P.E.I. North Shore businesses bracing as Sommo Festival kicks off

Another major festival is drawing music lovers to the Cavendish area of P.E.I. this weekend, leaving some local businesses worried about the pressure of more crowds.

The Sommo Festival has been billed as "a brand-new music and culinary festival featuring two days of music, food and drink." Headliners include Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers, Vance Joy and Lord Huron.  

Businesses like Carr's Oyster Bar in Stanley Bridge are worried the crowds will overwhelm staff, given this is the second music festival in the last two weeks.

Owner Phyllis Carr said she was already feeling the pinch from the province's labour shortage. 

"We're having more difficulties with having kitchen staff, so it's affecting how late we can stay open. We're not even doing evenings or nights yet because we don't have the staff to do it," she said. "I hope we can handle all the crowd."

When the Sommo Festival first sought council approval earlier this year, Carr said she was concerned about a different possible impact for the resort municipality.

"It was more of a concern as a community overall… families not feeling like they can come because of the two weekends of festivals," she said.

The town is getting busier. People are going to be taking part in a wide range of activities.— Mayor Matthew Jelley

Business was good during the Cavendish Beach Music Festival last weekend, she said, so she has a feeling the Sommo Festival will draw similar numbers of people.

Carr said the staff, herself included, are going to jump in head-first if the crowds come, and hope for the best.

"It's like, 'OK, let's just do it,' and we'll see what kind of feedback we get from it," she said.

Matthew Jelly is the mayor of the Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge, Hope River, Bayview, Cavendish and North Rustico. He said businesses ranging from restaurants to amusement parks should have expected and prepared for the influx of people for Sommo.

"The town is getting busier. People are going to be taking part in a wide range of activities," he said.

"For our amusement parks and our attractions, it's business as usual. We're fully open this weekend, and we know that there's a number of people here in town that are here for all of the things Cavendish traditionally offers."

Because it's the first year for back-to-back music festivals in Cavendish, it's important to reflect once they're both over to see how businesses can prepare for next year.

"For this weekend, I think each business is a little different. Once it's over, everybody's going to have a chance to see where their guests came from, how long they stayed, and whether or not this festival was positive for them," he said.

He said both the Cavendish Beach Music Festival, aimed at country music fans, and the Sommo Festival are currently scheduled to return next summer.