NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Canal Fest is officially back.
The eight-day event kicked off at noon Sunday, when a group of local, state, and community leaders met in the middle of the Renaissance Bridge.
"It takes a lot to put an event like this together, and we had to come up with that money through sponsorships, and it's a tough sell," Debbie Darling, secretary of Canal Fest of the Tonawandas, told 2 On Your Side.
"There are a lot of businesses that do not have the money since COVID, and they're just not giving what they used to, so we had some people step in from above my payscale who said, 'What will it take to get Canal Fest done?' So New York State stepped in and helped us out in a lot of ways."
The event nearly didn't happen this year. Back in March, Canal Fest officials said they would take a year off to rebrand and restructure the festival. Then came a reversal in April, when they announced Canal Fest would indeed happen in July.
A full list of events can be found on the Canal Fest website. There will be live music each day, performing at a new pavilion.
The event will continue through Sunday, July 23.