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{{short description|Defunct Canadian rock festival}}
{{about|the Canadian music festival}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{ infobox music festival
| music_festival_name = Edgefest
| image               = Edgefest_99.jpg 
| caption             = Logo for the 1999 edition of Edgefest
| location            = [[Barrie]], [[Toronto]], various Canadian cities
| years_active        = 1987–2006, 2008–2015
| founders            = [[CFNY-FM]] 
| dates               = 
| genre               = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[alternative rock]]
| website             = {{URL|https://edge.ca/edgefest}}
}}

'''Edgefest''' was an annual outdoor [[rock festival]] in [[Canada]]. It was founded by staff members of [[Toronto]] radio station [[CFNY-FM]]. From 1987 to 2015, the festival was held every year in the summer (except for 2007). The festival was most frequently held on [[Canada Day]] at [[Molson Park]] in [[Barrie, Ontario]] or a venue in Toronto. The festival featured predominantly [[Canadian rock]] bands. During its 29-year operation, the festival featured more than 300 performers. As of 2015, it was the longest running rock festival in Canada.

==History==
===Creation, early years (1987–1989)===
The festival was created in 1987 by [[CFNY-FM]] staffers Scot Turner, Kneale Mann, [[Alan Cross]], Earl Veale, and Phil Evans to celebrate the station’s tenth anniversary and the 120th Canada Day.

A lineup, including [[Blue Rodeo]], [[The Pursuit of Happiness (band)|The Pursuit of Happiness]], [[Teenage Head (band)|Teenage Head]], and the first foreign act, [[The Saints (Australian band)|The Saints]], was soon arranged, but finding an appropriate location proved to be difficult. A farmer's field in [[Oakville, Ontario]] was considered, but would have involved complications with staging, electricity, bathrooms and parking. Other suggestions included [[Mosport International Raceway]] and [[Cayuga Speedway]], but as they were unavailable, Molson Park in Barrie was chosen. Organizers worried that fans would not want to drive from Toronto to the relatively unknown location in Barrie (approximately 90&nbsp;km [55&nbsp;mi]), but after purchasing tickets through [[Pizza Pizza]] locations for just $1.02 per ticket, over 27,000 people attended the inaugural festival on July 1, 1987.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Canada Day Festival set for CFNY|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-RPM-IDX/IDX/80s/RPM-1988-06-11-OCR-Page-0009.pdf|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|accessdate=January 20, 2024}}</ref>

Although the 1987 festival was supposed to be a one-off event, its success and positive feedback encouraged the organizers to do it again the next year. The 1988 edition was sold out, and brought over 32,000 people to Molson Park.  Attendees paid $3 each for admission. The lineup featured mostly Canadian bands, including the first of many appearances by [[54-40 (band)|54-40]], and three foreign acts.

In 1989, in spite of competing summer weekend activities and [[Ontario Highway 400|Highway 400]] leading up to Molson Park being jammed both from both [[Cottage country]] and Toronto, the festival was once again sold out. That year's lineup included [[Sass Jordan]], [[Sarah McLachlan]] and [[The Tragically Hip]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Edgefest 2003: A Blast From The Past|url=http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2003/09/0207.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051202223954/http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2003/09/0207.cfm|archive-date=December 2, 2005|date=September 2, 2003|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref>

===Transition period (1990–1992)===
Between 1989 and the end of 1990, CFNY underwent a change in management, which brought with it a change in format. While the festival did go on that year, and once again sold out Molson Park, many people came in order to protest the new programming policies (in fact, someone even hired a plane to tow a protest banner over the park). However, the show went on glitch-free, and featured  54–40, The Tragically Hip, The Pursuit of Happiness, The Grapes of Wrath and The Skydiggers.

By the fifth show, in 1991, the station owners had again been replaced, and the format of both show and station had stabilized. That year's lineup featured the [[Violent Femmes]], who were the first foreign act to perform at the festival in two years. That year's lineup also featured [[Blue Rodeo]] and the [[Crash Test Dummies]].

For the 1992 edition, [[Molson]] had planned "The Great Canadian Party", a series of Molson-sponsored concerts, simultaneously running across Canada on Canada Day 1992. However, the two companies came to an agreement to share the show, with half the bands booked by the Edge (including 54–40, The Tragically Hip, and [[Leslie Spit Treeo]]) and the other half booked by Molson (including [[Sass Jordan]], [[Amanda Marshall]] and [[Spinal Tap (band)|Spinal Tap]]).

===Ontario Place Forum (1993–1994)===
In 1993, Molson needed the whole park for their own purposes, so the festival relocated to the [[Ontario Place]] Forum in Toronto. 1993 was the first year the festival was officially called "Edgefest", a name that stuck with the festival for every year after. It was also the first year to have more than one day of concerts, taking place on July 1 and 2. Day 1 of the festival included [[Odds (band)|The Odds]], [[The Watchmen (band)|The Watchmen]] and [[Rheostatics]]. Day 2 featured [[Radiohead]]'s first performance in Canada.

The 1994 edition of Edgefest also took place at the Ontario Place Forum and featured three international groups; [[The Proclaimers]], [[Toad the Wet Sprocket]], and [[The Lemonheads]]. This show was among the last events held at the Forum, which was torn down shortly after and replaced with the [[Molson Amphitheatre]].

===Molson Amphitheatre, return to Molson Park (1995–1996)===
Once the new Molson Amphitheatre was built, Molson offered it to Edgefest for three dates in 1995. The first was on the [[Victoria Day|May long weekend]], May 21, 1995. About 9,000 people came to see [[Blur (band)|Blur]] and [[Elastica]], during the height of [[Britpop]]. It was also an early major appearance for [[Our Lady Peace]], who recently had success in Canada with their hit singles "[[Starseed (song)|Starseed]]" and "[[Naveed (song)|Naveed]]". [[Ned's Atomic Dustbin]] also performed for the last time before breaking up. 20,000 people came for the annual Canada Day edition, which featured an all-Canadian lineup including The Odds, [[Treble Charger]], The Watchmen, [[hHead]], [[Junkhouse]] and [[Crash Vegas]]. The third Edgefest date of the year occurred on August 5 and had a smaller crowd. Most of the performers were Canadian, but a pre-fame [[Sugar Ray]] was also featured. This concert was billed as [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]]'s farewell performance.<ref name="BarclaySchneider2011">{{cite book|author1=Michael Barclay|author2=Jason Schneider|author3=Ian Jack|title=Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985–1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLIiOE_jCpAC&pg=PT606|date=June 1, 2011|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55490-968-1|pages=606–}}</ref> (The band re-formed not long after.)

The festival's tenth incarnation took place back at Molson Park on June 30, 1996. It was the first year in the festival's history that there wasn't a show held on Canada Day. The show was headlined by [[The Tea Party (band)|The Tea Party]] and sold out with 35,000 people attending the festival.<ref name="Edgefest1997">{{cite news|title=AND IN A RELATED STORY...MORE ABOUT THE EDGEFEST|url=http://www.chartattack.com/damn/042297.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511204349/http://www.chartattack.com/damn/042297.html|archive-date=May 11, 2008|date=April 22, 1997|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref>

===Cross-Canada tour (1997–1999)===
In 1997, it was announced that Edgefest 1997 would be held across Canada on an eight-city tour.<ref name="Edgefest1997"/> Beginning on June 28, the festival toured through Barrie, [[Montréal, Quebec]]; [[Ottawa, Ontario]]; [[Vancouver, British Columbia]]; [[Calgary, Alberta]]; [[Edmonton, Alberta]]; [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]; and concluded in [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]] on September 1, 1997. 25 bands performed during the tour, with [[Collective Soul]], [[I Mother Earth]], Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, [[Finger Eleven]], [[Glueleg]] and [[The Age of Electric]] performing at each show (though The Age of Electric missed the Ottawa show due to their gear arriving too late to the venue). 35,000 people attended the Barrie show.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fest is on the Edge|url=http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_280697.html|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020502002440/http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_280697.html|archive-date=May 2, 2002}}</ref> 13,000 attended the Montreal show.<ref name="Edgefestattendance">{{cite news|title=Edgefest in a Word: SCORCHING!|url=http://www.chartattack.com/damn/070297.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208100523/http://www.chartattack.com/damn/070297.html|archive-date=December 8, 2005|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref> 20,000 attended the Ottawa show.<ref name="Edgefestattendance"/> 23,000 attended the Calgary show.<ref>{{cite news|title=Livin' on the Edge|url=http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_cal.html|publisher=[[Calgary Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020111231133/http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_cal.html|archive-date=January 11, 2002}}</ref> An estimated 27,000 attended the Edmonton show.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rock on the edge|url=http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_290897.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020523092043/http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_290897.html|archive-date=May 23, 2002}}</ref> 18,000 attended the Winnipeg show.<ref>{{cite news|title=Going out with bang|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/winnipeg-free-press-sep-02-1997-p-11/|publisher=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]}}</ref>
[[File:Edgefest98-vancouver.jpg|thumb|1998 Edgefest in Vancouver, British Columbia.]]
The 1998 Edgefest tour was similar, with eight shows in eight cities. The lineups varied between the cities, but each show featured American bands [[Foo Fighters]], [[Green Day]], and [[Creed (band)|Creed]] and Canadian bands [[Econoline Crush]], [[The Killjoys (Canadian band)|The Killjoys]], [[Matthew Good Band]], Sloan, The Tea Party and The Watchmen. The Barrie show again sold out with 35,000 attendees.<ref>{{cite news|title=Living on the Edgefest|url=http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_010798.html|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020306023251/http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_010798.html|archive-date=March 6, 2002}}</ref> The Calgary show had an increase in attendance from the previous year with 27,000 attendees.<ref>{{cite news|title=Never a dull moment|url=http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_090798.html|publisher=[[Calgary Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020111224540/http://www.canoe.com/JamConcertsE2K/edgefest_090798.html|archive-date=January 11, 2002}}</ref> However, both Ottawa and Edmonton had a decline in attendees from the previous year.

The 1999 tour was headlined by [[Hole (band)|Hole]] and [[Moist (Canadian band)|Moist]]. Other performers on the tour included [[Big Wreck]], [[Gob (band)|Gob]], [[Len (band)|Len]], [[Rascalz]], [[Serial Joe]], [[Silverchair]] and [[Wide Mouth Mason]]. Because the July 1 show in Barrie sold out in less than a week, a second show was added in Barrie.<ref>{{cite news|title=EDGEFEST '99 ADDS A SECOND SHOW IN BARRIE!|url=http://www.chartattack.com/damn/1999/041999.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050908082008/http://www.chartattack.com/damn/1999/041999.html|archive-date=September 8, 2005|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref> While the first Barrie show had an attendance of 35,000, the rest of the shows on the tour had varied attendances between 13,000 and 20,000, with 134,058 attending that year's Edgefest tour in total.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Special Thank-you from Universal Concerts.|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991013103616/http://edgefest.net/main.cfm}}</ref>

===Final Molson Park shows (2000–2003)===
In 2000, Edgefest went back to having just one show on Canada Day at Molson Park. The show was headlined by Creed and also featured [[Filter (band)|Filter]], [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]], [[Headstones (band)|Headstones]] and [[Limblifter]] performing on the main stage. Bands playing the side stage that year included [[3 Doors Down]] and [[Nickelback]]. 35,000 people attended the year's show.

In 2001, Edgefest held the traditional Canada Day show at Molson Park, which was headlined by [[Tool (band)|Tool]]. Due to a late start, the band played a very short set, angering fans. Edgefest 2001 also featured the first appearance of [[Billy Talent]] at the festival. August of that year featured an Edgefest tour which was headlined by [[Blink 182]] and also featured [[New Found Glory]] and [[Sum 41]]. Locations of the tour included Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kittie Added To Vancouver Edgefest Date|url=http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2001/08/1402.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051204141938/http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2001/08/1402.cfm|archive-date=December 4, 2005|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref>

For the next sold out Edgefest in 2002, emergency crews were busy all day treating [[sunstroke]], [[heat exhaustion]], and [[dehydration]]. Musically, Nickelback moved up from the side stage to headliners; other bands included [[Cake (band)|Cake]] (who left the stage 20 minutes into their set after being pelted with bottles),<ref>{{cite news|title=Edgefest Main Stage: Too Much Drama|url=http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2002/07/0203.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321142057/http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2002/07/0203.cfm|archive-date=March 21, 2008|url-status=usurped|publisher=[[Chart Attack]]}}</ref> [[Thirty Seconds to Mars]], [[Default (band)|Default]], [[Simple Plan]] and [[Theory of a Deadman]]. There were also several Edgefest II dates across the country, including shows in [[Grand Bend]] and [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]].

In 2003, there was an outbreak of [[SARS coronavirus|SARS]] in Toronto. Bands were nervous to come play there, and insurance companies refused to underwrite tours, fearing lawsuits in case people became infected at a show. Edgefest '03 was delayed until the [[crisis]] passed and took place on September 6. The show was billed as "The Last Bash in Barrie" because of plans to relocate the festival to Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre the following year. The lineup for the festival included The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, Sloan, [[Stereophonics]], [[Thornley (band)|Thornley]] and [[Fefe Dobson]].

===Molson Amphitheatre (2004–2006)===
Edgefest 2004 at Molson Amphitheatre featured Finger Eleven and [[Good Charlotte]]; Billy Talent moved up from their previous Edgefest performance in 2002 to the main stage. Other bands featured included [[Alexisonfire]],  [[Jet (band)|Jet]], [[The Salads]] and [[Something Corporate]].

Edgefest 2005 was headlined by Billy Talent, and also included [[Coheed and Cambria]], [[Jakalope]] and [[Rise Against]]. That year for the first time there was a side stage designated for a record label, [[Underground Operations]], on which [[Bombs Over Providence]], [[Closet Monster (band)|Closet Monster]] and [[Hostage Life]], among others, played.

As 2006 was the twentieth year of Edgefest, two shows were scheduled. The first, billed as '''Edgefest I''', took place on July 1. Headliners Our Lady Peace brought fans on stage, encouraged them to use their cameras (use of which was always prohibited) and even allowed them to record an unreleased song, ''Kiss on the Mouth''. Singer [[Raine Maida]] asked for a fan's audio recorder and sang into it, as well as into the microphone, during that song. Other bands featured included [[Keane (band)|Keane]], [[Mobile (band)|Mobile]], [[Neverending White Lights]] and [[Hot Hot Heat]].

On July 16, '''Edgefest II''' took place. It had three stages – the main stage, the Edge Next Big Thing side stage, and the Bedlam Society/Dine Alone Stage, another record label-based stage. Bands performing at Edgefest II included [[Yellowcard]], [[The All-American Rejects]], [[Story of the Year]] and The Miniatures.

===Downsview Park (2008–2013)===
After there being no Edgefest in 2007, Edgefest returned on July 12, 2008. For the first time since the festival's beginning, the festival was not held at Molson Park nor the Ontario Place Forum/Molson Amphitheatre grounds. Instead, the festival was held at [[Downsview Park]]. The 2008 edition featured headlining band [[Linkin Park]] and also included [[Stone Temple Pilots]], [[Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter)|Sam Roberts]] and [[The Bravery]].

Edgefest 2009 was held on June 20 at Downsview Park. The festival organizers were working with a reduced budget, and the ticket prices were lowered.<ref name="Inc.2009">{{cite magazine|author=Mitchell Peters|title=Keeping the Beat|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wvih8wnKvXwC&pg=PA5|date=April 18, 2009|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=5–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> [[Billy Talent]] were the headliners. Other main stage acts included [[AFI (band)|AFI]], Alexisonfire, [[k-os]], [[The Stills]], [[Arkells]], and [[Metric (band)|Metric]].

In 2010, 102.1 The Edge opted to forgo a day-long festival for several concerts throughout the summer months called "The Edge Summer Concert Series".

Edgefest 2011 at Downsview Park featured [[Rise Against]], [[A Perfect Circle]] and [[The Weakerthans]]. Edgefest 2012 at Downsview Park featured Billy Talent, [[Death from above 1979]], [[Silversun Pickups]], [[The Sheepdogs]], [[Young the Giant]], and [[Mushy Callahan (band)|Mushy Callahan]]. Edgefest 2013 was headlined by [[The Lumineers]].

===Echo Beach (2014–2015)===
In 2014 and 2015, Edgefest was put on as a three-date concert series at [[Budweiser Stage#Echo Beach|Echo Beach]] in Toronto. There has not been an Edgefest concert in any of the following years, and the festival is presumed to be defunct. Alan Cross has stated that no suitable venue, the weak Canadian dollar, and too much competition from other festivals driving up band prices as reasons why Edgefest has been discontinued.

==Lineups by year==
{{Main|List of Edgefest Lineups}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Canada}}
*[[List of festivals in Canada]]
*[[Music of Canada]]
*[[Sunfest (Gimli, Manitoba)]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.edge.ca/edgefest Edgefest Website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19991001112938/http://www.edgefest.net/main.cfm.net Former Edgefest Website]
{{Parades and Festivals in Toronto}}
{{Anschutz}}

[[Category:1987 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Music festivals in Toronto]]
[[Category:Rock festivals in Canada]]
[[Category:Music festivals established in 1987]]
[[Category:Alternative rock festivals]]