Edgefest

Edgefest
Formed in 1987 as a thank-you gesture to the listeners of Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday, and the coinciding Canada Day, Edgefest is a yearly outdoor rock concert festival that primarily promotes Canadian rock music. Although it was meant to be a one-time event, after seeing the success of the first show, organizers were already planning the next year's event.

The longest running show in Canada, Edgefest has spanned twenty years, over three-hundred bands, over five hundred thousand attendees, and 4 locations (Park Place (formerly Molson Park) in Barrie, Ontario, the Ontario Place Forum, the Molson Amphitheatre, and most recently Downsview Park). At the time that the idea was being conceptualized, it was regarded as a giant financial risk due to participation non superstar groups. According to Alan Cross, the current Program Director at CFNY, "We were a little stupid okay, a lot stupid and maybe just a little arrogant, so we insisted on going ahead with it".

A lineup was easily formed, which included Blue Rodeo, The Pursuit of Happiness, Teenage Head, and the first foreign act, The Saints. However, the same luck did not prevail in finding a location to throw a large outdoor festival. Molson Park in Barrie was finally agreed upon, and although it was a relatively unknown location, and organizers worried that no one would want to drive from Toronto to Barrie (approximately 90 km [55 mi]), there was no other choice, and by selling tickets through Pizza Pizza locations for just $1.02 per ticket, 25,000 people arrived for the inaugural Edgefest, Wednesday, July 1, 1987. The first event included the first of many appearances by 54-40, as well as three foreign acts.

During the period of 1989 and 1990, CFNY underwent a management change, whose policies did not settle well with the listening audience or the staff. Hence even though the event went on glitch free and with full attendance, lots of people came to complain only.

According to Alan Cross, "We had survived a horrible transition, which explained why the [1991] gig at Molson Park in Barrie on Monday, July 1 felt extra special". By the next year, in 1991, ownership had reverted back again, and the show was stabilized. In 1993, they were evicted from Molson Park, and took the show back to the old Ontario Place Forum. 1993 was the first time the festival was called "Edgefest", a name that's stuck with the festival since; it was also the first year to have more than one day of concerts, taking place on July 1 and 2. Once the new Molson Amphitheatre was built, Molson was happy to show it off, and offered it to Edgefest for three dates in summer 1995.