Min Smale is the chair of the Privateer Days committee. (Rick Conrad)

It’s the celebration that kicks off summer in Liverpool with a bang.

And the organizers of this year’s Privateer Days festival hope it’s bigger and better than ever.

Min Smale is the chair of the Privateer Days committee. This is her fourth year with the event.

“We’ve tripled our sponsor dollars over last year and it’s enabled us to do a lot more than we did last year. We keep posting new things and we keep getting great feedback,” Smale said in a recent interview.

“I think everybody is going to be thoroughly excited and have a great time.”

Last year’s festival almost didn’t happen, as organizers struggled to recover sponsor dollars and volunteers after the pandemic. Smale says there’s no fear of that this year, as their budget hovers around $70,000.

They doubled their board members this year to 10. And they have about 30 additional volunteers to help run the packed event schedule over the three-day festival. 

“I don’t think we’ve ever had this many eager volunteers come and help us. It’s overwhelming in a good way.”

Big sponsors like Atlantic Lottery Corp. and Coldstream Clear Distillery have come on board to help bring back the entertainment and beer tents.

Thirty artists are lined up to keep those tents hopping all weekend.

“I think the main thing I’ve heard in the last four years was, ‘When’s the beer tent coming back?’ And so we were very fortunate to be able to partner with a Nova Scotia brand like Coldstream Clear Distillery to help us get there.”

More than 60 craft, food and clothing vendors are expected to be set up in the park for the weekend.

Over a dozen events and booths are planned for kids and families, including bouncy castles from Yarmouth Big Bounce, a foam dance party and a superhero dance party.

And the popular Pirates of Halifax will return to this year’s event.

The weekend will also feature traditional historical re-enactments, like the encampment in Fort Point with the King’s Orange Rangers.

“My big things are family friendly, creating moments, support local and drive some business into the community as well as coming together as a community.”

A centrepiece of the weekend is the parade through downtown Liverpool on Saturday morning. And this year, the grand marshal will be well-known local musician and volunteer Dick Henneberry.

Smale says having a great team of volunteers has helped make preparations for this year’s festival go smoothly.

“Come out, enjoy yourself and we try to make everything as free or low cost as possible, just so we can all come together and have a great weekend.”

Privateer Days runs from June 27 to 29 at Privateer Park on the Liverpool waterfront. A full list of events is available on their Facebook page.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Privateer Days parade. Photo Ed Halverson

The 2023 edition of Liverpool’s Privateer Days will have a noticeably family feel compared to previous years.

Visitors will still find an historic encampment, a spooky graveyard tour, and the Kings Orange Rangers performing an historical re-enactment.

The shift began last year when organizers decided to replace the waterfront beer gardens with an all-ages entertainment tent.

The Privateer Days committee didn’t want to compete with local businesses already offering beverage service.

Anyone making their way to the waterfront tent can enjoy local entertainers all weekend, an open mic Friday evening, a magician and face painting for the kids.

Treasurer of the Privateer Days organizing committee Min Thiele says along with the requisite pirates and period costumes, people will still find their favourite parts of the weekend.

The event begins Friday evening with the festival closing part of Main Street.

“We’re going to have live music with the Merchants Market downtown, shutting it down,” said Thiele. “Hopefully coordinating with Dixie Lee to have a French Fry eating contest for the kids, some fire spinners, which is a new addition as well, and then just kind of leading off into the evening.”

Last year Thiele and her husband marched in the parade ahead of being married in the official colonial wedding service.

Organizers tried but couldn’t find another couple to tie the knot in the service this year but may have a couple willing to renew their vows.

The wedding is an example of the melding of history and community in the annual event.

Another is the selection of a Parade Marshall.

Organizers are looking for someone who exemplifies Queens County to lead the floats through town on Saturday June 24.

The list of potential names includes Special Olympians, former doctors, businesspeople, and community activists and continues to grow.

Submissions are being accepted until June 11 and the Marshall will be announced June 12.

The carnival rides were unavailable this year, but Thiele says the inflatables coming in from Halifax Inflatables and Yarmouth Big Bounce will attract attention from young and old alike.

“I would love to get into an inflatable hamster ball in a pool and go one on one with somebody else. There’s going to be a lot of things. I don’t think they’re just going to be for kids.”

Thiele says the event will be bigger than last year and organizers are still looking for volunteers willing to staff the visitor information booth and help tend to the barricades for the parade.

Anyone willing to lend a hand can contact organizers through the Privateer Days Facebook page.

Privateer Days runs June 23 – 25 in Liverpool.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

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