Despite the afternoon rain, over 1,000 people attended the opening day of the fifth annual Paris Drinks Fest at Two Rivers Stadium on Friday, August 16, 2024.
Tim Des Islets, the founder of Paris Drinks Fest, said he was thrilled with the weekend’s turnout.
“Friday went really well and we had over 1,000 people come out to enjoy the event,” he said. “Saturday sold out about a month ago so we knew it was going to be a big crowd and we ended up having around 2,000 people which was just great to see.”
Throughout the weekend, attendees had the chance to experience over 30 different food and drink vendors including local businesses such as Paris Beer Co., Howell Road Cider Co., Blue Gables Acres, Manns Distillery, Cheesecake On the Go and the Arlington Hotel.
With their complementary stainless steel cups in hand, visitors sampled the many beverage options that the vendors had to offer. From seltzers to wine, spirits, beers and ciders, there were plenty of opportunities to indulge in classic favourites or to try something new.
For those looking to satisfy their taste buds, guests also took advantage of the many food options on site such as waffles on a stick, poutine, chicken tenders, tacos, rice dogs (a Korean-inspired take on a corn dog), palak paneer and much more.
Liz Gosse, a Brantford-Brant resident, said it was her second time attending the event and that even with the rain, she was enjoying the experience.
“So far, I’m loving it and I’m really just enjoying trying lots of different food and drinks that I’ve never thought to try before,” she said. “I really liked the cider from Hounds of Erie Winery, and I just had the Gotala Dhosa from Rasoya on Wheels which totally hit the spot… it was delicious.”
As far as entertainment goes, Hamilton-based band, Born in the Eighties, kicked off Friday’s line up before welcoming Julianna Riolino to the stage. The Canadian entertainment continued well into the night as Two Hours Traffic had the crowd up on their feet and ready for the evening’s headliner, Wintersleep.
On Saturday, Talia Schlanger and Boy Golden spent the evening entertaining the crowd before headliner and crowd favourite, Dwayne Gretzky ended out the weekend event.
While the Paris Drinks Fest had to relocate from its usual site at Lions Park due to severe flooding, Gosse said that she approved of this year’s new location at the Two Rivers Stadium.
“I don’t mind this new venue at all,” she said. “It’s centrally located, there’s lots of parking nearby, it’s very open and there’s no trees blocking the view so we can really see the stage from any angle which is awesome.”
Des Islets said that with the rain that happened on Friday afternoon, himself and his team know they made the right call with the venue change.
“Once we saw what was happening with the flooding at Lions Park we were initially thinking it would be fine as long as it didn’t rain, but as soon as it started to pour on Friday, my team and I all looked at each other with a sigh of relief because we knew at that moment that we made the right choice,” he said.
Overall, the festival organizer said that while he had many favourite moments throughout the weekend, nothing beats seeing the crowd mingling and creating new memories.
“I love just getting to walk around and overhear the conversations about what people want to try next, what they think of the bands and what they’re enjoying about the festival,” he said. “We’ve been seeing a lot of stuff on social media with people posting photos and stories about their annual get-togethers before they head over, and it’s really great to see all these traditions that have popped up around the event. That makes me really happy to see because it’s just become a part of these people’s summer traditions, you know?”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
