Carrot Fest returns to Downtown Bradford on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2020!

Vendors applying for Carrot Fest should keep the following in mind:

• Booth costs are based per day. Businesses located in Bradford West Gwillimbury are considered “local” all other businesses are considered “non-local”.
• Each booth area is 10X10 feet. You may purchase additional booths, but are restricted to maintaining an extension of 10 feet from the curb (e.g. 10X20, 10X30).  
• Any food trucks or refreshment vehicles are required to purchase a temporary business license from the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury at a cost of $25.
• Vendor spaces for local businesses and storefronts residing in the festival area are given priority. 
• Vendor spaces are limited. All vendors are requested to be creative and develop an entertainment/uniqueness element for their booth (e.g. games, carrot related products/items, decorating in orange). 
• Carrot Fest is continually undergoing improvements and we cannot guarantee previous site locations.
• Booths are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• You are responsible to bring anything you may require for your booth, including a tent, weights, table, etc.
• Access to power and water is not provided. If you require power you may use a generator that is under 7- db. 
• Vendors will begin to be accepted starting on March 9, 2020. Vendors will be notified at the latest by July 10, 2020. Please remain patient during this process due to the high amount of applicants.

​If you have any questions regarding vendor applications please contact:
Tasha Bain 
Leisure Events & Marketing Programmer
tbain@townofbwg.com
​905-775-21-62 ext. 5103

 1. Are there any admission costs? 
Entry to Carrot Fest is completely free! All the shows and entertainment at the festival are free, except:

• Wrestling Show on Aug 17 at 6:30 pm requires paid tickets (the 11:30 am show is free!) 

Note: Some vendors only accept cash, so it's a good idea to bring some just in case.

2. How can I get water at the festival? 
The Healthy Communities Committee will be handing out free re-usable water bottles at their tent beside the Town of BWG Info Booth (at Holland & Barrie St.). The Committee will also have water jugs for you to fill up your bottle. At the Info Booth, the Town will be selling re-usable Carrot Fest water bottles for only $5! Inside the Community Centre, there is a water fountain by the washrooms. 

Bonus question: Are there any Carrot Fest giveaways/souvenirs? 
On Friday and Saturday, the Info Booth at Holland & Barrie St. will be giving out free Carrot Fest souvenirs including carrot-shaped pens and temporary tattoos! This Info Booth will also be selling Carrot Fest t-shirts in different styles and sizes.

On Saturday, the Info Booth at the Community Centre will be giving out free Carrot Fest pop sockets and stickers! Also on Saturday, the Holland Marsh Growers Association will be giving out bags of free carrots (at Holland St. E. & Bingham St.). 

1. Carrot Juice
Sabella
Sabella will offer carrot juice, along with Italian and Mediterranean food (including pizza and sausages). 

Freshii 
Freshii will offer their Renew and Recharge cold pressed juices, including carrot juice.  

2. Savory Carrot Foods
Liko's Hawaiian BBQ
Liko's Hawaiian BBQ will offer Kalua Pork on a bun, topped with Hawaiian BBQ sauce, pineapple, and  carrot salsa ! They will also be serving chicken and pork skewers, cooked onsite at their charcoal grill. 

La Mexicanada 
La Mexicanada will offer tacos with carrot salsa, and churros! They will also be serving a variety of drinks on their patio, including beer, margaritas and mojitos. 

Hay Caramba
Hay Caramba will be serving carrot tacos, along with fresh corn on the cob! 

Auntee Donnas Jerk Products
Auntee Donnas Jerk Products will be selling carrot marmalade, as well as jerk sauces, hot sauces, jellies, jams, and more! 

Glad I Ate Here
Glad I Ate Here will be offering their signature poutine with a glazed carrot topping! They will also be serving hotdogs, fries, burgers, sausages, and chicken tenders. 

3. Carrot Desserts 
Hutchinson Maple Syrup
Hutchinson Maple Syrup will be offering various maple products including maple carrot cupcakes, maple syrup, maple sugar, and more! 

The Strudel Lady
The Strudel Lady will be serving fresh-baked strudels stuffed with carrot cream cheese! Other strudel fillings will include apple, cherry, Muskoka wild blueberry, and strawberry. 


 
 
 

1. The vendor market
On Friday, the vendor market will only feature vendors based in Bradford, so come support your local businesses! On Saturday, more than 200 vendors will be lining the streets of downtown Bradford, with a mix of local and non-local businesses, including food trucks and artists selling handmade goods.

2. Music performances 
All music performances at Carrot Fest are completely free to attend! The Main Stage will be located by the Village Inn at Holland St. & Simcoe Rd.
Main Stage - Friday: 

• 5 pm: Big Shiny 90s (90s alternative rock cover band)
• 8 pm: Coming of Age (classic rock)

Main Stage - Saturday: 

• 12:30 pm: Rolling Stones Tribute Show
• 4 pm: Monkey Wrench (Foo Fighters tribute)
• 6 pm: Neon Nostalgic (hits from the 1980s to present)
• 8 pm: Joy Brigade (hits from the 1980s)

On Friday, a secondary stage will be set up in the parking lot of the Courthouse (on Holland St. E.). 
Courthouse parking lot - Friday: 

• 6 pm: Neo Young (Neil Young tribute) 
• 8 pm: British Invasion (1960s music)

3. Busker shows
Buskers will be showing off an amazing display of talents, including fire breathing, juggling, aerial acrobatics, stilt walking, drumming, and more! Busker shows will be on the Main Stage and at the Tim Hortons Busker Pitch on Holland St. E., and the Alectra Busker Pitch on Holland St. W. 

Main Stage - Saturday: 

• 9 am: Fire Guy Show
  
• 10 am: Steve Goodtime Rock n Roll Comedy Show 
  
• 10:30 am: The Circus Drummer
• 3 pm: Spencer Scurr Magic Show

Tim Hortons Busker Pitch - Saturday:

• 10 am: Fire Guy Show
• 12 pm & 4 pm: Spencer Scurr Magic Show
• 1 pm, 3 pm & 5 pm: Bex in Motion Hula Hoop Show

Alectra Busker Pitch - Saturday:

• 10 am, 1 pm & 3 pm: The Stupendous Silver Sisters Aerial Show
• 12 pm & 5 pm: The Circus Drummer
• 2 pm & 4 pm: Steve Goodtime Rock n Roll Comedy Show 
  

At 7 pm on Saturday, don’t miss Carrot Fest's grand finale, The Flaming Carrot Show, where various buskers will come together to perform a magical show! 

4. The food and drinks
Explore all the different food and drinks Carrot Fest has to offer, whether you’re into savory or sweet, hot or cold! Here’s a sampling of the different food options available: 

Savory Food:

• Hay Caramba (Mexican)
• Milanoz Pizzeria (Italian)
• Kenzington Burger Bar
• Golden Taste of Asia (Indian) 
• Freshii (vegan options)
• Tornado Potato Canada
• Auntie Jo's Kettle Corn

Desserts:

• Sweet B’s desserts
• 3 Scoops Kawartha Dairy ice cream
• The Strudel Lady

Drinks:

• McCafe drinks (coffee, smoothies, etc.)
• Beer gardens at the Village Inn
• Beer and Margarita gardens at La Mexicanada (includes patio with live music) 

Why is Carrot Fest so focused on carrots?  The majority of Canada's carrots are produced in Bradford West Gwillimbury and specifically the Holland Marsh, which has undergone an interesting evolution in the past century. 
 
1. The Holland Marsh stretches across more than 16,000 acres and 60% of the area is agricultural, the remaining 40% wetland. These farms were only created in the 1920s through marsh drainage systems.  
 
2. Rotten forest vegetation became the foundation for the first layer of organic soil that formed 4000 years ago in the Holland Marsh area. Roughly 30 cm of dead matter built up every year, resulting in extremely fertile black organic soil (i.e. muck soil). Partially decomposed vegetation accumulated on top of the muck soil, forming a layer known as peat. Muck soil and peat can hold 3-4 times their dry weight in water, which allows the Holland River valley to be a saturated marshland.

3. In the late 1880s to early 1900s, marsh grasses were cut and used for stuffing mattresses. The first hay harvesters used a scythe to cut the hay, and twisted the hay into ropes by hand. The curled ropes were later unfurled and teased by mattress-makers to fill mattresses. In the 1890s, horse-drawn mowers replaced hand-powered scythes in hay harvesting. Horses wore “wooden shoes”, which were rectangular boards tied to their feet, so that they could pull mowers across the Marsh.
 
4. The Marsh drainage project began in 1925, in which the Marsh was drained of its top layer of mud, so that vegetables could be grown on the muck soil underneath. In the early 1900s, Dave Watson was a farmer who had acquired a grocery business where the Village Inn now stands. He contacted Professor William Day at the Ontario Agricultural College to see if the Marsh could be drained by building a canal. Professor Day recognized the value in the muck and peat soils for vegetable farming, and led the drainage project in which a 24 km canal was built around the perimeter of the Marsh to divert water from the Holland River.
 
5. Old cars were buried to form dykes and willows were planted over to anchor them, in order to prevent the canals from overflowing into the fields. A dam was also constructed, and pumps were used to control water flow at the dam to bring the Holland River water over the dam and into Lake Simcoe. The Marsh drainage project was completed in 1930.

6. Initially, Canadian farmers weren’t used to farming the muck soil in the Marsh and in the early 1930s, 18 Dutch families settled in the area to farm the Marsh. Today, many farms in the Marsh are run by descendants of the original Dutch families in the 1930s, with 75% of farmers second generation and 56% third generation farming the same property.

7. Today the Marsh is known as the “salad bowl of Ontario”, for supplying 14% of all vegetables in Ontario.  The Marsh grows more than 66 kinds of vegetables, with carrots and onions as the predominant crops. 
 
8. Roughly 36% of the Holland Marsh farmland is used to produce carrots. Other vegetables grown include onions, celery, parsnips, beets, Chinese broccoli, and Asian radish. 

9. The cost of the Holland Marsh drainage project was $197,000 divided between the three townships, and subsidized by the Ontario government. Today, produce from the Holland Marsh is worth an estimated $450 million annually, from 125 farms. 
 
10. Drones have been used to take aerial pictures of crops in the Holland Marsh, as a new way to detect early signs of crop disease like leaf blight. These tests were performed by the University of Guelph’s Muck Crops Research Station in the Holland Marsh, which conducts research on topics including disease control, insect control, weed control, and nutrient management. 

Do you have an interesting fact or piece of Holland Marsh history you'd like to share? Leave a comment down below! 

Sources/Further Reading: 
www.archives.bradford.library.on.ca/index.php/holland-marsh-story
www.archives.bradford.library.on.ca/index.php/early-days-of-marsh
www.townofbwg.com/Shared%20Documents/Leisure/BWG_Trail_System_Master_Plan.pdf
www.townofbwg.com/Pages/Community%20and%20Events/History-Timeline.aspx
www.planscape.ca/planscapePDFs/40-plan2.pdf
www.hollandmarshgold.com/uploads/1/7/2/8/17281360/hollandmarsh_sustainabilitystrategy_final_sept2018.pdf

Bradford West Gwillimbury is a culturally diverse community which makes us lucky to have plenty of restaurants that feature cuisine from all over the world. Authentic and tasty are words to describe all the different foods you can try while at #CarrotFest2018.

​To make things easier, we divided things up for you:

Asian 

• Golden Taste of Asia 

Caribbean

• Auntee Donna's Jerk Products
• La Novela food truck – food truck that features Cubano sandwiches, tacos and burritos
• Iris Sauces - Caribbean sauces and rubs 

Drinks

• Philip Varley- homemade lemonade
• McDonalds McCafe Truck – Friday Carrot Fest only
• Davids Tea

Ice Cream

• Mister Treats – local to Bradford and is an ice cream truck
• Ice Cream 4 U – ice cream truck
• 3 Scoops – local to Bradford and sells Kawartha Dairy ice cream
• Nick's Dairy Bar O/A Dairy Belle – local to Bradford and is an ice cream truck
• Heavenly Dreams Ice Cream Inc – ice cream truck

Italian

• Bestia – food truck that features traditional Naples-style, wood burning oven pizzas
• Milanoz Pizzeria – local to Bradford, an authentic Italian Pizzeria
• The Original San Francesco – local to Bradford restaurant that features Italian veal sandwiches, panzerottis, gelato and more

Mediterranean

• Paparika Restaurant – local to Bradford and features authentic Middle Eastern dishes like Shawarma

Mexican

• La Mexicanada Restaurant – local to Bradford and features authentic Mexican dishes like Flautas
• Chacha Churros – food truck featuring Churros, Empanadas, Milanesa and more
• Made in Mexico – local to Bradford restaurant features Mexican dishes like Chimichangas
• Hay Caramba Restaurant – local to Bradford restaurant that features authentic Mexican dishes like Tostados

Pub Food

• Tornado Potato Festival – food truck that sells tornado potatoes
• Pierre's BBQ Pit Stop – food truck that sells pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, poutine and more
• Glad I Ate Here – food truck that sells Canadian classics like poutine and chicken fingers
• The Mighty Cob – food truck that features summer classics like corn on the cob, hot dogs and lemonade
• Kenzingtons - local to Bradford restaurant that features gourmet burgers 
• Hearth, Water and Stone - BBQ at their store front

Pizza

• Popular Pizza – local to Bradford
• Bestia – food truck that features traditional Naples-style, wood burning oven pizzas

South American

• Cafe Amada by Chanchitos – food truck that sells authentic South American dishes

Sweets and Snacks

• The Strudel Lady – classic strudels from Vienna
• Mad Macarons
• The Crumby Cookie Dough Company – food truck selling cookie dough cups
• Hutchinson Maple Syrup
• Sweet B’s – local to Bradford bakery
• Smoochies- local to Bradford bakery
• JoJo’s Crepe Café – local to Bradford 
• Dutch Treats – local to Bradford and sells treats, cheeses, speciality and deli foods
• Auntie Jo's Kettle Corn
• R & D Jammin Preserves – Homemade Jam
• Sweetie Pat's – homemade sweets 
• Midtown Convenience - snow cones and cotton candy 

Carrot Fest is planned all year long to ensure that there is plenty of free entertainment and activities going on throughout the event. You can find stuff going on at the Main Stage, the Busker Pitches, the Community Centre, the 4 Corners (Holland St. and Barrie St.) and the Courthouse. 

Below is a schedule so you know where and when to be! *Subject to change.

Friday
Vendor Market
4:00-10:00pm
Main Stage
5:00pm Louisa and the Planets
6:30pm Official Ceremonies
8:00pm Joy Brigade - high energy 70s Dance Music
Other events
4:00-10:00pm Party Tyme – Holland Street West
4:00-10:00pm – Crafts, cupcake decorating, games and contests – Kids Zone, Holland Street West
5:00pm – Balloon Show
5:30pm – Scarlett Circus Show
6:00-8:00pm – Balloon Twisting
6:00-10:00pm – Legends & Classic Cars
7:00pm – Scarlett Circus Workshop
8:30pm Balloon Show

Saturday
Vendor Market
9:00am-6:00pm
Main Stage
9:00-9:30am Neema Children’s Choir
9:45-10:15am Lucas Wilson Illusionist
10:30-11:00am Elite Dance Corps Award Winning Dancers
11:15-11:45 Lucas Wilson Illusionist
12:30-:2:00pm Bon Jovi Forever
2:30-3:00pm Elite Dance Corps Award Winning Dancers
3:15-3:45pm - Lucas Wilson Illusionist
4:15-5:30pm The Cara Lea Band
5:30pm Lions Early Bird Draw
6:00-7:30pm Who Made Who (ACDC Cover Band)
8:00pm Skip Tracer
Alectra Busker Pitch
10:00am Ito Fire Show
11:00am Theatre Arcturus - Lumberjack Show
12:00pm Hoop You
1:00pm FireGuy
2:00pm Theatre Arcturus - Lumberjack Show
3:00pm Hoop You
4:00pm Theatre Arcturus - Lumberjack Show
5:00pm Hoop You
​Tim Hortons Busker Pitch Times
10:00am FireGuy
11:00am Rockability Joe
12:00pm Tim Holland
1:00pm Rockability Joe
2:00pm Ito Fire Show
3:00pm Rockability Joe
4:00pm Tim Holland
5:00pm FireGuy
Community Centre
10:00am Aqua Dogs
10:00am-4:00pm Pony Rides
9:00am-6:00pm - Youth Zone - various booths, food trucks, MOBYSS bus, music, giveaways and more! 
11:30am Professional Wrestling – Quest for the Cup featuring former WWE Superstars
6:30pm Professional Wrestling – Quest for the Cup featuring former WWE Superstars
Other Events
9:00am-5:00pm Bradford Fire Department Fire Prevention (Holland St. East)
10:00am-6:00pm Party Tyme Treats & Amusements
11:00am Beer Gardens open (4 Corners)
11:00am BMX Stunt Show at the Courthouse
11:00am Shuttle Buses begin from the GO station and the Leisure Centre to Carrot Fest
12:00pm 24 Carrot Holdem Poker Tourney at the Village Inn (4 Corners)
1:00pm 3 Scoops Ice Cream Contest sign up (12 years and under)
1:00pm Freestyle Soccer Show at the Courthouse
2:00pm BMX Stunt Show at the Courthouse
3:00pm Freestyle Soccer Show at the Courthouse
3:00pm 3 Scoops Ice Cream Contest (Barrie St.)
5:00pm Freestyle Soccer Show at the Courthouse
6:00pm BMX Stunt Show at the Courthouse
7:00pm The Flaming Carrot Fire Show (4 Corners)

​Carrot Fest has one of the largest vendor markets found at an outdoor festival. Vendors include both local and non-local businesses and fill Holland St. and Barrie St. You could easily spend hours just shopping up and down the streets for the unique items at each booth. Though there is over 200 vendors that set up for Carrot Fest, they are hand selected to ensure that there is a variety and are categorized based on what they are selling or promoting. Be sure to check out the face painters, henna and airbrush tattoos, jewellery, candles, spices and sauces, food and desserts, clothing and many more this year!

Since we are ONE WEEK AWAY from #CarrotFest2018, here are some tips to remember when shopping through a vendor market:

• Buying directly from businesses ensures that they proceeds are going right in to the organization. By shopping at vendor markets, know and feel good that you are supporting your local economy!
• Bring reusable bags to put your items in.
• Bring the green – having cash can sometimes save you money and some vendors don’t have debit machines.
• Arrive early to get the best selection – Carrot Fest’s vendor market opens at 4:00pm on Friday and 9:00am on Saturday.
• Get to know the seller! Vendor markets tend to bring smaller businesses that are knowledgeable and passionate about what they are selling. 
• Explore all the different goods and services that are available to you. Be sure to check out everything the #CarrotFest2018 vendor market has to offer!