A summer concert that raised the ire of some residents of Oyster Bed Bridge has now found a new home in Charlottetown.
Organizers of the SunDaze Music and Art Festival announced Thursday they would relocate the festival from Route 6 Ranch in Oyster Bed Bridge to Confederation Landing Park in downtown Charlottetown.
Festival organizers and landowners said in a press release that they were recently notified by the provincial government that rezoning was required for events to take place at the original festival site, which was formerly a drag racing strip.
The land is currently zoned for stock car racing and would require a zoning change of use — a process that could take several weeks to obtain all necessary approvals.
“Everyone felt that, at this stage, it was best to move the festival to another location for this year. We have experience executing events at Confederation Landing and look forward to working with the city to make this event a big success,” said Sam Murphy, festival organizer.
The lineup for the festival includes DJ Jazzy Jeff, T-Pain and the X Ambassadors, and is set to take place Aug. 23-24.
Some residents of Oyster Bed Bridge were not happy about the concert and circulated a petition opposing it.
“On behalf of ourselves and hundreds of residents, (we) don’t want this concert to be held,’’ said Oyster Bed Bridge resident Edith Ling. “We’re really upset at the arrogance of the developers in going ahead with such a thing, selling tickets and booking bands without even having a permit yet from the provincial government.’’
Ben Murphy – Sam Murphy's brother – who co-owns the campground with Chris Daley, confirmed at the time that they didn’t have permits yet for the SunDaze events.
Organizers said the City of Charlottetown was quick to partner with the festival to find a solution and ensure the event would go on.
“Such a festival aligns greatly with the tourism industry’s interests and is a good addition to our summer festival schedule for residents and visitors alike at a time of the year when traffic is welcomed and everyone is celebrating the best of summer,” said Mayor Philip Brown. “… SunDaze works well with the City’s goal to expand our event hosting and cultural profiles.”
Festival-goers can still expect the same multi-genre, multi-day experience originally planned for Route 6 Ranch, but with modifications to fit the new venue. With the change in location, the festival will now be an all-ages event.
Existing ticket holders can contact [email protected] with any questions about the relocation. For those who have purchased camping packages for the Route 6 Ranch location, an automatic refund will be made within 5-7 business days.
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