The Friendship Festival was an annual celebration of the bond between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. This event was held in Fort Erie, Ontario and

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, which are connected by the

Peace Bridge The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects Buffalo, New York, in the United States to Fort Er ...

. The festival ran from 1987 to 2019 and was held from 29 June to 4 July. These dates encompassed Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4). The festival also marked the nearly 200 year state of official peace between the two neighbors since the end of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. The festival featured several free events including car shows, concerts with local and big name bands, a midway with rides, vendors, beer gardens, complimentary breakfast each morning, and exotic animal displays. Past performers include

Theory of a Deadman Theory of a Deadman (abbreviated as Theory or TOAD) is a Canadian rock band from North Delta, British Columbia. Formed in 1999, the band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as 604 Records. The band includes traits of music styles ...

in 2008 and Hedley in 2010. In 2012, in lieu of a big name band, Fort Erie's Festival opted to put on a concert series throughout the entire festival, featuring 27 bands from the Niagara and Buffalo areas.

References

External links

Friendship Festival website
Fort Erie, Ontario Festivals in Ontario Festivals in Buffalo, New York {{BuffaloNY-stub