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A summer of hit-and-miss for festivals and traditional events in the Peterborough area

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Kathleen Edwards sings at the Peterborough Folk Festival in 2019.

In a hit-and-miss summer for festivals and gatherings in the Peterborough area, residents are going to miss out on the likes of Peterborough Pulse, the Kawartha Craft Beef Festival, Hootenanny on Hunter, and Kawartha Rotary Rib Fest.

The DBIA has put its focus on recovery for businesses downtown. Instead, people are being encouraged to get out shop, eat and explore the core.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a return of some of the other more popular events that the people have gotten used to.

Here’s a list to help you plan your summer:

PETERBOROUGH DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Held on the shores of Little Lake, Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival is a vital fundraiser for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, supporting world-class cancer and breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at your hospital. Race day is June 11.

NOGOJIWANONG INDIGENOUS FRINGE FESTIVAL

A proud to be a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, NIFF opens with ceremony on June 21 and continues with public performances from June 22 to 26 at the East Bank campus of Trent University.

PETERBOROUGH MUSICFEST

While it is still lining up acts, Musicfest has already announced three free concerts so far for Del Crary Park. It will kick off July 2 with Styx frontman Lawrence Gowan. The following Saturday, July 9, they welcome indie rock band The New Pornographers. And on Saturday, July 16, Dwayne Gretzky is back.

LAKEFIELD JAZZ, ART AND CRAFT FESTIVAL

The Lakefield Jazz Art Craft Festival invites all July 9 to a breezy day of outdoor summer living beside Lakefield’s scenic Otonabee River, to enjoy a wide variety of jazz music, colourful works for sale by artisans and crafters, local food, and beverage vendors.

BUCKHORN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

Taking place at the Buckhorn Community Centre, festival visitors have the chance to admire beautiful works of art while surrounded by the natural beauty of Buckhorn. The 2022 Buckhorn Festival of The Arts will take place on Aug. 13 and 14.

PETERBOROUGH FOLK FESTIVAL

Held on the stage at the rear of Nicholls Oval Park, this free three-day music and art festival returns the weekend of Aug. 19 to 21. Organizers have yet to release an artist line-up.

The Lakefield Jamboree has officially been called off for 2022 and Havelock Jamboree officials have yet to announce whether the event will go ahead this summer.