We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on
the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.
Your city! Your festivals!
Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life has you covered.
Photos by Andre Gagne
This weekend’s weather showed Ottawa that we're still far from that summer sun but the cold didn’t stop Westfest from giving the city a taste of the festival season a few month’s early. The second annual All-Star fundraiser, hosted by the unlikely comedic duo of Councilor Jeff Lieper and musician Jim Bryson, saw many surprises for the crowd gathered in the Orange Gallery including a performance by Craig Cardiff and a near show stealing moment by Aspects and his young daughter.
However, those gathered will tell you, Westfest founder / director Elaina Martin’s return to the stage for one night only was the highlight. Once part of the band Elaina and the Chain, Martin retired to devote herself to other projects, including the popular west-end festival. Coerced into picking up her guitar one more time, she wowed the crowd while simultaneously moving them to tears causing many to wonder when she’ll be headlining her own festival.
Westfest math is simple: 1 City + 3 Days + 150 artists = the perfect summer kick off and it’s heading our way on June 2nd. Until then, here’s more of today’s festivities:
