New Brunswick’s Harvey Station is about to get a little added entertainment this summer with the addition of a full blown music festival. FreedomFest In The Field will be bringing 50+ bands to the their three day event alongside Harvey Lake.

This isn’t the first iteration of the festival. Five years ago there was FreedomFest At The Farm, held on a former Christmas tree farm in Basswood Ridge, New Brunswick.

“The first year that we did it, we were throwing it on this land that belonged to this couple, and that couple was amazing,” says festival organizer Sarah McAdam, “They were people that I had never met before, but five months before this festival said, ‘Yeah, you can totally throw a five hundred person festival on my lawn. No big deal.’ Unfortunately, right after the festival the land was divided, and it meant that the festival could never happen again there. I had originally thought it would be a moving festival anyway – never at the same location twice, but I kind of want to keep in Harvey now that I’ve found paradise. I love Harvey.”

That five year gap between FreedomFest At The Farm and FreedomFest In The Field wasn’t for a lack of success, or even interest. The music scene in New Brunswick was thriving, and McAdam felt it didn’t need the support of another festival.

“I had already done it, and it didn’t seem I needed to do it again. There was no call-to-arms. There was no reason to do it. There’s Folly Fest, look at how spectacular they are. They don’t need me to throw a festival. There’s Evolve if people want to go away and throw an even bigger party. At the time I had felt a lacking after Sunseeker ended. Now Folly Fest is well established, and doing their thing, and it’s all that I could ever dream of. I don’t need to do that festival because they’re doing it.”

Instead, McAdam is taking the opportunity to throw a festival for the sake of a few charities. With companies likes Westphalia Bakery providing the land, and support from Railcar Brewing, the festival is giving most of their profits to charities like Harvey-based Christmas Mommies, and Veterans For Healing, not to mention the added draw for Harvey Community Days.

“I’m not throwing this festival now because the scene needs this festival, and someone needs to do something for the music. Music in New Brunswick is spectacular right now. But how many people do you know that are raising money for charities? Its pretty egotistical of me to think that anybody needs me to throw a festival at all, but I do think Harvey could use a boost;”

The festival have released an initial line-up but say there might be a few more surprises to come: Internal Night, Richie Young and the Crossroad Devils, Linsay Morgan, Greg Perry Band, Tokyo Valentine, Electromagnetic Blues Band, The Chris Mercer Band, Bustin, John the Resonator, Moment of Inertia, Civil Defence, Keith Doom and the Wrecking Crew, Assmatic,  Mr. Hyde, Jason Tidd, Obscure Illusions, Threesheet, Lionsault, Belligerent Engage the Threat, Hitman Kavara, Green Lung Grinders, Hero’s Last Rite, MAZK, Blueberry Dropz, Wangled Teb, LOLA, Brandon Kingston & Stuie MacEachern, Montgomery St Band, Ultra Magnus & DJ Hashtag, This Tin Can Bandits, Jinx The Cat, Slowcoaster, Brian Talbot Soundsystem, Brittany McQuinn, Panda Bee Catastrophe, CoolTrainerCody, ADN Acadien,
A Lucid Nightmare, Tactus, Neighborhood Watch, Cyphier, and Blueberry Dropz.

The festival goes from August 11th-13th.

FreedomFest In The Field: WEB | FACEBOOK | TICKETS

Or you can check out some of the performing bands below: