Festival experience, local history sites and rural charm attract return tourism

Started as a one-day fundraiser in 2005, the Gateway Festival has grown into a two-day celebration of music bringing in more artists, tourists and business to the town’s shops and restaurants. For the town of Bengough this has meant rising tourism and a sense of community pride.

The Festival, held the fourth weekend every July, is known for big name bands, such as Steve Earle and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It also places importance on supporting local Saskatchewan talent, such as Jess Moskaluke, Tenille Arts, and the Northern Pikes. In addition to music, there are artisans, pancake breakfasts, a car show, children’s activities and lots of food choices. Festival attendees can also take the opportunity to explore the Bengough & District Museum, shop on Main Street, and make a trip to the Big Muddy badlands to learn about the area’s unique history.

With so much to do, the town’s population quadruples around this festival and its cultural draw. Organizers say there is often four times as many people camping at the Festival than the number who actually live in Bengough. This past year, over 1,500 people attended.

“We now see hundreds of campers start to arrive on Wednesday to spend a couple of days on site before the music starts on Friday night,” says Michael Dawson, artistic director, Gateway Festival. “We present close to 25 artists each year now. Although the Festival remains a community fundraiser, I feel it also fills an important cultural space in the province.”

He adds, “We see a lot of folks make it an annual event. I would estimate that 75 per cent of our audience attends year over year. They come from across the province, but we commonly see people from AB, MB, BC, ON, and Montana.”

After 18 years, Dawson says, the importance of the Festival is still in the way “It builds a sense of pride and togetherness,” he notes. “The Festival brings together a huge group through volunteerism, which includes the local arts council that coordinates the event. Everyone works together toward a shared goal.”

Delee Foley, volunteer, Bengough Municipal Arts Council, says making sure the event is family-friendly was one of the priorities in establishing the event as a destination festival, as well as leaning into the small town charm and encouraging people to experience the local history. “Children under 12 attend for free and much of our programming reaches young audiences,” she says. “In addition to always having a significant portion of our festival site open to all-ages, we also offer children’s programming and entertainment. Folks are encouraged to take in all the area has to offer.”

Besides tourism and community pride, the Festival supports community in many other ways. For example, proceeds from the Festival have contributed to new playground equipment and a new firetruck for the town, as well as economic benefits. Foley says “We know that the Festival brings an influx of revenue for the local parks board through camping and the swimming pool.

“We also see local small businesses flourish all weekend,” she adds. “And, there is a spillover to surrounding communities as well.”

In order to create more experiences for attendees during the Festival, recent tourism partnerships have formed with the nearby golf courses and other tour groups, says Dawson. The aim is to continue to draw people back from outside the region to continue to build the Festival community, “through building relationships and making our destination a way of discovering new things about our community.”

The Gateway Festival receives annual funding from SaskFestivals, administered by SK Arts, with funding from the Sask Lotteries Trust Fund.