DESIRÉE DECOSTE

STAFF WRITER

The second annual two-day Golden Hour music festival is set to take place at the Mustang Drive-In in Bloomfield August 21-22.

Golden Hour Productions, established in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the live music sector, is founded and directed by Prince Edward County local Tai Notar.

Notar, a live event professional, has been working in the live entertainment and music industry for nearly a decade.

“When COVID-19 hit the whole industry shut down and I had to pivot and create something new,” Notar told the Gazette. “I wanted to provide a safe space for patrons to enjoy live music again, provide a stage for artists to perform and provide jobs for those within the industry who had literally lost everything overnight.”

Due to the global pandemic, planning for large live events are challenging to say the very least. Public health guidelines and the uncertainty of what the rules will be in 24 hours makes mitigation planning of every aspect of a live show a necessity.

“Things shift daily if not hourly and you have to have a 3rd, 4th and 5th pivot plan to be able to continuously move forward,” Notar said. “It’s a few steps forward and some giant steps backwards, but we as producers love a challenge and we’re ready to find solutions.”

Saturday’s double feature includes JUNO award-winning Indigenous artists iskwē & Tom Wilson and William Prince. iskwē, a musical creator, communicator and storyteller and Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Lee Harvey Osmond, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) came together with the release of their single, Starless Nights.

Golden Hour is thrilled to welcome the duo for one of their first live performances onstage. William Prince is a folk and country singer-songwriter based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who won the JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in 2017 for his debut album, Earthly Days. Prince Edward County local and Golden Hour alum, Annelise Noronha is back to round out the evening’s performances.

“I hope people can see the love we’ve poured into Golden Hour.” expressed Notar. “I started Golden Hour as a passion project and my team behind the scenes absolutely loves what they do. We put countless hours into making this festival happen and cannot wait for people to see and most importantly enjoy what we’ve created.”

Sunday night’s performance includes headliner Donovan Woods, a critically-acclaimed folk artist that has built a robust career with his JUNO award-winning album, Both Ways, and latest release, Without People. Hannah Georgas, an indie-pop singer-songwriter with an endless capacity for crafting textured pop songs that confound her audience’s expectations, will kick off the night with opener Ten Kills the Pack.

“Golden Hour is the hybrid for those who aren’t necessarily comfortable going back to events as per usual but still those looking to attend live music safely,” Notar said “We value each and everyone of our guests, partners and artists and it’s such a magical experience to be able to create a mini community. “

Golden Hour Festival continues its support of the Prince Edward County community through the Sunset Market, a pop up market showcasing a variety of vendors and food trucks from The County. Applications for Sunset Market are now open and can be submitted via the Golden Hour website.

Golden Hour Productions and Golden Hour Festival would like to thank its partners: Red Bull Canada, The Grange of Prince Edward County, Neal Brothers Foods, Indie 88, Quinte Broadcasting, 99.3 County FM, Prince Edward County Food Hub and Prince Edward County Tourism. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

For more information or to order tickets please visit https://www.goldenhourfest.ca

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