Municipal council votes against 2nd major music festival in Cavendish, P.E.I.

A crowd is pictured at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in a Sept. 6, 2022 photo. (Cavendish Beach Music Festival/Facebook)

A second major music festival in Cavendish, P.E.I., is not going ahead this summer.

Whitecap Entertainment, organizers of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival, had planned the rock-leaning “Sommo Festival” for weekend after the well-known country festival.

Many business owners raised concerns after the announcement, saying a rock festival would draw visitors they felt were incompatible with the family-friendly peak season.

Though they were generally in favour of the festival, most wanted it moved either before or after the core summer season.

The Resort Municipality Council rejected the proposal in a 3-2 decision Monday night.

In an interview earlier this month, Whitecap Entertainment CEO, Ben Murphy, son of restaurateur and beer mogul Kevin Murphy, said the rock festival would be aimed at an older, 30-plus crowd.

The Cavendish Beach Music Festival attracts about 60,000 attendees each year and generates about $11 million for the local economy, according to the festival’s website.