Beat the Winter Blues with Festival City Big Band at Avondale United Church concert
- Emily Stewart
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Whether you’re tapping your toes to the music or dancing along to a variety of Big Band tunes, the upcoming Beat the Winter Blues concert will give you a break from the bitter cold and a chance to warm up with local talent.
The Festival City Big Band will perform their second annual Beat the Winter Blues concert at Avondale United Church on Jan. 31 starting at 7:30 p.m. The 17-piece band first performed at the church in January 2025 with attendees eager to see the band perform again and those absent wishing they were at the show.
"It's a wonderful way to get through the long cold winter in Stratford, is to have something like this. A really, really affordable, happy, uplifting kind of entertainment,” said Paul Harris, member of the Avondale Music Series Team.
Karen Brown, another member of the Avondale Music Series Team, said that there will be a dancefloor at the concert for anyone looking to dance the night away.
"Some people like to just sit back and listen, that's fine, tap their toes, but a lot of people like to dance and they get up. We've got a dance floor set up and they can dance their big band dances and it's a lovely event,” Brown said. “Some of the dancers are the same ones that dance in front of the stage in the summer time when they're playing at Queens Park. They didn't want to wait until summer, they wanted to do it now in the middle of the winter."
The Festival City Big Band has been a Stratford staple in the local entertainment circuit for more than 30 years. The band will play classic Big Band tunes, contemporary music and Big Band songs from other countries around the world.
The performance will feature the vocal talents of Avondale’s own Cathy Whelan and Chris Adair. Snacks will be served at intermission.
Proceeds from the concert will support Avondale’s ministries, including their food shelf program and efforts to support local organizations like the Emily Murphy Centre and the Stratford Connections Centre.
"Any money we get from something like this, it expands our ability to support the good work that people are doing when they're having a rough time,” Harris said.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and free for children 12 years old and under. To purchase tickets prior to the Beat the Winter Blues concert, either call Avondale’s office at 519-271-7946 or visit online via https://ticketscene.ca/events/57248.