She Does the City was at the Big Feastival’s VIP launch event on March 1st and let me (Tara) tell you, it was a hoot. The event was designed to give you a taste – literally and figuratively – of what the real Big Feastival will be like when it happens August 18–20 in Oro Medonte, Ontario.

The Big Feastival is one of the few family-forward music festivals in the region, with music, food, and events designed for parents and children. The lineup includes Fred Penner, Weezer, De La Soul, Basia Bulat, Wintersleep, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, to name a few.

Events for small children include interactive cooking classes (Little Kitchen and Field to Fork) and a petting zoo; events for large children (heh heh) include cooking demos and lessons with local chefs. There are also tons of family events like the Family Olympics, arts and crafts and DIY workshops.

And of course, there will be loads of local street food vendors to keep you fuelled. You and the family can make a weekend out of it by camping with your RV or tent onsite. (“Glamping” options will also be available but have not been finalized.)

I was excited to see so many female-led companies at the launch event, like Wild North Flowers, who were handing out blossom bouquets and will be doing dried wildflower tattoos and (essential) flower crowns at the festival.

Wild North Flowers founder Jennifer Fowlow (right) and one of her amazing bouquet arrangers looking like flower queens!

Richa Gupta, founder of Good Food for Good, was dissatisfied with the current food system and decided to start her own company selling quality, healthful packaged foods with a socially conscious mission to stop world hunger (every purchase helps feed a hungry child in the developing world). Good Food for Good was handing out samples of their refined sugar-free ketchup and butter chicken sauce (they use dates instead — genius!), made in Toronto with local ingredients.

The amazing women at The Pop Stand chatted with me while I slurped on a Cherry Bourbon Sour ice pop, which was highly delicious. These ladies were handing out ice pops with or without alcohol, made here in Toronto with local fruit (where possible).

I found my way to the cheese pretty quickly and was happy to see Monforte Dairy showcasing their creamy sheep’s milk cheese, sharp aged cow’s cheddar, and savoury water buffalo milk cheese. Drool.

I washed it all down with some Cali Love poke and then turned around to see host of the Big Feastival UK, Alex James, celebrity chef and restauranteur Chuck Hughes and George Stroumboulopoulos chatting about the event’s success in the UK and why they wanted to bring it to Canada.

Finally, Wintersleep did a killer performance of songs from their new album, The Great Detachment, and I was sold. This thing is gonna be totally rockin’ — get your Big Feastival tickets on their website. See you on the grass.