A new two-day music festival is coming to Penticton this summer.
The Sound of Summer event is scheduled to hit Okanagan Lake Park one week after Peachfest Aug. 13 and 14 from 2 to 10 p.m.
City council gave the event unanimous endorsement Tuesday night.
The festival will feature concerts with artists performing different styles of music including Top 40, Rock, Pop, Hip-hop and Electronic, followed by a DJ dance show at the end. There will also be food and merchandise vendors, plus a beer garden operated by the JCI.
According to the city’s recreation supervisor Lori Mullin, organizers: Get Loud Entertainment are expecting 3,000 to 5,000 spectators at $40 to $60 a ticket.
The company will pay the city a $3,042 rental fee, plus damage deposit, for use of the park and they will cover the $12,642 needed for extra RCMP staffing. They will also have additional security and first aid attendants on site.
Mullin said both the city’s sport tourism coordinator Jeff Plant and the Downtown Business Association support the event, as does the city’s parks, recreation and tourism advisory committee.
According to the promoters, the event will likely inject millions into the local economy.
“Get Loud Entertainment is excited to announce such an experience that will spike tourism, involve the local community, drive the Penticton economy and remind people why Peach City is one of the best summer destinations in Canada,” said company spokesperson Sarah Hlapcic.
“Sound of Summer is estimated to inject over $2 million into the Penticton economy, attracting thousands of fans, employing hundreds of local citizens and well appreciated volunteers while raising funds for a number of community organizations and non profit groups.”
Hlapcic said major concert lineup announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
“Their plan is quite exciting,” said Coun. Andrew Jakubeit who sits on the committee. “I think it is going to be a top-drawer event. It is the week after Peachfest, in a lull before Ironman kicks in, so I think there is going to be a demand.”
Jakubeit said to have another promoter putting on another outdoor festival or event in Penticton is a good sign for a municipality which has toyed with the idea of branding itself, or the entire Valley, as the Festival Capital of Canada.
“They look to be very well organized,” he said. “I think they are going to fill the park with some quality entertainment for all ages and I think it will be good for the city.
“I am happy to support it and to see it happen.”
city@pentictonwesternnews.com