Story and photos by John Stolarczyk, World Carrot Museum
There are several carrot festivals around the world, from New Zealand to Europe to California, and as the curator of the World Carrot Museum, I have visited them all at least once. The last visit to the Bradford Carrot Fest in Ontario, Canada, was in 2006, so the time was right to re-visit and see how it had changed over the years.
World Carrot Museum curator John Stolarczyk poses for a picture with Bradford Carrot Fest mascots Captain Carrot and Gwilly.
The small town of Bradford West Gwillimbury comes alive once a year to produce its Carrot Fest street festival, celebrating the area’s agricultural heritage and the role carrots play in the economy and the community. The Holland Marsh at Bradford is one of Canada’s biggest carrot producing areas, with an annual value of the carrots grown in the Marsh estimated at $130 million. Carrots are grown in the area for 11 months of the year.
The Bradford Carrot Fest has been celebrated for 20 years and was voted as one of the top 100 events in Ontario by Festival & Events Ontario for the last eight years. During opening ceremonies, city and province leaders praised local residents and farmers for putting the town on the map as the vegetable basket of Ontario.
Jody Mott, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, hands out free bags of carrots to festival attendees. Mott is pictured with World Carrot Museum curator John Stolarczyk.
The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, representing the major growers in the area, handed out free bags of Holland Marsh carrots to visitors. At the local farmers market, located just a short walk from the festival, people could buy fresh local produce and sample carrots of every color, which are ever increasing in popularity.
The event attracted 30,000 attendees and more than 200 vendors. Musicians, street performers and a kid zone added to the festivities.
Overall, the festival was a lot more carrot related than my previous visit, but it could be more carrot themed and perhaps, like many other “carrot towns,” it would benefit from the construction of a significant carrot focal point such as a carrot statue, mural or informational plaque about the town and its carrot history.
Colored carrots are available to sample and purchase at the nearby farmers market.
