Sundays in the Park begin July 6

Village Green manager Jeremy Mantesso says for eight consecutive Sundays, the park will come alive with music and activities.

“We put together a line-up of interesting and unique bands that you might not otherwise see in the area,” said Mantesso. “We chose genres that are digestible for the general public and family-friendly.”

Sundays in the Park is the signature event for the Village Green with free concerts starting at 1 p.m. each Sunday.

Creemore Village Green kicks off its 2025 season with indie rockers Moondoggy on July 6. The summer line-up continues with folk music by The Pairs on July 20, R&B singer Lydia Persaud on July 27, and Sonshine and Broccoli will present a special kid- themed concert on August 3. The August 10 performance is by bluegrass band Lonesome Ace Stringband, followed by folk rock group Altameda on August 17. The season wraps up with the Devin Cuddy Band on August 24.

Mantesso says that from its inception, the goal for Sundays in the Park was to complement, but not compete with existing events.

“We wanted to add to Creemore’s vibrant summer schedule and make this a regional tourism draw,” he said. “We’re working to position the Village Green as a premiere outdoor venue and first and foremost, we want to support Ontario artists.”

As the series enters its third year, Mantesso says this year’s lineup includes more big names, including some Juno nominated acts.

“We missed out on a lot of bands last year because they book so far in advance. This year, we started much earlier, and the summer lineup was confirmed by late March.”

“In Year 1, we tended to see people who just happened upon live music in the park and stayed to listen for a while,” said Mantesso. “We were happy with 50 or 60 people per show. As it has grown, we see people coming with their lawnchairs and picnics and planning their weekends around it. This year we’re hoping for 100 to 150 people per show, and for the Mudmen (on July 13), which are a big favourite, we could see 300 plus.”

Last year saw people from places like Thornbury, Caledon and Barrie visiting Creemore for Sundays in the Park and with some higher profile bands Mantesso said he expects to see even more visitors.

“Our goal is to keep people in the heart of Creemore – to have them see this as a half day event not just a concert.”

Enhancements to this year’s program include a pop-up beer garden by Creemore Springs at some events and ice cream by Good Behaviour at others. Looking ahead to next year, he would like to explore the possibility of featuring hyper-local opening acts.

Information about the performers is posted at www.creemorevillagegreen.ca.

File photo: Sonshine and Broccoli on the Village Green stage during the 2024 Sundays in the Park concert series.