A growing tradition continued this past weekend as the annual Carrot Fest returned in full effect after a two-year hiatus.
Residents have come to expect the closure of the Holland Street and Simcoe Road intersection this time of year in anticipation of the annual Carrot Festival, hosted by the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
This year’s event took place on Aug. 19 and 20 under the hot summer sun with a lineup of over 200 vendors, live entertainment on two stages, food of all kinds, and more.
Having now completed its 24th official year, the long-lived Carrot Fest has deeper roots dating back to the mid-1970s. Originally called Salad Festival, then Harvest Festival, it was eventually renamed “Super Saturday” and was held on Labour Day weekend. But when the committee who ran the event discovered that Bradford produces more than 70 per cent of Canada’s carrots, it transformed into the event we know today—Carrot Fest. An appropriate name for a festival held in one of the most intensive areas of agricultural production in the country.
Leisure Events & Marketing Programmer, Tasha Bain, explains, “Carrot Fest is definitely a strong community event, you’ll notice that most of the vendors are local businesses and artisans, as well as local groups supporting, all helping each other put together this amazing event.”
The previous two years were heavily affected due to the pandemic, which forced the town to put on modified versions of Carrot Fest that included virtual performances and drive-by carrot pick-ups. It appears that format has been quickly forgotten, with roughly 30,000 people attending this year’s opening day, a record number in Bradford’s books. Bain expects the numbers to keep climbing and says, “I know people have been really eager to get out to see the vendors and all their neighbours and community members.”
Skyler Hamilton of Sunny Sky’s Designs, a vendor and local business owner was out promoting her custom wood pieces but experienced a lot of nostalgia as well. Hamilton explains, “I used to come to Carrot Fest as a kid, so I’ve been here ever since I was little with my dad. Now it’s my first time as a vendor and it’s already amazing.” Most attendees are expectedly from Bradford, but many come from surrounding areas, including Newmarket, Innisfil, Barrie, and New Tecumseth. Debbie and Ernie from Cookstown are avid festivalgoers and have been attending Carrot Fest for almost twenty years. Debbie says, “This is great for the community and good for businesses. And since the pandemic, this is wonderful to be out.” Their daughter was a street artist at this year’s event, which gave them another reason to support.
Carrot Fest generates $1 million for the local economy and has won the Top 100 Award from Festivals and Events Ontario. With accomplishments like that, how does Carrot Fest grow and stay fresh? Bain says, “In future Carrot Fests, we’ll be adding and enhancing what we can with a wider range of entertainers and vendors. It’s just about adding elements within the event area that will bring things up a notch.” With the 25th anniversary milestone year coming up, Bradford is sure to see something spectacular at Carrot Fest 2023.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury would like to thank all the sponsors and supporters for their generous contributions in helping make Carrot Fest happen.
