Those still hanging on to that summer beach feel heading into the opening of September and the long weekend will have one more great event at Manitou Beach. The Manitou Music Fest Rock and Roll Weekend is a multi-venue rock and roll festival that keeps the sweet summer vibes going.
“I'm really thrilled to invite people to Manitou Beach for people to have a taste of the magic that we have here,” says Sarah McKen, owner of the Little Manitou Art Gallery that will be anchoring much of the musical festivities. “The Manitou Music Fest Rock and Roll Weekend presents 15 artists, including Rory Allen, The Great Fuss, The Steadies and England just to name a few.”
It’s billed as ‘three days, three venues, three vibes’ that covers a wide range of musical styles, says McKen. The all-weekend all venue pass covers the entire festival. The main venues are Danceland, the Little Manitou Art Gallery and Il Prato in Manitou Beach. With Music on the Porch Day also being celebrated, there are other secondary venues woven into the mix.
It all gets underway on Friday night at 8 pm with Rory Allen’s Tribute to the King show at Danceland, featuring the Elvis Presley catalogue performed as only Rory Allen can. Breath Warrior and Cowboy Buddha take the stage at the Little Manitou Art Gallery at 9 pm.
On Saturday, the music starts at 5 pm at the Gallery and it goes late into the night with a host of well-known artists. Locals Wade and Chord Fehr follow up along with Bruce Rawling and Buffalo Rising. Saskatoon heavyweights The Great Fuss take the stage at 9 and the soulful ska, reggae and rock sounds of The Steadies, making their return to the Beach, wraps up the Gallery program on Saturday.
Patrons can relive the heyday of ‘50s and ‘60s music with England performing at Danceland, also happening on Saturday night.
The party keeps going into Sunday with more music at both the Gallery and il Prato’s David Freeman performing. The Coveralls, All Girl Chill and Christopher and the Saints all make appearances.
For those interested in health and wellness, there’s great programming on the weekend to cater to relaxation and personal betterment.
“At Il Prato, they start the days with yoga and later bring up the energy with Circus Club, and on Saturday at 2 pm, they have something extra special with belly dancing workshop with All Girl Chill,” says McKen.
It’s the first year that all three venues have joined in a village wide extravaganza. Spinja and members of Salty Circus will return with fire juggling and spectacular dance, along with the much-anticipated return of the high-energy music purveyors the Great Fuss and the Steadies. It’s also the first time that the Gallery has welcomed Bruce Rawling’s entire band, Buffalo Rising.
Sask Arts, Sask Culture and Sask Lotteries supports the event through Sask Festivals funding.
Check out the poster below for the QR code to connect with tickets or head to the event page on the Watrous Manitou Beach Marketing website.
Shake out the last weekend of the summer holiday with your friends at the Manitou Music Fest Rock and Roll Weekend.