City Hall Giving Kempenfest A Break on Permit Fee

World-Famous Festival Paying Less To Account for Lack of Space

The showrunners behind Kempenfest are getting a bit of a break this year. Thanks to construction at Centennial Park, the annual waterfront festival suffered a $50,000 loss, and the park is expected to still be under construction when Kempenfest rolls into town this year. This is expected to not only greatly reduce the number of vendors and sponsors, but visitors too. Considering the event represents an economic impact of over $8 million for Barrie, City Hall Monday night voted to waive half of Kempenfest’s Special Events Permit fee. The festival will pay just just under $4,900 this year, for an event that runs from August 5 to the 7th.