Festivalgoers have something new to look forward to this summer as the inaugural Louisfest kicks off in Greater Moncton from Aug. 5 to 7.
Louis Marc Vautour, an organizer for the festival, said during a phone interview he felt inspired by smaller, more intimate events he used to attend while living in Ontario, so he wanted to bring that vibe to the Maritimes.
“It’s a really intimate experience,” said Vautour.
“You get to mingle with the bands and meet everybody, and it’s not like thousands and thousands of people; it’s a much better festival experience.”
Vautour, a Moncton-born musician who moved back to the Hub City in 2017, said Louisfest will feature a wide variety of musical genres, ranging from Bluegrass and Folk to Psychedelic and Arabic.
There will also be places where attendees can set up camp along Cape Breton Road for the weekend.
“We’re going to have two stages going,” said Vautour.
“We’ll have the main stage where the bands will play, and then we have a smaller stage where we’ll have duos, some trios and solo artists perform as well.”
Vautour said Louisfest is different from other festivals as it is more of a cooperative music festival, where everyone involved lends a hand to make the festival happen. It is also not-for-profit, which means all the festival’s profits will go directly to the artists.
The model is similar to the Canadian Music Cooperative, the record label Vautour founded in November 2017.
“Usually at a festival, you get a fee as an artist, and that’s it, but we’re paying their fees as well as profit share, so it’s a cooperative model, and that’s a little bit unique as well,” he said.
Vautour said not having an intimate live festival experience is a missed opportunity for a musically-rich area like the Maritimes. He said it also allows new and younger performers to showcase their original music.
Because of that, the festival has received an amazing response so far.
“My inbox was flooded the day we announced this, so it’s been busy, and I imagine as we get closer and closer to the date, it’ll get busier,” said Vautour.
“I’m excited, we were doing this kind of thing up in Ontario with my friends, and it’s a wonderful music experience for everybody.
You can find a full lineup of performers and tickets for Louisfest HERE.
