covered. "Our mission is for Hillside Festival to be a safe, welcoming and enjoyable space for everyone," says Kate Johnston, Executive Director of Hillside Festival. "To ensure this is possible, we're proud to offer not only world-class performances, interactive workshops, and activities but we've also consciously created a variety of spaces for kids and other folks that may feel more comfortable in a quieter, less stimulating environment so they can participate in a way that works for them."
Photo Credit: Jeff Bersche 2023.
The festival sees Guelph Lake Island transform into a community village, with music and art found around every corner. The Rainbow Stage features dedicated children’s music and dance performances all weekend. Enthusiastic volunteers lead participatory craft and art workshops, and offer short periods of free childcare so that parents and caregivers can take in some of the over 60 nationally and internationally renowned musical artists on three main stages; body, mind, and wellness workshops; and artisan craft vendors at the festival. The Drum & Dance tent and Indigenous Circle welcome families for participatory drumming, dancing, movement, and theatrical workshop experiences.
To keep one’s energy up, there are 20 local food vendors offering international flavours from around the world, all served on reusable dishes which are washed by volunteers on-site. Green spaces and interactive play equipment are found throughout the festival island site, along with beaches and swimming access to Guelph Lake. The wider Guelph Lake Conservation Area, within an easy walk or bike ride from the festival, offers hiking, biking, playgrounds, canoe and kayak rentals, and swimming, as well as camping accommodation for anyone looking to stay close by.
Photo Credit: Jasper Tey 2023.
Hillside Festival is easily accessible by car or through accessible electric Guelph Transit Hillside shuttle buses that travel between Guelph Central Station in downtown Guelph to the island throughout the entire weekend. Strollers, wagons, and coolers are welcome – though single-use plastics and water bottles are not allowed – and families are encouraged to bring reusable bottles to enjoy free tap water provided by the City of Guelph Water Wagon.
Information on purchasing weekend and day passes, festival schedules, amenities, and more can be found in the Hillside Festival app, now available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store, and online at hillsidefestival.ca. Children 12 and under are free.
About Hillside Festival: Now in its 41st year, Hillside Festival is world-renowned as one of Canada’s most progressive, environmentally conscious, non-commercial community celebrations. Set in a beautiful, accessible conservation area with campgrounds on Guelph Lake, we create a village on Guelph Lake Island that we fill with music, dance, drumming, food, crafts, and more. Hillside Festival is award-winning for its green and sustainability initiatives, the quality of its programming and has been a net carbon zero festival since 2019. In 2024, Hillside Festival was awarded “Best Small Festival in Canada” by the Canadian Live Industry Music Awards.
Media Contact:
Kate Johnston, Executive Director
executivedirector@hillsidefestival.ca
+1 (519) 525 5653
