Did you ever wonder how Bradford West Gwillimbury came to host a huge carrot-themed festival, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every year?

Carrot Fest is BWG’s biggest annual event, but it isn’t its first. In the mid-1970s, a Salad Festival was held each July — and in 1977, the first Harvest Festival and Harvest Queen pageant were held.

In 1991, after the Town of BWG was formed through the amalgamation of the former Town of Bradford, most of West Gwillimbury and parts of Tecumseth, a committee was formed to bring the new community together and attract visitors. The Heritage Environmental Agricultural Recreational Tourism (HEART) Committee was created and given a mandate to promote tourism, economic development and downtown revitalization.

The HEART Committee was responsible for the flower planters and murals that bring colour to downtown, but its biggest achievement was organizing an open-air market, with local farmers and merchants bringing their wares to Holland Street on summer weekends.

In 1995, the weekly market was transformed into a larger single event called Super Saturday, held on Labour Day weekend. When the HEART Committee learned that BWG produces more than 70 per cent of Canada’s carrots, it renamed the event “Carrot Fest,” hoping it would become the event that defines BWG. The first Carrot Fest in 1998 capitalized on the Town’s existing mascot — Gwilly the carrot — and added contests and entertainment to the existing vendor market.

In 2005, the town of BWG assumed responsibility for organizing and running the event, and since then Carrot Fest has definitely been “a growing tradition.” The number of attendees has quadrupled to an estimated 50,000 participants, generating $1 million for the local economy. For the past nine years, Carrot Fest has won a Festivals and Events Ontario Top 100 Award.

This year, Carrot Fest will be held on Aug. 16 to 17 in downtown Bradford, with a vendor market and lots of free outdoor entertainment. The Main Stage will feature live musical performances and the busker pitches will showcase acrobatics, magic and fire shows. Kids’ activities will include inflatable slides, face painting and pony rides. Carrot Fest will also host a Classic Car show, Aqua Dogs, BMX stunt shows, and wrestling. For details, visit carrotfest.ca and search @CarrotFest on Facebook.

Bring your family and friends to join the celebration at this year’s Carrot Fest!

Melanie Katz is the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury's leisure events and marketing assistant.