Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival marks 10th year

While some intense weather caused some concern over the weekend, the 2025 Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival was a success, organizers said.

The 10th annual festival ran Saturday and Sunday in the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood.

It featured various food and merchandise vendors, and performers from Thunder Bay, and around the world, including:

• Steve Goodtime
• Seb and Fritzzz
• Fraser Hooper
• Skye the Guy
• Kasmir the Hungry
• The Kidd
• Creed Statuary
• Women in Silk
• Taiko Drummers
• Phineas Gauge, and
• the Bay Street Bastards.

Things got underway later than planned on Sunday, due to a heavy downpour that hit the city late in the morning, said Uriel Lubuk, one of the event's coordinators.

"It was awesome to see a lot of the arts and culture community come out," he said. "Awesome vendors, lots of smiley faces, lots of kids."

"We've always wanted free family fun," Lubuk said. "People come down, tip the buskers, see something new and amazing that they haven't seen before."

One of the local buskers was Zachary Ross, who performed both Saturday and Sunday.

"I've started learning how to do folk music," he said. "I host open mics at Lakehead Beer Company, and yeah, just love the community and love going out to play."

"I think it's a great time," he said of the festival. "I love seeing everyone out here."

Lubuk said organizers are already turning their attention to next year's buskers festival "and just seeing how we could push through, do a little bit better next year, but just keep the vibes the same."

"Just just keep it going," he said. "Doing it for the right reasons, free family fun and yeah, smiles."