By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – Cornwall’s Lift-Off hot air balloon festival announced its lineup Thursday night, and it’s topped by some of the biggest names in Canadian music.
The Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off 2014 board of directors unveiled the festival’s 20th anniversary lineup to a crowd of 125 at the NAV Centre in Cornwall. For many the anticipation bordered on frenzy.
But the biggest announcements from Lift-Off co-chairs Jason Jesmer and Mary Marleau went beyond the music. Drum roll, please…
“The (weekend) pass is significantly reduced from last year. If everyone remembers it was hovering around the $50 mark,” said Jesmer. “This year, for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there’s a price tag of $25. We understand that it gets expensive, especially when you have a family, and we wanted to make sure that everyone can come out to enjoy the weekend.“
And that was just the beginning. Opening night of the four-day festival (Thursday, July 10 to Sunday, July 13) is free.
“Thursday night’s our opening ceremonies and we’ve kind of veered away from the bells and whistles. This year, we wanted to do something a little bit special for the community because it’s our 20th anniversary,” he said. “We wanted to make sure you’re all out for that night, so that night is free.”
The headlining and supporting acts are:
Thursday, July 10: Glass Tiger, Street Road, The Lost Boyz, and Barstool Prophets.
Friday, July 11: 54-40, Trailer Five, The Paul Deslauriers Band, and The Glorious Sons.
Saturday, July 12: Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle, Mandee Woods, Hadrian’s Wall, and The Devin Cuddy Band.
Sunday, July 13: Doc Walker, Busker’s Dream, Gentleman Husbands, and Small Town Pistols.
The Lost Boyz and Graham Greer kept the announcement party rockin’ as attendees snacked on complimentary appetizers.
Past Lift-Off performers have included Chantal Kreviazuk, Styx singer Dennis Deyoung, Sloan, Amanda Marshall, Foreigner singer Lou Gramm, Kim Mitchell, and Down With Webster.
For more information, visit Lift-Off’s Facebook page.
