They come by the thousands each Civic weekend in August for Kempenfest.
The 52nd edition of one of the largest outdoor arts, crafts and music festivals in Ontario runs from Aug. 2 - Aug. 5 along Barrie's waterfront.
There will be about 300 jury-selected artisans and the annual antique show, live music, a midway and a Kids' Village.
Just how many people take in the festival has always been a crap shoot with numbers ranging anywhere from 100,000 to more than 200,000.
Kempenfest officials will be using various methods to track attendance to this year's event utilizing high-tech as well as good old fashioned on-site surveys with assistance from Tourism Barrie and the city.
The music is always an attraction and the line-up includes Down with Webster, Matthew Good and his Band, Tyler Joe Miller and The Carpet Frogs. The Saturday and Sunday afternoon shows on the OLG Main Stage are free, but evening concerts and Monday afternoon's Main Stage shows are ticketed events.
Organizers encourage people to avoid the hassle of trying to find parking by the waterfront and opt to take the free shuttle service to Kempenfest.
Kempenfest information: https://kempenfest.com/
