Paris Drinks Fest worth the fight
- 46 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Casandra Turnbull
Managing Editor
After months spent fighting to keep Paris Drinks Fest in Paris, organizers finally got the moment they had been working toward when the gates opened Friday - and nearly 4,000 festivalgoers followed over the course of the weekend.
The seventh annual Paris Drinks Fest wrapped up Saturday following two days of live Canadian music, food and drinks on the grounds beside the Syl Apps Community Centre.
For Tim Des Islets and the Noisemaker team, the successful weekend carried a little more weight this year.
“We all breathed a sigh of relief when the gates opened on Friday because the process has been such a difficult journey for the team and I,” Des Islets told the Paris Independent.
That journey began months earlier after the festival's future at Syl Apps was thrown into question over noise concerns from previous events. County of Brant council initially denied the required noise exemption before reversing that decision in January, allowing Drinks Fest to return to the site for one more year.
Organizers subsequently agreed to changes that included ending amplified music earlier each night and continuing to monitor sound levels during the festival.
After spending considerable time at council meetings advocating for the festival, Des Islets said watching it finally come together was rewarding.
“I never expected I would spend this much time at Council meetings but I will always defend the need for communities like Paris and the County of Brant to welcome and support cultural events that bring people together to celebrate local drinks, food, and music!”
The weather also co-operated for the Aug. 14 and 15 festival, something Des Islets said organizers were particularly grateful for following a challenging season for outdoor events.
“There was a magic in the air as soon as the gates opened on Friday,” he said.
Almost 4,000 people attended over the two days, while 40 Ontario breweries, wineries, distilleries, restaurants and food trucks participated.
On stage, the festival delivered a lineup headlined by July Talk on Friday and The Strumbellas on Saturday — two acts Des Islets said festivalgoers had been asking organizers to book for years.
The weekend also featured Loviet, Thunder Queens and Gizmo on Friday, followed Saturday by Born In The Eighties, Tanika Charles, Glimmerjean & Goode and Absolute Treat.
Des Islets said the performances were among his highlights, from teenage London rockers Thunder Queens to returning festival favourite Born In The Eighties, making its third appearance at Drinks Fest.
But some of his favourite moments happened away from the stage.
Des Islets said attendees approached him throughout the weekend to share memories of previous festivals, explain why they signed petitions supporting the event and talk about why they believe events like Drinks Fest are important to the region.
For organizers, that community response has become one of the most meaningful parts of watching the festival grow.
“The fact that the community rose up to support this event and helped to encourage Council to approve our permits so we could proceed with our seventh annual event was the most rewarding feeling we could ask for,” Des Islets said. “It reminded us how much people enjoy this event and why it’s important to them.”
He said Drinks Fest has become part of the summer calendar for many attendees and even some of its neighbours.
“There are a few neighbours beside Syl Apps Community Centre who have a party every Paris Drinks Fest weekend,” he said. “They have friends over, their kids have fun, they play amazing music while we build the festival, and on Friday and Saturday they have a lineup of Canadian music in their backyard.”
Producing the weekend requires plenty of work behind the scenes. Noisemaker has a core team of eight people working throughout the year on the festival, supported during the event by about 20 volunteers and support staff.
Another roughly 60 people work in security, emergency medical services, production and as paid off-duty OPP officers.
With the 2026 festival now complete, attention is already turning toward 2027, including the unresolved question of where the eighth annual Drinks Fest will take place.Des Islets said organizers would like to remain at Syl Apps and want the surrounding neighbourhood involved in planning for another festival there.
The festival originally moved to Syl Apps after flooding affected its former location at Lions Park. Des Islets said organizers explored numerous public parks throughout the County before settling on the current site.
He said Syl Apps remains the only location they have identified that offers accessibility options, is centrally located, allows attendees to walk, bike or carpool and meets County safety requirements for an event of its size.
“We would love to be able to continue presenting Paris Drinks Fest at Syl Apps and we want to make sure the neighbourhood is part of that planning process,” he said.
“Until new options become available we hope Paris Drinks Fest can remain at Syl Apps.”
And while the venue question remains, one thing appears certain: planning for the next Drinks Fest has already started.
“Our team always starts planning the next year’s festival while we’re working on the current event,” Des Islets said. “It’s too much fun talking about artists we want to bring to Paris and new experiences we can bring to the event.”
After the uncertainty surrounding this year's festival, however, Des Islets said its biggest success was much simpler.
“There were so many highlights but the biggest one is Paris Drinks Fest was able to stay in Paris!”
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