UPDATE | Fort Erie postpones its first-ever bandshell concert
June 16, 2026 at 3:36 AM
UPDATE | June 18, 2026 @ 9:52 a.m.: Due to concerns over rain, wind and electrical equipment, the Town of Fort Erie announced on social media this morning it will be postponing its first-ever bandshell concert to Wednesday, June 24, at the same time.
ORIGINAL STORY | June 16, 2026 @ 3:36 a.m.: Fort Erie will open its first-ever bandshell this Thursday, June 18, with a free outdoor concert at Sugarbowl Park from performers who have shared the stage with Justin Bieber, Usher and Brandy.
The $275,000 stage at 100 Gilmore Road finishes a plan that residents first imagined back in the 1990s, and the Town now wants to hand the space over to local groups and artists who can book it through the municipal rental process.
The grand opening runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and features Omar “OH” Lunan, Mike Ferfolia and the Recipee Band, with food trucks on site, and the Town hopes about 200 people show up.
Edward Terry, the Town’s manager of policy and community planning, secured the performers himself through personal connections built over years working with the Recipee Band in other parts of Ontario.
Construction of a new bandshell at Sugarbowl Park was largely funded through generous donors, including $55,000 from the Fort Erie Lions Club. Credit: Brent Jones | Fort Erie RadioUntil now, Fort Erie has never had a permanent outdoor stage. Sugarbowl Park already offered parking, washrooms and plenty of open lawn, but nothing stood over that lawn to shelter performers or anchor a concert, so the bandshell fills a gap the town has lived with for decades.
The money came from several local sources. The Fort Erie Lions Club gave $55,000 toward the structure itself, the Fort Erie Underwater Recovery Unit added $20,000, and Niagara Region contributed a $70,000 grant aimed at improving the walking and cycling paths along Gilmore Road and the connections leading into the park.
For the Lions, the gift closes a loop that opened a generation ago. When Sugarbowl Park was first being developed in the 1990s, the club donated roughly $300,000, and even back then the plans called for a bandshell or pavilion that never got built.
Fort Erie Radio spoke to Keith Rothney, president of the Fort Erie Lions Club, who said, “In many ways, this $50,000 donation feels like we are finally completing something we set out to do decades ago.”
Kristina Clint, the town’s manager of recreation and facilities, told Fort Erie Radio the goal is to keep the venue open for local organizations, cultural groups and residents rather than running events itself.
Anyone who wants to use the stage will submit a booking request through the town’s established facility rental process, the same way they would reserve any other municipal space.
The bandshell joins a new splash pad and playground already added to Sugarbowl Park.
The first community concert after the opening brings the local band Westwind to the stage on Friday, July 10.
Hospital auxiliary ‘optimistic’ about Tree of Lights Campaign despite planned closure
Street art competition coming to Bridgeburg this August
Fort Foodie Fest offers its ‘second serving’ after success last year
About The Author
Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
Stay Informed