This year's Festival of Friends was 'best year so far' in 48-year history, organizer says
CBC
The Festival of Friends welcomed thousands of people to Gage Park in Hamilton over the August long weekend, with organizers calling it the "best" festival in their near 50-year history.
The Festival of Friends is an outdoor music, art, and crafts festival that has been held annually since 1976.
Robert Rakoczy, general manager of Festival of Friends, said the festival has been growing every year since COVID, with 2024 being the "best year" so far.
"This year exceeded our expectations, the crowds are incredible," he told CBC Hamilton, saying tens of thousands attended.
Rakoczy said this year also saw the most vendors at the festival — 125, including 40 different food vendors.
"There has never been so many people and so many vendors and so many things to do and see at the park," he said.
Here are some photos taken on Sunday, the final day of the festival:
Rakoczy summed up the Festival of Friends as "Hamilton's iconic cultural event," adding that "at 48 years old, it is the biggest free, annual music festival in Canada." He said the festival has more vendors than any other event in Canada except the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).
The 2024 lineup of performers included:
The Village People, whose Y.M.C.A. is a beloved bop played at numerous events, performed on Saturday night.
Rakoczy said their performance was unforgettable.
"I went home last night, I should go to sleep, and my girlfriend and I, we watched two hours of every social media post of somebody doing some version of the Y.M.C.A. just to see it … this was awesome. What a night," he said.
Bible Bill says he has been attending the festival for as long as he can remember.
"This is my party, this is the place to come," he told CBC News.
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