‘Perfect weather, iconic bands, record crowds’; 30th Sunfest is big hit

It was a dream way to celebrate 30 years of Sunfest in downtown London, Ont.

“We couldn't be happier,” said Mercedes Caxaj, Sunfest artistic director.

“The weather was near perfect, record crowds were out and we had iconic bands which brought tourists from all over the world”.

The free, four-day festival at Victoria Park had 25 International performers and 24 Canadian performers on five stages with over 200 food and artisan vendors.

Septeto Santiaguero, a Latin Grammy winner came from Cuba to perform and had people dancing on the street early Sunday afternoon.

“It’s about all the cultures together, all the music together and it's really an amazing thing to be here,” Fernando Dewar, artistic director of Septeto Santiaguero, said through a translator.

“Alfredo (Caxaj, Sunfest founder) has done an amazing job and it's always a pleasure to be here”.

While they came more than 2,000 km to perform, The Pairs are a homegrown group, playing their first Sunfest.

“We grew up coming to this festival,” said Renee Coughlin, a member of the group along with Noelle Frances Coughlin and Hillary Watson.

“We're from here, our families grew up here, and it's an accessible, awesome thing for young families and everybody to do. It’s really cool to now be on the performing side of the stage”

Among the tens of thousands of attendees was Bev Camp, known to Londoners as the “Dancing Cowboy”.

“I love that there is a whole bunch of people from all over the world,” said Camp, who despite being close to 80 years old, dances all day and night at the event.

“I love the variety of music, the fun of the dancing, the children, and the happiness. The whole thing is just saturated with joy. These types of organic festivals are really important”.

The 30th Sunfest was a big hit, and there are no plans for the Caxaj family to slow down anytime soon.

“It means resilience, inclusivity, representation, happiness and family,” said Caxaj.

“Family is at the heart of everything that we do. Honestly, we couldn't do it without not only our own family, but of course, our volunteers who are now like family, our vendors that are now like family, and of course all the artists that come in, we get to know them. It's just incredible that we've been around for this long, and we hope to continue for more decades to come”.