Author: Eliza Wolfe

Alcool NB Liquor (ANBL) is pleased to offer its Free ANBL Safe Ride Program once again as part of the upcoming Harvest Music Festival. Free bus transportation will be available to bring festivalgoers downtown, at the heart of the Festival grounds before the shows as well as bring them home safely at the end of the night, on either sides of the river.

As part of a three-way partnership between the Alcool NB Liquor (ANBL), the Harvest Music Festival and the City of Fredericton, anyone in the City of Fredericton will have access to a free shuttle service provided by the City of Fredericton Transit system.

The “Free ANBL Safe Ride” will be available Thursday, September 16th to Saturday, September 18th, from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, with stops at all regularly serviced City Transit bus stops on both sides of the river.

From 11:00pm to 3:00am, the City Transit system will have four buses running select return routes to deliver patrons home safely. Two buses will cover Fredericton’s Southside, with two buses covering the Northside of Fredericton.

“The ANBL Safe Ride Program has become an integral part of Harvest,” said Jeff Richardson, General Manger of Harvest Music Festival. “This unique partnership with the City of Fredericton and ANBL increases accessibility and allows community members to take full advantage of the festival experience in a safe and convenient way.”

Festival goers will be able to easily catch a bus at King’s place which will be the hub location for the free ANBL Safe Ride

“ANBL is very excited to once again be a be part of this unique partnership and to be the sponsor of the Free ANBL Safe Ride program,” said Lori Stickles President & CEO of ANBL. “ANBL is committed to helping eliminate impaired driving from our communities. We appreciate The Harvest Music Festival organizing committee and the City of Fredericton for sharing this vision with us, which is why we are offering the Free Safe Ride Program.”

In addition, the Free ANBL Safe Ride program will continue to provide a dedicated shuttle service to the Delta Hotel, Fredericton Inn, Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn, every hour with Trius buses from Thursday to Saturday of the Festival.

Download Fredericton’s City Transit schedule here. You can also download ReadyPass, the free mobile app that provides real-time bus tracking and routing with easy-to-use features!

For more information on the ANBL Safe Ride program, please visit the ANBL website.

Please review this message carefully if you are attending this year’s Harvest Music Festival. 

Proof of Vaccination & Admissions Procedures:

Proof of Vaccination is Required for admission to The Blues Tent and The Playhouse.

Admissions staff will visually inspect a vaccination record provided by the patron, and the patron’s government issued photo ID. 

This process may result in delays to entry. To help keep things moving:

• Get yourself a WRISTBAND! Once you’ve shown your proof of vaccination, patrons will have the option of wearing a wristband to indicate that they’ve been admitted to the venue, and to allow for express entry to the next show they attend.
  
  You can also pick up your wristband IN ADVANCE by bringing your proof of vaccination to the Harvest Central Sea Can (corner of Queen St. and Carleton St.) at the following times:

• Wed, Sept 15 – 11:30am – 1:30pm
• Thurs, Sept 16 – 11:30am – 1:30pm
• Fri, Sept 17 – 12pm – 5pm
• Sat, Sept 18 – 12pm – 5pm

Please arrive at the venue early! The earlier you’re in line, the easier it will be for us to get everyone into the show! Doors open 45 minutes before shows that begin at 5:00pm or 6:00pm, and 30 minutes before every other show.

What do I need to show as Proof of Vaccination?

• All patrons over 12 years of age must have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the second of which was administered at least 14 days prior to the performance.
• Along with your tickets, please bring your:
  • Government issued photo ID
  • Record of vaccination (original, scan, photo, or results from an official online service). Records may be provided on paper or on your phone.
• Harvest will not collect or store any patron medical information. 
• If you have received a medical exemption, you must contact Harvest in advance of the Festival no later than September 10th to arrange for entry. If you have not contacted Harvest in advance, you may not be admitted to the venue. Contact: info@harvestjazzandblues.com or 506-454-2583.
• Children under the age of 12 may attend All Ages performances, but must remain masked at all times. 

Ultimate Pass Pick-up:

Harvest Central is now open for Ultimate Pass pick-up! Please pick-up your pass as soon as you can to avoid delays. We are located inside the Garrison General Store Sea Can on the corner of Queen St. and Carleton St.

Hours:

September 9th – September 11th

Thur: 11am-6pm

Fri: 11am-8pm

Sat: 10am-5pm

September 12th – September 18th

Sunday: 12pm-5pm

Mon-Tues 11am-8pm

Wed – Sat: 11am-10pm

Important Information about your visit to The Playhouse:

From our friends at the Fredericton Playhouse:

We are taking measures to protect you and our community.

• Masks – Please bring your mask with you. Community face masks must be worn in the Playhouse. While we recommend you keep it on as much as possible, your mask may be removed while in your seat in the auditorium. However, patrons under 12 years and those who are medically exempt from vaccination must wear masks at all times. 
• Health Screening – If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been advised by Public Health to self isolate, you won’t be able to attend. 
• Pre-ordering concessions – We have a convenient pre-order service at the bar, available at select performances. Order your drinks for intermission before the show starts and skip the line up during the break! 
• Feel free to contact us at 506-458-8344 if you have any questions about your upcoming visit. Enjoy the performance!

Live music and buskers will be everywhere you look in downtown Fredericton this September! To celebrate our 30th anniversary, Harvest is pleased to announce more free programming than ever before. 

The ROCKET Street Experience opens on Thursday, September 16th at 5pm, and runs through Sunday afternoon, as Harvest welcomes the community downtown to an accessible and community-driven gathering with a full slate of free musical programming in partnership with CBC, and some amazing buskers presented by JDI. 

“Providing a full slate of top quality, free shows is a proud Harvest tradition,” says Meghan Morrison, chair of the festival. “We want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to be part of the magic that is downtown Fredericton during Harvest week. We’re so excited to welcome daring buskers and talented musicians here to inspire, entertain, and deliver that trademark ‘festival feel’ in our downtown core.” 

The free stages include the Daily Gleaner Stage in Officers’ Square, on the City of Fredericton’s Own Stage in front of City Hall, the Sabian Stage in front of King’s Place, and a Gin & Jazz extravaganza at the Hilton Garden Inn Fredericton Downtown.

Each free stage presents its own distinct offerings. The full schedule can be found at harvestmusicfest.ca/cbc-free-harvest.

The Daily Gleaner Stage in Officers’ Square will feature an impressive array of regional artists, including soulful singer-songwriter Reeny Smith, blues sensation Shirley Jackson & Her Good Rockin’ Daddys, and Harvest favourites Chris Kirby and Geoff Arsenault.  While in Officers’ Square, patrons will be invited to visit the Moosehead Harvest Garden while they enjoy the music.   

The City of Fredericton’s Own Stage will feature exceptionally talented artists from our hometown, including Capital 6, Kylie Fox, and Richie Young, all of whom were featured in this summer’s online Virtual Harvest series. Meanwhile, the Sabian King’s Place Stage will keep the downtown rocking at lunch time with performances from Theresa Malenfant, Tortoise The Hare & The Millionaire, and Matchstick Mike!

Those looking for a taste of jazz, can swing by the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Fredericton for three full evenings of “gin and jazz” with local favourites like Garry Hansen Trio, the Don Bosse Jazz Quartet featuring the great Joel Miller, and The Jenn Russell Big Band!

And for something a little out of the ordinary, wander about the ROCKET Street Experience to check out buskers performing Thursday through Saturday. You’ll find musical buskers stationed in front of the CIBC building on Queen St., and Steve Goodtime and Andy Giroux wowing crowds on Lower Carleton St. 

The ROCKET Street Experience takes place on Queen St. from Regent to York St., and Lower Carleton St., and also features some of the region’s best food vendors, artisans, and more. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Jeff Richardson, General Manager

Harvest Music Festival

jeff@harvestjazzandblues.com | 506.454.2583

Harvest Central is now open for you to come and pickup your tickets and passes! Soon you’ll be able to pickup your merch, too! We are located inside the Garrison General Store Sea Can on the corner of Queen St. and Carleton St.

Hours:

August 30 – September 4th
Mon – Fri; 11am-6pm
Sat: 12pm-5pm

September 5th – September 11th
Sun: Closed
Mon: Closed
Tues-Thur: 11am-6pm
Fri: 11am-8pm

Sat: 10am-5pm

September 12-September 18
Sunday: 12pm-5pm
Mon-Tues 11am-8pm
Wed – Sat: 11am-10pm

Wristbands:

Wed-Sat: 11:30am-5pm

Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter Matt Mays of Dartmouth has been added to the Friday Blues Tent performances as part of this year’s Harvest Music Festival. Mays and his band take the 6pm slot opened up due to the withdrawal of American soul legend, Bettye LaVette, from the festival this week.

“Matt Mays has been one of this country’s most popular contemporary artists over the past decade” said Brent Staeben, Harvest Music Programmer. “He’s been an absolute fan favourite of Harvest audiences and that’s because he puts on a helluva show every time he steps on stage. We’re very pleased to add another iconic Atlantic Canada artist with an impressive national profile to this year’s line up.”

Mays fills in a slot in the Friday schedule vacated by LaVette who had to withdraw due to challenges meeting the Federal Government’s COVID requirements for entering Canada.

“Bettye and her team were challenged to meet all of the requirements imposed by the Government of Canada for Americans to enter Canada given their very busy schedule before the festival and decided it was best to postpone to next year,” said Staeben. “We immediately accepted Bettye’s offer to re-book her and her band for 2022. We completely understand her situation and wish her and her bandmates continued safe and good health.”

Mays and his full band will take to the Blues tent stage Friday September 17th at 6pm. Tickets are $39.50 plus fees and HST and will be available on Thursday August 26th at 11AM on the Ticketpro Website. Like the LaVette show, the Ultimate Pass gains the holder access to the Matt Mays show.

For those holding Bettye LaVette tickets, refunds are available upon request up until Friday September 10th or they can be redeemed for the Matt Mays show which is now in the same time slot as the original scheduled LaVette show.

“I am sorry to report that we have chosen to drop out of this year’s Harvest Festival in Canada. We were very much looking forward to the show. However, due to the entry regulations that were set in place by the Canadian Government, we have decided it would be best to reschedule our appearance until next year. We hope to see you then. Stay safe everybody!” – Bettye LaVette

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Richardson
General Manager, Harvest Music Festival
jeff@harvestjazzandblues.com
506-454-2583

Harvest Music Festival is proud to announce the introduction of a Safer Spaces policy for its 2021 Festival. The new policy was developed with the intention of fostering safer and more inclusive space throughout our annual event. 

Harvest is dedicated to fostering community amongst all Festival patrons, artists, volunteers, staff, sponsors and Board Members. Harvest is committed to delivering a festive and welcoming experience for people of every ability, age, colour, gender, gender expression, income level, language, physical appearance, place of origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Everyone has the right to feel safe and free from harm, and feel a sense of belonging at Harvest, and the new Safer Spaces policy affirms this. 

The 2021 Festival will include a special team of Safer Spaces volunteers, a Safer Spaces tent as part of our beloved Street Experience, and the introduction of bystander intervention training for festival volunteers. 

In addition to the new Safer Spaces volunteers, over 30 of Harvest’s staff, Board Members, and core volunteers have now successfully completed Project Soundcheck training facilitated by Sexual Violence New Brunswick. The bystander intervention training provides tangible skills to recognize and respond to power-based harm at live music events. 

Harvest intends to offer Project Soundcheck training to volunteers on an annual basis. 

Volunteers will operate a Safer Spaces tent on Carlton St. closure where patrons are welcome to a safe, supportive environment to take a break, have a seat, or check out our resource table. 

“For 30 years, dedicated, caring community members have been coming together to bring amazing musical experiences for our city,” said Jeff Richardson, Harvest General Manager. “Safer Spaces will help us continue to foster this experience and ensure a Harvest that can be enjoyed by all. As Harvest approached our milestone anniversary, festival organizers took the opportunity to affirm our commitment to delivering a welcoming, inclusive festival experience.”

The Safer Spaces initiatives grew from a collaboration with St. Thomas University, and was facilitated via an internship through STU’s Office of Experiential Learning. The policy was written upon the foundation of an academic research project led by Dr. Karla O’Regan in the Criminology Department at St. Thomas University. It is based upon best practices and sought to be comprehensive in it’s scope using anti-oppressive framework. 

Harvest’s Safer Spaces policy can now be accessed online at harvestjazzandblues.com/safer-spaces and our improved accessibility procedures can be accessed online at harvestmusicfest.ca/accessibility/.  The policy will be distributed to all volunteers, artists, festival partners and sponsors in advance of this year’s Festival. 

“For Harvest, creating our safer spaces policy helps us articulate our shared ownership as a community to help each other feel a sense of safety and belonging. This is what our dedicated volunteers have been actively doing for over 30 years as we bring folks together,” said Meghan Morrison, Harvest Chair. “We want to consider others and their experiences and this policy is here to support everyone in that goal, from patrons and volunteers to sponsors and musicians.”

Harvest recognizes that creating safer and more inclusive spaces is an ongoing commitment. Our policy and festival will evolve to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community. Harvest welcomes community feedback at info@harvestjazzandblues.com. 

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Richardson
General Manager, Harvest Music Festival
jeff@harvestjazzandblues.com
506-454-2583

Harvest is making every effort to provide a safe experience at our 2021 festival. We’re following guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada and from the Government of New Brunswick.

Earlier this summer, we surveyed patrons and volunteers to better understand what would make them feel most comfortable at the festival. Nearly 90% of the more than 3,000 respondents indicated that they would be most comfortable attending Harvest 2021 if a vaccination policy was in place.

This guidance, and the feedback we received from our community convinced us that our safest, most responsible way forward for Harvest 2021 is to require all patrons, volunteers, staff, and artists to be fully vaccinated to attend performances at The Blues Tent and The Playhouse. As the summer has progressed, other North American festivals and venues are making the same decision, and many artists are requesting or requiring proof of vaccination for their performances.

Harvest will require proof of vaccination at the point of admission for The Blues Tent and The Playhouse at the 2021 Festival.

Understandably, we’ve received many questions about this, including these four good ones:

Q: What do I need to bring for proof, and how will you check?

Acceptable proof includes the record provided to you upon vaccination or your immunization record from MyHeatlhNB (https://myhealth.gnb.ca/).

Patrons may provide proof in the form of the actual document, a scan or photocopy of the document, a photo of the document on a mobile phone, or an electronic record.

Staff at admissions will visually inspect the record provided by the patron, and will request the patron’s government issued photo ID.

Harvest will not collect or store any patron medical information.

Q: What if I am unable to be vaccinated because of a medical exemption?

Patrons who have received a medical exemption from vaccination, or are otherwise unable to be vaccinated as a result of a ground protected by the New Brunswick Human Rights Act, are asked to contact the office at info@harvestjazzandblues.com for guidance.

Q: Since children under 12 are not able to be vaccinated, can they still attend the all ages shows?

Children under 12 years of age will be permitted to attend but must wear a mask at all times when in the venue.

Q: Is mask wearing required?

Mask wearing is encouraged at all times, but not required.

A full overview of how the admission process will work, what documentation will be required, and more can be found on the Harvest website. Please note that these policies and processes may be updated again in advance of the Festival. Patrons will be notified if Harvest makes any changes to any of these requirements.

Visit The Fredericton Playhouse’s website for more information on their Covid-19 Safety Measures.

We know that some of you may not be pleased with this decision. Our staff and volunteers are working hard to provide a safe experience for patrons, volunteers, and artists, and appreciate your cooperation and patience as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters.

-The Harvest Team

Harvest Music Festival is excited to announce ‘Virtual Harvest’ as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations. 

Presented by TD, this online series will celebrate 30 years of incredible music in downtown Fredericton, showcasing memorable concerts from the Harvest archives, new performances from emerging artists, dynamic kids’ programming, and magical moments captured live at the 2021 Festival!

“We’ve always wanted to do more in digital spaces at Harvest,” said festival programmer Brent Staeben. “When COVID-19 moved the festival online in 2020 with Harvest 29 ½, we had the opportunity to explore new programming possibilities.” 

What emerged was ‘Virtual Harvest’, an accessible and inclusive festival experience for the entire community, presented by long-term Harvest partner, TD. 

Beginning in August, Harvest will showcase a diverse range of local artists recorded live at Harvest HQ. The weekly series will feature local singer-songwriters Quinn Bonnell and Colin Fowlie, instrumental funk from Capital 6, blues-rocker Richie Young, indie-folk artist Kylie Fox and her band, and avant-rock trio Motherhood.

According to Staeben, Harvest has some nice surprises planned that online audiences will love.

“We’ll be rolling out the archival shows in August alongside the performances produced at Harvest HQ, and we’ll be featuring select live performances from Harvest 2021 throughout the festival,” said Staeben.

“We’ll be presenting fan favourites, epic performances, and shows that inspired us,” said Staeben. “One of the best parts of a festival like Harvest is the opportunity to discover your new favourite artist or band, and we think this series will provide that experience!”

Harvest’s Archival Series air on its Youtube and Facebook channels on Fridays, beginning on August 13 with an incredible performance from the great Steve Hill. The series will feature classic Blues Tent performances from The Nth Power, The Sheepdogs, Matt Andersen, and more.

Harvest Music Festival is pleased to announce a new onsale date for its 2021 festival. Harvest tickets and Ultimate Passes will go on sale Tuesday, July 27 at 11 a.m. AST, and can be purchased here or by calling 1-888 311-9090. Tickets are not available for purchase in person or by phone at the Harvest office. 

We encourage patrons to follow some best practices for online ticket buying:

1. Create and login to your account before 11 a.m. on July 27.
2. Refrain from using back and forward buttons in the browser while trying to check out.
3. Please do not use multiple devices at once to purchase tickets and passes.
4. Plan your order in advance.

Harvest’s ticketing partner, Ticketpro, has identified and addressed the issue that caused last week’s ticketing disruption and is confident that these fixes will lead to a smooth onsale on the 27th.

“We have moved Harvest Music Festival sales to a more high-performance platform, and we’ve added servers to our backend in order to better handle the high traffic of the onsale,” said Ticketpro President, Guislaine Bulman. “We will also be using an optimized version of our site and virtual queue to allow for a more efficient experience for ticket-buyers.” 

Ticketpro and Harvest apologize sincerely for the inconvenience caused to you during the previous onsale for the 2021 festival.

Harvest Music Festival runs September 10th, and the 14th – 19th in the beautiful heart of downtown Fredericton.