Get ready to feast your eyes on a tasty new way to bid farewell to summer.
The Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce wants to help local families wrap up their summer with a meal they won't forget.
Feast at the Beach will take over Kinosoo Beach on Aug. 30 and 31, and will feature a variety of food choices, activities for kids, and live entertainment.
Chamber president Ryan Lefebvre explained to Cold Lake council during their meeting on Tuesday, June 11, what makes this event so unique.
“It’s a last weekend of summer bash that’s a food truck and entertainment festival with music and activities for kids,” he expressed. "Currently, there isn’t an event on the last long weekend of the summer before kids go back to school. It’s common that people don’t necessarily want to go away on this weekend because their kids are going back to school and they have lots of things to do. We want to bring a unique festival centred around food and music, and to showcase the beach for all of the residents of the Lakeland."
The two-day event will kick-off on the Friday at 2 p.m. before shutting down for the night at 10 p.m. and restarting back up at 10 a.m. on Saturday. It will pack up the following day at 10 p.m.
"We made sure these hours coincided with public transit, thereby making the event accessible to everyone and hopefully to help alleviate some of the parking down at the beach,” detailed Lefebvre.
The entertainment and activities are free, and tickets will be available for the beer gardens and food trucks.
According to Lefebvre, "we have a decent variety so far."
As of the council meeting, the chamber had seven trucks ready to roll in for the big day, with more expected to get on-board before the event.
Whether your craving Argentinian or Jamaican cuisine, donairs, ice cream, or donuts, Lefebvre said there will be something that will tickle everyone's taste buds.
Even the music will feature multiple genres.
Lefebvre said, “We’re going to have a good mix of local talent, as well as bands that haven’t been here before, to give people a different show. It’s really exciting, and it will be ongoing all day, both days."
The chamber has also landed Indigo Circus, who not only perform stage shows, but also roam the festival grounds on stilts, performing fire acts, and making balloon animals.
"That’s a neat addition to the atmosphere of the event,” emphasized Lefebvre.
At this point, they haven't nailed down the details as to whether they will need to completely shut down 1 Ave. from 19 St. to Tamarac Dr.
Mayor Craig Copeland suggested considering keeping one-lane of traffic open for transit services and putting up a fence around where the food trucks would be parked.
Josh Holman, vice-president of the chamber, outlined their ask from the city, which included not only use of the beach for the two-day event, but also in-kind items such as the outdoor stage, floodlights, tables and chairs, and bounce houses, and a $10,000 sponsorship.
Their hope is the event will draw families from the city and beyond, with the potential to grow year after year.
“Our projected outcome for the event for year one is to execute an event that is viable and able to grow going forward. We believe after year one we will see continued growth at the event and are looking to provide an annual event for the Lakeland region that’s a summer wrap up,” described Holman.
