WEYBURN — Dubbed “the little Festival that could” for the past 18 years, the Gateway Festival in Bengough continues to be a family-friendly tourist destination.
Through music culture and community, the Gateway Festival brings world-class entertainment and unforgettable memories to a normally quiet prairie town.
This year, the Bengough Gateway Festival will be held in Bengough Regional Park on July 22 and 23. The featured headliners will be Chilliwack, Gord Bamford, The Northern Pikes and The Grapes of Wrath.
Other entertainment includes Megan Nash, Karissa Hoffart, Badlands Country, Library Voices and Radioactive Love. For a complete lineup, residents can visit the website at .
The event layout is well planned with two large stages of continuous music and another sponsored stage at the swimming pool to complement the popular ‘Community and Culture Walk’, which gives festival goers a chance to hop on a local bus to hear historical tales of the community.
Places of interest include the museum, a visual arts display at the Drop In Centre, the Last Chance Store, and other local businesses and restaurants.
The festival spills outside of the main festival site to offer music at the outdoor swimming pool and a car show to be held downtown on Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Gateway Festival is noted for an exciting children’s area, where children can enjoy various activities such as face painting, bouncy castles, listen to a children’s performer and ride their famous Gateway kids train (built by former Bengough resident Les Anderson).
Singer Sylvia Chave and Pat Roth, magician and balloon sculptor, will entertain the children.
On the festival grounds there will be amazing local vendors and merchandise tents, along with food trucks and a beer gardens.
There are acres and acres of green grass for camping adjacent to the festival grounds, making it very comfortable and convenient for tourists. Camping is split into three zones: family, quiet and party.
Every year festival performers also visit residents of the Bengough Long Term Care Home to share music and good conversation.
This year the 50/50 raffle will be the highest ever sold at Gateway Festival. It is already nearing $10,000. To purchase a 50/50 ticket, call 306-268-2002
Financial benefits from the Gateway Festival also go back into the community. The Parks Board realizes a huge profit from the campers and concessions because of this event. They have donated money to the Bengough Playground Fundraising Initiative to build a new playground for the children in the area and all those who visit in July.
They were also able to donate towards the purchase of a new fire truck, chairs for the museum, swimming pool deck, Bengough School, the Bengough Agricultural Society, the Daycare, the dance club, and to bull-riding programs in the community.
They have donated tickets or merchandise to many organizations to help raise money for their cause.
The Gateway Festival is made possible due to the hard work of the Bengough Municipal Arts Council, the extraordinary dedication of the valued volunteers in the community and the support of Tourism Saskatchewan, Sask. Arts Board and other businesses and organizations.
The Gateway Festival will continue to grow, as plans continue to make this event the place to be on the fourth weekend in July.
