Prince Edward County’s Hot New Cultural Destination Will Feature
Two Star-Studded Music Festivals, 14 Major Canadian Musical Acts,
The Commissary Food and Drink Venue, Pride Celebrations
and the Return of the Night Watch Illuminated Experience

Base31 is thrilled to announce its third summer season bringing over 14 major Canadian musicians to Prince Edward County, including two new dynamic festivals boasting major headlining acts alongside an exciting concert lineup in its historic Drill Hall venue. Since its launch in 2021, Base31 has become a major cultural and music destination in Prince Edward County and Ontario, hosting an array of top Canadian artists. The 70-acre site continues to be an anchor for the local community and tourist groups this June with the opening of The Commissary — a groundbreaking food and drink venue, showcasing a vibrant open-air container market and an outdoor stage with a music-infused vibe. Tickets are on sale now at base31.ca 

FESTIVALS

The 1,500-capacity Drill Hall plays host to two star-studded festivals in 2024. The PRETTY EXCELLENT COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL happens June 28 – 29 and features headliners THE REKLAWS on Saturday and HIGH VALLEY on Friday. This two-day music festival will also feature GOLDEN COUNTRY CLASSICS on Friday and NICKOLA MAGNOLIA on Saturday performing on The Commissary stage, Base31’s food and drink market with a capacity of 500-people.

The ROCK THE COUNTY MUSIC FESTIVAL happens August 23 – 24 and features headliners THE GLORIOUS SONS on Saturday and THE TREWS / MATT MAYS on Friday. The Commissary stage will round out the festival and showcase OMBIIGIZI with ZOON on Friday and KASADOR with KOJAK on Saturday.

DRILL HALL CONCERTS

The Drill Hall venue will showcase nine additional concerts featuring incredible Canadian talent performing in a variety of genres to appeal to all music lovers, including Indie rock groups TOKYO POLICE CLUB and HALF MOON RUN, legacy acts TROOPER & HONEYMOON SUITE and TOM COCHRANE, award-winning Canadian musician, BAHAMAS, alternative aficionados MATTHEW GOOD AND HIS BAND and THE STRUMBELLAS, and recent 2024 JUNO Award-winner for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, TALK.  

Base31 is thrilled to continue its partnership with BIGLAKE to co-present ART OF TIME ENSEMBLE’S SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. Art of Time brings together four Canadian pop icons along with top talent from the pop, jazz, and classical worlds to reimagine The Beatles’ iconic 1967 album in its entirety, featuring: STEVEN PAGE, CHRIS MURPHY, ANDY MAIZE and JEREMY FISHER.

The Drill Hall Concert Lineup 

  • TOKYO POLICE CLUB: THE FAREWELL TOUR — Saturday, June 15
  • MATTHEW GOOD AND HIS BAND — Saturday, June 22
  • PRETTY EXCELLENT COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL: THE REKLAWS AND HIGH VALLEY — Friday, June 28 – Saturday, June 29
  • BAHAMAS — Saturday, July 6
  • THE STRUMBELLAS — Saturday, July 13
  • ART OF TIME ENSEMBLE’S SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND — Wednesday, July 24, presented by Base31 x BIGLAKE
  • HALF MOON RUN — Saturday, July 27
  • TOM COCHRANE — Saturday, August 3
  • TALK — Saturday, August 10
  • ROCK THE COUNTY MUSIC FESTIVAL: THE GLORIOUS SONS AND THE TREWS / MATT MAYS — Friday, August 23 – Saturday, August 24
  • TROOPER + HONEYMOON SUITE — Saturday, August 31

THE RETURN OF NIGHT WATCH

On top of a star-studded music season, NIGHT WATCH returns for its second season with an illuminated after dark adventure. Created in partnership with The Department of Illumination, this multi-sensory experience will be a main attraction for the nightlife social scene in The County from June to November. Night Watch brings groups together under the night sky to experience 10 illuminated art installations and a central bar, including favourites from last year and brand new features. Grab a drink while you explore, linger as long as you like at each exhibit, and connect with the magic. 

INTRODUCING: THE COMMISSARY FOOD + DRINK MARKET

Visitors to the site can also experience Prince Edward County’s latest culinary haven: THE COMMISSARY, Base31’s vibrant 500-person capacity open-air food and drink market and go-to spot for breakfast eats, après beach cocktails and dinner, and late night post-concert drinks and snacks. The Commissary features five shipping container kitchens with otherworldly menus, The Commissary Bar & Cafe, and plenty of seating — all set within a music-infused vibe. 

Chefs

More than a culinary hub, The Commissary is a nurturing ground for burgeoning talent; welcoming five innovative chefs, entrepreneurs, and food and beverage aficionados to create and share their creativity. Set to open in June 2024, The Commissary offers a range of cuisine available from breakfast to late night. Vendors are Aravind Selvaraj of ARVY’S STREET EATS, serving Indian fusion options like birria tacos and chana daal curry hummus; Sarah Harrison of CRESSY MUSTARD CO. serving County-inspired items including lightly battered pickerel and chips, seasonal salads and drool-worthy truffle fries; Kristina Stanicova of PINCHED offering Slovak and Eastern European/Hungarian cuisine options like pierogi and schnitzel; Lynda McCormack and Joe Strazzeri of LA BARRACA with their Italian/Sicilian dishes like their chicken parmigiana on a bun, daily gluten free pasta options and a signature Sicilian salad; and James Morgan of SMOKING J’S BBQ brings smoked meat inspired by Texan cuisine including sliced, smoked brisket, pork side ribs and the Texas Twinkie. 

Music

Visitors to The Commissary can relax to live music during the Après Beach hours of 4 – 7PM featuring live music programmed by JUNO Award-winning singer/songwriter JUSTIN RUTLEDGE. While the full list of summer performers for The Commissary will be released later in May, a sneak peak of the Après Beach programming will see a unique set of performers, including:

  • Faux-Hawaiian and Western Swing ensemble THE HULAGOONS play beachside arrangements from the golden era including Bing Crosby, Elvis, Ernest Tubb and others
  • Best known for his role as co-founding member of Broken Social Scene, BRENDAN CANNING takes his turntables for a spin in The Commissary
  • Newly-formed Prince Edward County supergroup SECRET BEACH, consisting of Justin Rutledge, Annelise Noronha, Jeremy Kelly, Ben Vandergaast, Kevin Howley, and Jim Hardy perform your favourite covers into the golden hour
  • CURRENT FANTASY, the brainchild of Jeff Heisholt, brings a unique electronic vibe using modular synthesizers, intricate rhythms and textures to the stage
  • County local Kim Lavender, or better known as DJ K-LAV, showcases her genre-bending sets to get people moving
  • CHRIS COOLE mixes his unique original material with songs as old as the hills, played on banjo and guitar
  • Joan Smith and Tom Juhas of GENERATOR PARTY – UNPLUGGED perform everyone’s favourite teen angst 90s and early 2000s hits from Radiohead, Nirvana, No Doubt and more
  • Prince Edward County’s own DONNY TAIT presents his Blues renditions and masterful slide-guitar antics

PRIDE WEEKEND

Pride weekend at Base31 kicks off on Thursday, June 6 with GAY AF COMEDY NIGHT, hosted by award-winning playwright and performer ROBERT WATSON in The Pilot’s Lounge. Two-spirit Indigenous artist SHAWNEE KISH performs in the Sergeants Mess Hall on Friday, June 7. On Saturday, June 8 afternoon legendary queer band RANDOM ORDER performs in The Commissary and agent provocateur singer/songwriter, CAROLE POPE takes over the Sergeants Mess Hall in the evening. THE 555 X BASE31 ANNUAL PRIDE PARTY closes out the weekend on Sunday, June 9. Joining event hosts, NAT + MATT, are local County queen ETHAN, LUCY FLAWLESS, HEAVEN-LEE HYTES and PERLA. Drinks will be served by local producers, Stock & Row and Wildlot, and DJ Ombudsman will be spinning beats. Base31 is proud to be a part of the Loud & Proud In The County, a collective of queer-owned and allied arts & entertainment businesses who have created programming to celebrate Pride in Prince Edward County during the month of June 2024. 

ADDITIONAL EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES

The 178-seat Sergeants Mess Hall continues its year-round programming with already-announced shows featuring: VALDY, RAOUL AND THE BIG TIME, AMANDA MARTINEZ, MAKE ME FEEL: A CAROLE KING SONGBOOK, BARBRA SINGS BACHARACH, RON SEXSMITH and ISKWĒ. Additional performers to the Sergeants Mess Hall will be announced next week. 

Visitors to Base31 can continue to explore the site by bike or golf cart rentals, take in the many events and art shows by businesses like Melt Gallery, Maison Depoivre and  Escape Camp Picton, and take in a guided or self-guided tour to learn more about the site’s unique history. 

For more information visit www.base31.ca.