After a two-year hiatus, the Cathedral Village Arts Festival was greeted with plenty of smiling faces and sunny skies.

The festival returned with a parade, wrapping up with a picnic later.

Marilyn Turnley, the Cathedral Village Arts Festival chair, said that she doesn’t recall ever seeing such big crowds for the parade and picnic.

“It was the come together of community that we were all so hungry for.”

“Just everywhere you looked, people were smiling, they were saying hi to neighbours, to friends, they might not have seen for quite some time,” she continued. “It was the perfect opening to the Cathedral Village Arts Festival week.”

Turnley said it’s great for people to come together positively after the pandemic.

“That type of outdoor activity, where it’s outdoors, it’s safe, but you are seeing, you are feeding community engagement, it’s just so precious, and the Cathedral Village we simply have not had the opportunity since 2019.”

Turnley noted that no matter what Mother Nature throws, they plan on holding their events.

She added that you can visit their website for a full list of events happening during the festival.