Rain didn't dampen the spirit of the first One World Music festival held in Midland Saturday.
"It started out with torrential rain in the morning that delayed our set up by an hour," said organizer John French.
"We had some real die-hards. The people that came in the morning sat right through the rain. Once we got started, there was only one interlude with rain and people just put up their umbrellas and sat right through," he said. "The rest of the day was fine."
French said he has heard nothing but good comments about the one-day festival held on the Huronia Museum grounds. The festival included eight bands from Lafontaine to Uganda, showcasing African, Caribbean, French Canadian, Indian, Mediterranean and jazz music.
"We've had amazing praise from people who where there wanting us to do it again," French said.
Alfredo Caxaj, the founder and director of Sunfest, the biggest music festival in Canada, attended One World and encouraged its growth.
"He spoke at our festival and said, 'This is just a baby that has immense potential.'"
The attendance was between 500 and 600 people. Collected surveys show that people loved the line up, said French.
"For a first-time event with adverse weather conditions that was pretty amazing. We hope to turn it into a larger annual event. The potential of this for the local economy as a tourism draw is immense."
French, who is also the artistic director of Brookside Music Association, said it was challenging to get funding for the new event.
"We are grateful to local sponsors who saw the value of an opportunity for community gathering."
While funding for music festivals across across the province was slashed this summer, as reported by CBC Radio, French said he feels "honoured" to have been selected for funding from Experience Ontario. The biggest sponsor of the event was Canadian Heritage.
For the 2024 event, French is looking for people to join an organizing committee. Email [email protected] for more information.
