The Pictou Lobster Carnival began in 1934 as a local celebration which brought together fishermen and the community to celebrate the safe and successful end of the lobster fishing season on the Northumberland Strait. To celebrate the significant milestone of 90 years of the carnival, many new and traditional events will be held July 5th to July 7th, 2024.
“In terms of the musical entertainment we are bringing back the same approach as we had in 2023 with the early bird and advance tickets for Beer Garden with the same promise as last year: Anyone with one of these advance sale Beer Garden weekend passes will be guaranteed access to the Beer Garden with their pass for all three days,” shared Chair and Entertainment Lead Glen Jackson.
The Town of Pictou along with other local organizations, including the Pictou Lobster Carnival, have been working on a plan to bring back the waterfront site in a similar way to what was done for the Pictou 2023 celebrations last summer.
“One of the first features of that site will again be the Pictou Lobster Carnival, but the entire summer will be another great one for our community,” shared Michelle Young, Community Development Officer for the Town of Pictou. Adding, “The water front venue will return and be filled with entertainment and vendors that will once again attract many visitors to our town.”
The 2024 Lobster Carnival will feature four headliners to kick off festivities at the waterfront in a big way and includes Matt Mays, The Blue Stones, Hello Darlins, and Rum Ragged.
Since departing seminal alt-country collective The Guthries in 2002, Matt Mays has alternated between solo projects (his self-titled debut, the film soundtrack ...When the Angels Make Contact) and band projects (the eponymous Matt Mays & El Torpedo record and 2008’s Terminal Romance). Following the dissolution of Matt Mays & El Torpedo in 2009, Mays released Coyote in 2012 to much acclaim, including a JUNO Award win for Rock Album of the Year.
“We are so excited to bring Matt Mays and his band to Pictou, it’s been something we’ve been hoping to make happen the last few years and this year everything aligned,” shared Jackson.
In 2017 Mays released Once Upon a Hell of a Time… to be followed a year later by the album’s ‘woody’ companion Twice Upon a Hell of a Time…. As the pandemic shut down touring in early 2020, Mays set up a studio in his garage and produced Dog City, an inspiring album written from the perspective of a rescue dog. In early 2021, From Burnside With Love, a live album showcasing unplugged versions of his most popular songs, was released along with a concert film of the same name.
Saturday’s headliner will be the stellar up and coming Canadian blues rock band, The Blue Stones. Since bursting onto the scene with their acclaimed debut album Black Holes, The Blue Stones have delivered a crowd-thrilling live show that defies the laws of physics, generating an impossibly massive sound from its two members alone. On their third album, 2024 JUNO nominated ‘Rock Album of the Year’ Pretty Monster, the duo fully capture the controlled chaos and combustible energy of their live set for the very first time—all while expanding on the potent songwriting and sonic ingenuity shown on Black Holes (a 2018 release that earned them a JUNO Award nomination for ‘Breakthrough Group of the Year’), its 2021 follow-up Hidden Gems (a JUNO nominee for ‘Rock Album of the Year’).
Despite the colossal growth they’ve experienced since getting their start playing dive bars in their small hometown, The Blue Stones instill every track with equal parts unchecked passion and a joyfully adventurous spirit.
“I know this band may not yet be familiar to everyone in Pictou County yet, or may have only been known by their touring with The Glorious Sons last year, but The Blue Stones are a perfect fit for Carny Saturday night of great music with friends and family!” Jackson added, “They are also playing Osheaga in Montreal in 2024 and are on the rise big-time. People will look back at this weekend in the future and be glad they saw them in Pictou!”
On Sunday July 7th the Beer Garden & Main Stage will feature the Hello Darlins. Making a name as the biggest breakthrough artist on the international Americana scene with their debut album Go By Feel, Canadian folk/country/roots collective, The Hello Darlins have returned with an even more ambitious collection of material for 2024 – a double album titled The Alders & The Ashes.
Led by Romani-Canadian musician, Candace Lacina and world-renowned keyboardist Mike Little, The Hello Darlins and the band joined with their friend Matt Andersen for a 36-date, cross-Canada tour in 2023 that marked their formal introduction to audiences in their home country. Playing sold out shows in revered venues such as Massey Hall (Toronto) to the National Arts Centre (Ottawa) the band proved they were truly ready for big stages by delivering a tight, uplifting show that highlighted the musical skills of each member.
“As has become the approach the last number of years, Sunday will feature a second headliner in the ever popular Newfoundland band, Rum Ragged!” said Jackson.
Formed by Aaron Collis and Mark Manning, Rum Ragged takes a bold approach to the distinct folk music of their home, the Eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland. Boasting bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, guitar and button accordion, these new champions of East Coast music enliven and enlighten audiences with both songs and tune sets which they deliver with an honest swagger and reverence for their roots with a creative, contemporary edge, Rum Ragged have quickly become known as the finest purveyors of their great living musical tradition.
“Our Pictou Lobster Carnival Beer Garden & Main Stage continues to be one of the best musical entertainment values in Nova Scotia with over a dozen acts for less than any other large lineups in our
region, and we can’t wait to share the entire entertainment lineup with everyone very soon, “ added Jackson.