Thousands of people are kicking off their long weekend at one of Hamilton’s biggest summer events, the 48th Festival of Friends. CHCH is a proud media sponsor of the festival.

The free annual event is expected to see over 100,000 people over the next three days.

The festival showcases live music, food, and vendors. The lineup includes acts like Crash Test Dummies and The Village People.

Festival organizer Robert Rakoczy told CHCH News that in addition to bringing the community together, it also brings the city a lot of money. “…It’s also an economic machine that generates almost $20 million in activity for the city,” Rakoczy said.

To check out the full weekend lineup click here.