Moosefest is returning to Bellevue in August and recently announced the scaled-down lineup of six bands for August 10.
This year’s lineup includes Cristian de la Luna, Will Ardell, Evan Baxter, Checkout Queens, Sëdézë and headliner Brayden King.
Joel Gaudet, one of the two organizers of the event along with Mark Poppen, said it was exciting to have the event return.
“We were really trying to contemplate if we were going to do it again this year, and we came to the decision that we did,” Gaudet said. “We are scaling it back a little bit. Things are a little bit different, but because of that we’re able to do it again this year. We’re just very humbled and excited and fired up about it.”
All but one of the six bands scheduled for Moosefest are from Saskatchewan. Their styles range from rock to country, including King.
“Our headlining act this year is Brayden King the tallest man in Canadian country music. He was on American Idol last year as well too,” Gaudet explained.
Gaudet said that all of the acts in the festival’s four year history have been close friends, so the organizers do not have to deal with management.
“We just basically ask the artist, ‘hey, can you perform for us in Bellevue this day?’ And because they’re friends of ours, they we come to agreements,” Gaudet said. “It’s just super fun.”
The event is still the same except it is returning to the original home of the Bellevue Community Hall. Camping will be available at the Bellevue Sports Grounds.
“The stage is going to be at Bellevue Hall, which is not even a five-minute walk from the sport ground. (It’s) basically at the end of the street,” he said. “Bellevue is not very big. You throw a stone and you can hit every house in this town.”
This year they are collaborating with the Sunset Country Music Festival, which is on Aug. 9 in MacDowall. This festival is organized by Joshua Stumpf.
“You can actually get tickets for Sunset for the Friday night and it’s for Moosefest on the Saturday at a discounted price,” Gaudet said. “All the Sunset Country Music Festival proceeds are going to Ranch. Ehrlo.”
At the website you can purchase a bundle of tickets for both events for $40. Gaudet said Bellevue is roughly 20-30 minutes away from the Sunset festival, so music lovers can do both shows at an affordable price. More information is available on www.moosefestsk.ca. Gaudet is hopeful attendees will buy their tickets early.
“The more tickets we can sell prior, the better of an event we can have and I do have limited tickets for Moosefest,” he said. “We can only sell 250 tickets because we’re doing it at the Hall, so once we’re sold out like it’s sold out, that’s it.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca