Downtown North Bay was rocking this weekend with a lineup of local bands, and served by regional craft brewers and food as hundreds of people made their way to Main Street between Fraser and Ferguson, coming together to enjoy the first-ever Rocktoberfest, put on by the North Bay Real Estate Board and their partners.
“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support and attendees that helped to make this year’s festival a great success,” Event Co-ordinator Alana Malcolm said. “And although there are no confirmed plans, the North Bay Real Estate Board would like to see Rocktoberfest become an annual event in our community.”
The "bier" market and block party was not only a chance for people to enjoy some of the last nice days outside before the snowfall but a chance for people to help give back to the community.
“It’s the first one of its kind because North Bay has allowed us to block off part of the street so people can drink and listen to music freely,” Malcolm said. “The idea came from the Real Estate Board who wanted to give back to the community all in support of the North Bay food bank. We wanted to do something that hasn’t been done in North Bay but we’ve seen how it’s been successful in other cities around northern Ontario especially.”
Celebrating the beer festival, four different craft brewers from the North came to showcase their staples and seasonals. Amongst them, North Bay’s very own New Ontario Brewing, as well as the new Bigwater Brewing, Stack from Sudbury, and the new Full Beard Brewing from Timmins.
On top of the beer, musical lineups from artists across the North performed from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m., with local Cole Fournier, Ben Hermann, Rose-Erin Stokes, Grooove, David Dino White, Peter Cliché Band, Main Street Echo, and Murder Murder.
Murder Murder, who came from Sudbury, was pleased to be in attendance of such a locally focused event, their own musical influences being deeply rooted in the North.
At the end of the night, Rocktoberfest managed to bring in 10 tall blue bins of items, as well as five large cardboard boxes. Amber Livingstone, manager at the North Bay Food Bank said it was great to get so much community support from the event.
“It’s Thanksgiving season so people always seem to be in a much more giving mood,” she said. “We’re always grateful to receive donations.”
