The 42nd annual festival runs Oct. 16–18 in Bala, Ontario, combining cranberry-inspired food and artisan markets with live music, hands-on crafts and family attractions.
The 42nd Bala Cranberry Festival runs from Oct. 16 to 18 in Bala, a Muskoka community in Ontario. Its programme combines a market of local makers with food, entertainment and activities tied to the autumn cranberry harvest.
Saturday's schedule includes vendor markets, an outdoor art exhibition, live music, buskers, a trackless train and hands-on cranberry crafting. The festival also lists exhibits from Scales Nature Park and Science North.
Food stands around the event and in the village offer cranberry crêpes, cider, peameal on a bun, chili and local sausage. The mix of vendors and nearby businesses makes the weekend as much a food outing as a craft fair.
Families can visit the activity zones and follow the festival's schedule through the afternoon; a duck race at Bala Falls is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday. Other village businesses are running their own food and community events alongside the main grounds.
The organisers have added a Cranberry Queen contest, with decorated creations displayed around Bala and judges set to announce their choice on Sunday at noon. The festival has run since 1984 and says its mission includes extending the tourist season and supporting community groups and individuals.