Homegrown Live Music Festival is back for its 15th anniversary on May 6. The one-day music festival will take place in over 10 locations across Kingston, with over 100 local music acts performing throughout the day.

The festival raises funds for the Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library (Joe’s M.I.L.L), a registered charity that loans out musical instruments to community members to make music education and appreciation accessible. The festival has been scaled back or held virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning this year is its return to a fully live and in person festival.

Chris Morris, festival director, spoke with CFRC about the format of Homegrown, adding that it is not like other music festivals that start with smaller artists in the afternoon and have big headliners in the evening; it is a mix of smaller and bigger musicians in town that play after one another. Each venue has a broad musical genre picked so people can choose where to go for the day based on their interests. All bands performing at Homegrown were chosen on an application basis.

In a press release, Joe’s M.I.L.L president Denis Leroux said the organization is "excited" to have the festival back fully.

“This event is the main fundraising event for the M.I.L.L., and allows us to continue to provide the Kingston community with the opportunity to borrow and play instruments," the release reads. "Once again, I’d like to thank the Homegrown Live team, its volunteers, and musicians for making this happen, and hope to see you all at the shows.”

For the full interview with Chris Morris, listen here: