Sommo Festival Kicks Off this Weekend
On Friday, July 14 the first-ever Sommo Festival will take place in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. It’s the latest festival from the folks at Whitecap Entertainment, who have been bringing the Cavendish Beach Music Festival to life since 2009. Taking place in the same location just one week after the renowned country fest, new kid on the block, Sommo Festival is bringing heavy-hitting indie rock acts, a curated selection of celebrity chefs, cocktail masters and culinary demonstrations making it a unique festival of music, food and drink.
“We’ve been doing Cavendish for 14 years and we’ve always wanted to do another one and just never made it a priority and I think through the pandemic we had time to focus on what we wanted to create,” said Whitecap Entertainment and Murphy Hospitality Group CEO Ben Murphy. The Murphy Hospitality Group owns several restaurants, breweries and hotels in Atlantic Canada and has been in the industry since 1980. “The food and drink focus was a natural fit,” added Ben.
Much like Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Sommo is bringing major international talent to Atlantic Canada, which is often left out on North American and even Cross-Canada tours. Mumford and Sons and Maggie Rogers are set to headline the 2023 Sommo Festival. “It’s always a challenge to get some artists out to the East Coast, especially of this size,” said Ben. “We take lots of swings at all different genres and this year we were lucky enough to get Mumford and Maggie and that kind of helps filter down and create the festival but going forward, we wanted it to be more flexible about what type of music we have. Going forward, we’re wide open to what it could be.” he added.
The festival will have three stages - the Bell Stage and the Colliding Tides Sandbar Stage will both feature music and the Meyer Culinary Stage. “The Culinary Stage is going to have surprise guest appearances from some of the musicians from the mainstage, where they’ll go learn to cook with different chefs which will be such a unique experience for fans,” said Ben. The culinary tent will also host elevated chef focused food vendors, a mussel station, cocktail demos and a bourbon bar featuring higher end products that aren’t common at music festivals.
As for making the most of your festival experience, Ben says it’s best to get there early and soak it all in. “Making sure you’re bouncing between stages is important,” noted Ben. For people that have been to Cavendish Beach Music Festival, the layout may look similar but Sommo will have a different vibe and experience. “We’re really leaning into the Taste of Sommo area that we created, where all those experiences will live. Hopefully in years to come we can expand that area even more,” he added, noting that they’re already thinking about next year’s festival and working with the municipality of Cavendish to work out dates and receive feedback.
Tickets for Sommo Fest and nearby accommodations are still available.
