Crowds flock to downtown Chatham to check out classic cars at Retro Fest. May 27, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). Crowds flock to downtown Chatham to check out classic cars at Retro Fest. May 27, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).
Chatham

18th Annual RetroFest Coming Up This Weekend

There will be no shortage of entertainment at RetroFest this weekend.

The event will be held in downtown Chatham on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the classic car cruise lines up at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre at 4pm and takes off from the parking lot at 6pm. There will also be vendors set up at Tecumseh Park from 3pm until dusk. Activities will run from 3pm-6pm. The beverage garden and music on stage will end at 11pm.

On Saturday, the car registration will run from 8am-11am. Awards for the car show will begin at 4pm. Festivities start at Tecumseh Park at 10am, with the vendors and activities wrapping up at 5pm. The beverage garden and music will continue until 11pm.

Chris Glassford, beverage and entertainment director for RetroFest, says there's plenty of music to enjoy at the event.

"Friday night we have the Rock of Ages tribute band to Def Leppard with a bunch of local entertainment opening up for them," says Glassford. "Then on the Saturday, it's the Fanatically Hip, a tribute to the Tragically Hip. We also have a band called Twin Fin, they do a swing/rock kind of vibe."

The full music lineup can be found online.

Glassford says roughly 25,000 - 30,000 people come to RetroFest every year. He says all ages are welcome at the events.

"As always, we're doing a family-friendly beverage garden. We have the car show on Saturday and the cruise on Friday," he says. "Then there's entertainment and activities in the park, including a life-sized Pac-Man maze."

Glassford says there are lots of vendors and booths to check out too.

"There's going to be a wide variety of vendors in the park that sell many different things. You also have lemonade and different fun foods," he says.

Glassford encourages everyone to check out the event. He says it's "retro fun for the whole family."

For a full list of activities and event details, visit the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA's website.

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