
After becoming quite popular in the UK the brainchild of Jamie Oliver that brings music and food together the Big Festival made it’s Canadian debut last weekend.
Promising great food, great music and a fun family environment the new festival made its way to Oro Medonte’s Burl’s Creek which has hosted WayHome and Boots And Hearts for the last few years.
Feastival boasted the presence of Canadian chefs including Chuck Hughes, Rob Gentile, and Vikram Vig and many others putting on cooking demos for the young and the older. With demos and a cooking class set up for adults as well as The Little Kitchen set up for kids to get a chance to have fun and learn a few kitchen skills too.
You could learn to make scallops with a bernaise sauce or learn to make your own sausages. Kids were also treated to a petting zoo and parents and kids alike could have a go on a few rides and ferris wheel.
A variety of food vendors were present and there were plenty of samples. I spent most of the weekend when not shooting bands out talking to folks about what their favourite food was and where I could get my hands on it.
Popular favourites were the Latin pulled pork, The pastry ice cream cones, and the butter tarts. I quite enjoyed the chese and chocolate amores I got my hands on as well as the delicious matcha donuts. As a coffee lover I was pleased to find quite a few options of cold brews to taste.
As far as the music, the headliners were Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals on Saturday and Weezer and OK GO closed off the festivities on Sunday night. Canadian bands like Wintersleep and The Strumbellas were strong as always and hip hop legends De La Soul livened up the crowd.
The Big Festival was really a festival for the whole family… and a bit of delicious fun.