Cavendish Beach Music Festival kicks off, bringing multi-million dollar boost to P.E.I.

The crowd celebrates at the 2024 Cavendish Beach Music Festival. (file photo)

CAVENDISH, P.E.I. — Atlantic Canada’s largest country music festival is back in the coastal community of Cavendish, P.E.I.

Behind the twang and the tunes is an economic engine, powering paycheques and public services. Local brewers are banking on a big weekend as crowds begin to roll in.

“It’s a tremendous boost to everything that we do,” said Brandon Bowers, culinary operations manager at Gahan House.

He adds that the Cavendish Beach Music Festival is huge for brand awareness. Many visitors are introduced to the restaurant’s food, then visit locations in Charlottetown and across the East Coast.

More than 60,000 music fans from the Maritimes and across Canada take in the three-day annual country showcase. Those fans need places to stay and to stock up on supplies.

“It’s over 15,000 room nights that are directly attributed to the festival,” said Ben Murphy, CEO of Whitecap Entertainment, listing businesses that benefit. “Gas stations, the convenience stores, the grocery stores.”

Murphy adds that many repeat visitors have been coming for more than a decade, growing up with the event. As those fans get older and gain more disposable income, they’re spending more on accommodations, food, and merchandise, often bringing friends or family along for the weekend.

On average, Cavendish drives a direct impact of about $20 million to the Island’s economy. This year, organizers are hoping to top that, with headliner Shania Twain taking the stage Thursday.

“We’ve been after her for a number of years, so if anyone can break it, I think she can,” said Murphy.

The festival also creates summer jobs for hundreds of contractors, hired to help with everything from fencing off the stage to stocking the stalls.

Plus, tourism experts say the surge in spending supports the province year-round.

“It’s generating tax dollars that also help pay for Island necessities, whether that be health care, education, infrastructure,” said Corryn Clemence, CEO of the P.E.I. Tourism Industry Association.

She adds that with another large-scale concert, the Sommo Festival, which is slated for September, Islanders are hopeful the live music scene will continue to drive traffic - and revenue - well beyond the summer stretch.

“[Cavendish] would feel the biggest boost,” Clemence said. “But when we talk about economic impact, it’s felt really across the Island.”

The music may be the main event, but the money keeps things moving long after the crowds clear out.