We already know the top headliners for the 2018 Stars and Thunder festival, and now the regional acts have been announced as well.
The 2018 edition of the eight-day music festival and fireworks competition is taking place at Hollinger Park in Timmins from June 24 to July 1.
The main lineup for the festival was announced in November.
Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is headlining the Canada Day concert, which will also feature Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good, and Sons of Maxwell.
Other headliners throughout the week are The Beach Boys, Paul Brandt, Gord Bamford, Burton Cummings & Band, Marianas Trench, Colin James, and Eric Lapointe.
Some of the opening acts for those performers will be musicians from the region.
“When you can have a night when you can take the stage with the Arkells or Paul Brandt or Burton Cummings, people of those natures that are drawing in big crowds of upwards of 10 to 15,000 people depending on the night. It’s a great opportunity for our local musicians to get the chance to showcase what they can really do and how well they can perform too,” said Mayor Steve Black at the regional artist announcement Jan. 11.
Krys Saudino, a vocalist for Rough Outlook and co-owner of the Working Class, said playing at Stars and Thunder is a great opportunity.
“For Stars and Thunder to put their foot down and create such an atmosphere for us to participate in is phenomenal,” he said, noting there are other successful events such the Timmins Festival and Events Committee’s Rock on the River.
For the Timmins and Symphony Orchestra, music director Josh Wood said the festival is a chance for the organization to let people know that they can put on a good show.
At Stars and Thunder, that performance will be a tribute to the Tragically Hip and Gord Downie.
“We at the symphony, we want to be an organization that has a very positive presence and we want to make an impact within the Timmins community in a positive way. And I think that this performance is going to definitely serve that end for us in terms of exposure,” he said.
Wood has been talking with artists who are in or from Timmins for a collaboration, which will see the artists each sing a few Hip tunes backed by the orchestra.
“We’re really excited about that and we think it will be a really cool opportunity for us, a really cool opportunity for them,” said Wood.
The full list of local and regional acts is:
June 24
Carole Champagne (French, country, country rock, blues)
June 25
• Last Minute (rock, soft rock)
• Jacelyn (adult contemporary, soul, jazz, folk, blues)
June 26
• Sonic Democracy
• Rough Outlook (pop rock, pop punk)
June 27
• One Inch Speaker (rock, hard rock, modern)
• Eugenio Jedi Martinez (guitar great, rock, contemporary world music, multi-instrumentalist, artist, composer and entertainer)
June 28
• Wyatt Young (pop rock)
June 29
• SwampRockers (rock, blues, country rock)
• Kickback Tracii (rock, country rock, blues)
June 30
• Big Deal (rock, classic rock, new country)
July 1
• Timmins Symphony Orchestra (Tragically Hip/Gord Downie tribute)
• Young Eagles Drum Group, Singers and White Wolf Dance Troop
Ticket sales for the 2018 festival are slower than last year, and council is considering new ticket prices for children.
According to a council report, as of Dec. 29, 2017, 2,763 tickets had been sold for the 2018 edition of the eight-day music festival. That translates to $846,925 in ticket sales. The most popular ticket has been the eight-day VIP ticket.
In 2017, the report notes that sales were at about $2.7 million, with 12,040 tickets having been sold.
Tickets went on sale to Timmins residents Nov. 16, and there was about $500,000 in sales on that day. The pre-sale to the 2017 concerts saw more than $1.9 million in sales on the first day.
For children's pricing, the proposal talked about at council this week is a $100 week-long child's pass in general admission, $200 for the VIP area, and a $25 daily pass.
The vote on the proposal is expected at the Jan. 29 council meeting.
Early bird pricing for tickets is available until April 30. Tickets for Stars and Thunder are available here.
