A Day in Nashwaak with the Ignite Marketing Team
Last weekend, a very special event took place in the Nashwaak Rural Community – and the Ignite team didn’t plan on missing it. As part of our community visits this year, my colleagues Julia, Andrea, and I had a great time experiencing the Nashwaak Music Fest for the first time. We were amazed by how welcoming and entertaining it was.
We started our visit with lunch at JPM Canteen & Dairy Bar, a beloved local dining spot in the community – especially for those sunny summer afternoons. It was my first time there. I was surprised by the large portions and wide variety of meals and ice cream flavours. After a delicious lunch and refreshing dessert, we were recharged and ready for the Music Fest.
As we entered the festival grounds, we were amazed by the size of the space and the number of campers on-site for the full-weekend experience. We were welcomed by Nashwaak Mayor David Sweeney and the team organizing the festival. We had a lovely chat about how it all came to be and how it has evolved since its first show in 2012.
The Nashwaak Music Fest started as a shared dream between Mike Arnold and Fred McNeil in 2011. The two wanted to combine their love for the Nashwaak River and their memories of living in the area with their passion for community and music. Fast forward, the festival now runs as a family business with members of both the McNeil and Arnold families working together to carry on that legacy.
The Music Fest team shared how the festival has grown – from starting with roughly a few campers and 300 attendees to welcoming over 300 campers and 2,000 people in attendance last year. One of the most heartwarming things we learned was how deeply rooted this event is in community and family. Campers, artists, vendors, and volunteers alike return each year from all over the province to contribute to the community that has formed around this festival. As the team shared, bringing this festival to life every year feels rewarding because of the connections made with everyone attending it.
The Nashwaak Music Fest serves as a place where culture, the arts, and family values mix together in a safe environment. It is also a great space to support local vendors. We had the pleasure of meeting three Nashwaak-born businesses: the local-favourite JPM Canteen food truck, Bell Tent Orchard, a nature-forward campground aiming to build stronger connections between people and nature through immersive experiences and comfortable accommodations, and Paige Hair and Braids, a local hairstylist specializing in bringing unique hair art and braid styles for all kinds of events.
As our visit came to an end, we enjoyed live performances and snapped fun pictures around the festival grounds. We left with our hearts full and a deeper understanding of how much this festival means to the Nashwaak community and beyond. See you on the next entity visit!