Boots on the ground: Tens of thousands in P.E.I. for Cavendish Beach Music Festival

Cavendish Beach Music Festival underway The biggest outdoor music festival in Prince Edward Island is well underway. CTV's Jack Morse reports from Cavendish.

The biggest outdoor music festival in Prince Edward Island is well underway.

Friday was the second day of the 2023 Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Cavendish, P.E.I.

Between 20,000 and 25,000 people come through the gates each day. Many of them come for the whole weekend from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and beyond.

Traffic was flowing well on the Confederation Bridge for much of the day Friday, despite it now being the only way to get to P.E.I. while the ferry on the island's southeastern shore is out of commission.

The ferry closure hasn’t impacted numbers at the music festival though, with a steady stream of people coming into the venue all day.

“It’s going pretty smoothly actually,” said Ben Murphy, CEO of Murphy Hospitality Group and Whitecap Entertainment. “We have a lot of people that’ve been with us, and working here a number of years, and it is very much a team effort here.”

Cavendish itself is a popular tourist destination, but the festival ranks among one of the biggest days of the season.

“This is certainly the most people in one part of the community at any one time,” said Matthew Jelley, mayor of the PEI Resort Municipality. “Between the Canada Day long weekend, the August long weekend, even that last week of July, there’s some really busy days in Cavendish, but this is certainly one.”

The festival adds the most business for accommodations and merchandise, with more kid-focused attractions doing less well.

Organizers are expecting the biggest day to be Saturday, with high hopes they’ll sell out.

“Tomorrow night will give it a good run, I think, if the weather holds off, said Murphy. “We always have the last minute weather watchers, so we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

In addition to site security, there’s also an increased police presence in the area and on island roads keeping an eye out for impaired drivers.

Organizers say there have not been any serious incidents so far.

For more P.E.I. news visit our dedicated provincial page.