Greenbelt Harvest Picnic

Big names are gracing the main stage at the Greenbelt Harvest Picnic. Ron Sexsmith serenaded a massive crowd of music lovers who despite the wet weather, are enjoying every moment of it. The must have accessory this year being an umbrella.

“We’re expecting anywhere from 5,000 and up, so it’s really hard to say, it’s a big event. A lot of people are watching the weather, but as you can see there’s a lot of people here who don’t care what the weather says it’s a great success so far,” says Jean-Paul Gauthier the founder of the picnic.

Organizers say numerous things make the harvest picnic unique like the musical acts, which range from blues and classical to hip-hop, but there’s also a social message behind the event

The event takes place at the Christie Conservation area, part of Ontario’s Greenbelt.

“The Greenbelt Harvest Picnic is great, not just for the music, but to go around to various vendors to go to workshops. There are farmers here who produce food all year round who will tell you how to produce it. There are artists here who play their music to express how they feel about food,” says Burkhard Mausberg with the Greenbelt Foundation.

New this year is a special seminar series which engages the crowd with local farmers to learn about issues in the farming industry.

“I think anything that’s about education and learning, sharing information is a positive,”says Alvaro Venturelli with Plan B Organic Farms. “If we don’t make change through education we’ll never make any change.”