'A lot of places do fill up': Residents asked to open homes to festival-goers

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A summer blues festival that’s grown in popularity over the years is asking residents of the Chaleur region to open up their homes to out-of-town visitors to help broaden limited accommodations.

“We’ve always said that we can’t go too big because we’re going to run out of accommodations, we’re going to run out of restaurants and stuff like that,” director Mereille Roy said.

She took to social media April 10, asking people to consider renting out a room, cottage or making their yard available for camping as a way to offer more accommodations. She said three people offered up spots – including a room to rent, a home to rent, and a spot to park an RV – by the following day.

Roy works at the Motel Acadien in Petit-Rocher and said hotel space in Petit-Rocher, as well as those along the festival’s shuttle route is very limited on festival weekend.

“I know a lot of places do fill up pretty quick,” she said.

The shuttle, operated by local business The Board Whale, which started last year, runs from Belledune to Bathurst to offer people a safe mode of transportation to and from the site.

Others festival-goers, she said, want to set up a camper or tent somewhere in the village so they’re able to walk to and from all of the main shows.

Festivals across the country, especially those held in smaller communities, have different “tricks” they use to accommodate more people, Roy said, which got her thinking about ways Blues d’la Baie could expand going into its nineth edition July 25-28.

Roy thought back to the Canada Games that were held in Bathurst, which saw residents successfully open up their homes to guests travelling to the region for the event.

She said 2023 was a milestone year for the festival, which was put on a Canadian map of blues festivals for the first time, and are now promoted by blues societies in major cities across the country. She said Radio Canada broadcasting the festival across the country also increased the festival popularity.

“It made a big, big difference for us,” she said, expecting the festival attendance will grow once again this year.

Last year, Roy said festival-goers travelled from everywhere from the the United States, across the Maritimes, with many from Nova Scotia and Fredericton, areas in Quebec including the Gaspesie and Gatineau, and even Ottawa.

“It’s getting pretty fun.”

She hopes more people will open up their homes to those coming to town.

“It’s kind of fun to have new people coming to your place and discover new friends,” she said.

Anyone looking to open up accommodations can reach out through festival website at bluesdlabaie.com or by sending a message to the festival Facebook page.