First-of-its-kind Outskirts Music Festival begins, fans reminded of 1997 Edgefest

A first-of-its-kind parking lot party is getting underway at Saskatoon’s SaskTel Centre. Laura Woodward reports.

SaskTel Centre transformed its parking lot into festival grounds for its first Outskirts Music Festival.

Headlined by Jelly Roll and Third Eye Blind, the festival promises nine hours of non-stop music at a parking lot party.

Cheri Hamilton, a spokesperson for SaskTel Centre, said the idea for the festival took shape when Jelly Roll was looking to add another tour date.

“Jelly Roll was interested in playing another date, we wanted to do this festival and he would be a perfect fit,” Hamilton said, noting he sold out his Saskatoon show last year.

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SaskTel Centre originally hoped to sell 20,000 tickets, according to the Outskirts website.

Hamilton said about 13,000 people are now expected to attend.

“Just because it’s a new product, it did take some time for people to kind of understand what we’re doing out here,” Hamilton said.

Fans CTV News spoke to found nostalgia in the event.

In 1997, the Ontario-based music festival Edgefest brought thousands of fans to the fields surrounding what was then known as SaskPlace.

“This is a memory of Edgefest and bringing our old bands back — Wide Mouth Mason and Third Eye Blind. I’m excited for that,” one fan told CTV News during the festival’s sound check.

SaskTel Centre will take notes and look at fan feedback before deciding whether Outskirts becomes an annual event.