With the summer solstice upon us, another sure sign of the sunny season is the return of the Manitou Beach Busking Festival set to kick off on Thursday, June 26 and run through Saturday, June 28.
The Busking Festival is an entertainment package unlike any other Saskatchewan summertime festival because the resort village itself becomes the festival grounds and businesses and outdoor public venues become the stage.
The Festival dates to the days of pandemic restrictions when musicians were largely idle in terms of performing because large gatherings weren’t allowed. When policies allowed smaller outdoor gatherings, a group of organizers put together the idea of having smaller outdoor performances with people paying the hat to support the musicians' efforts.
From that early endeavour, the festival spirit has caught on right to the 2025 edition, which is bigger and broader than ever says one of the organizers, Sarah McKen. Her Little Manitou Art Gallery serves as the anchor and one of the main stages for the event.
“This year we made a conscious choice to set how many performances we could host to be able to present a quality experience for both musicians and audio venues,” McKen explains. “We did not have to advertise for musician recruitment at all. We very quickly hit our 40 performances and then tucked in a few extra just to round up the number sort of thing, but it means we have 75 individuals coming to the beach to share their talents.”
This is the biggest cast of performers the Festival has seen, but it’s no surprise given the vast musical and performing talent that Saskatchewan houses.
“I've come to realize that the musician community is very well connected and supportive, and they have invited friends to come and experience the beach and share some tunes,” Sarah confesses. “And at the same time, it's also the audience that has let friends and family know that this is a great time to come and support Saskatchewan talent.”
The venues are mapped out with most within a block or two of the beach. That means the stroll is just far enough to explore the natural features and the vibrant business and service community at Manitou Beach. Listen to music while browsing through fine art and antique goods, or while enjoying fare from the Beach’s fine eateries.
“We have 9 main venues used for the busking performances, expanding to others part time. So really, it’s 11 destinations within this resort village on the on the shores of Little Manitou Lake, and each venue set up with the small sound system so that our musicians can roll in and set up and share their talent.
An added bonus this year is a series of workshops that focus on various aspects of music and performance craft.
“Last year we started by offering one workshop. This year we've expanded workshops to include three different topics -- we have songwriting, slide guitar and the circus flow arts.”
The song writing workshop is led by Beach-based songwriter, performer and recording artist Bruce Rawling. The slide guitar session is overseen by blues virtuoso and veteran of festivals worldwide, Tim Williams. Finally, the flow arts workshop will be led by master of movement, Andrea Murphy. Each workshop is $50 per person, and $30 per registered performer.
A special pre-festival performance takes place on Thursday night at 7 pm with perennial Festival favourite Brian Paul DG and Bruce Rawling. That show is at the Manitou Springs Terrace.
Sarah McKen and all the festival organizers remind visitors that all the performers are “playing for the hat,” so be sure to stow away some extra cash to bring to the salty shores and show your appreciation.
More details on this year’s Manitou Beach Busking Festival are available at the Festival website and Facebook page.