Water Cycles Bikes and Blues Festival

The Bikes and Blues Festival is back for its second year! Join us in Elora-Fergus for a day of cycling, music, food and family fun.

On Saturday, August 24th from 10:00am to 5:00 pm (rain or shine), Water Cycles Expeditions and partners will host a community event with guided bike tours in the morning, local blues favourites in the afternoon, and a variety of children’s activities, community booths, and more.

The event is rain or shine and…if it happens to rain, we’ve got you covered with the museum’s Heritage Barn to keep you dry.

The day starts with free community bike rides for various levels:

Explore the hidden wonders (and tasty treats) of the Upper Grand River with bike rides for all levels:

• a 10-15km family ride (age 10+) along the smooth and forested Elora-Cataract trail
• 30km exploration along Irvine Creek to the Shand Dam vista and
• a 90-100km mini epic, all-surface ride (gravel or hybrid bikes) that weaves across the bridges of the Grand and take in the majestic Luther Marsh.

As the rides end, the music and other festivities begin:

Groove to some bluegrass and folk music 🎶 from local favourites:

• Tragedy Ann
• Kristine Schmitt and Andrew Penner

Enjoy some local food and drinks and bring the whole family!

Children’s activities include a bike parade, art activities, a playgroundand, and our brand new game, A Water Cycles Adventure.

Register for your bike ride here! Check out our Bikes & Blues Fest Ride Packet (released July 2024) for route details, maps and logistics. Registered riders will also receive an email about one week ahead of the ride with any additional details and logistics. Rides start at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

• 9:00am (early start) – Luther Marsh Lasso (90-100km)
• 11:30am – The Grand Shand (30 km)
• 12:30 pm – Family ride, age 10+ (10-15km)
• 2:00pm – Music and festivities begin

Don’t ride? Join for the wellness activities with Pilates in the park, and check out our community hub, bringing together local groups working on river conservation, active transportation, and community development.

Come for the fun and adventure and help us celebrate the Grand River’s 30th anniversary as heritage river.

The festival is supporting our 2024 fundraising campaign to broaden access to bikes and bike-powered learning opportunities for youth, inspiring the next generation of water leaders. Donations to our youth development programs can be made here.

Thank you to our sponsors and partners: Alice Chautard, Wellington County Museum and Archives, Elora & Fergus Tourism, University of Waterloo, Blue Range Labs, Green Lanes and more being added soon! Please get in touch if you would like to sponsor us or share information through our community hub.

For more information visit: watercycles.bike

Get in touch at: info@watercycles.bike

If you just want to join for a free bike ride register here.

If you would like to join for the music concert but can’t afford a ticket, please get in touch. We have some sponsored tickets or you can apply to volunteer and receive free tickets.

The event is rain or shine. Tickets are non-refundable within 30 days of the event.