Eats, Beats and Boutiques will replace Pizzafest

Heather Wright/The Independent

Petrolia is unveiling a new summer event; Eats, Beats and Boutiques is a street festival in the downtown core.

The June 6th event will feature an “expanded selection of shops, street performances, unique vendors, diverse dining options and live entertainment, according to Julie Bullock, director of parks and recreation for the town.

Merchants will be encouraged to bring their shops out to the streets to take advantage of the people in town for the eight-hour event.

There will be a licenced area, a Kid Zone with activities for families and a range of vendors and street performers, Bullock says.

The event will replace the popular Pizzafest. “We’re just looking to be able to benefit all of the businesses in town,” says Bullock. “The pizza vendors have obviously been a huge part of that event for the past years and so we thought we’d try and see if we couldn’t create something we would bring everyone on board.”

Bullock adds Pizzafest had become very popular and it had become challenging for the vendors.

The plan for the new festival is to block off Petrolia Line from Oil Street to Kerby on the west end, with the intersection of Petrolia Line and Albany/Centre Street remaining open.

“There’ll be some musicians, maybe on a few different places. We’ll have bigger bands, probably in on a bigger stage, either in Victoria Park or somewhere on the street. Then we’re hoping to get maybe some artists in different areas, so that there’s lots for everyone.

“We’re hoping to be able to do that whole stretch, as long as we can get all the businesses on board. So far, we’ve had lots of positive feedback from them.”

A group of downtown merchants will be travelling to Dresden later this month for its annual Christmas night market to get ideas.

They’re also looking for vendors and unique street performers to apply to be a part of the event.