Bread and Honey Festival will bee buzzing for three days in Mississauga

The Bread and Honey Festival, Mississauga’s oldest, returns to a three-day event this year.

The Streetsville festival was sidelined for the last few years due to the pandemic. It was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. The event had been held annually on the first weekend of June since 1973.

The festival returned last year but as a scaled-down one-day event held along a portion of Queen Street South.

But this year the Streetsville Founders’ 51st Bread and Honey Festival is back to three days — Friday, June 2 to Sunday, June 4, and returns to Streetsville Memorial Park.

Most of the usual events return but there won’t be a parade, organizers say. The entry fee is also returning.

Slices of bread and honey will be available and the popular beer garden, food trucks, midway and games are all back this year.

Events kick off on Friday at 5 p.m. with A Mystical Market in Hazel McCallion Hall. And classic rock bands hit the main stage.

On Saturday, there will be a special plaque ceremony in the town square to honour former Mayor Hazel McCallion who died on Jan. 29.

“Saying goodbye to Hazel is going to be very hard for us at the BnH festival. She and her husband Sam were such an integral part of the festival,” Bread and Honey Festival organizers posted on the website.

“Seeing her at the head of the parade or helping out at the Bread and Honey booth and the pancake breakfast is now forever ingrained in our hearts. And if you ever did get a slice of bread and honey from Hazel, you were lucky. She was our bread and honey.”

The Buzzy Bee Children’s Island opens at 11 a.m. with kids entertainment until 4:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Music continues on the main stage with a country theme on Saturday night.

On Sunday, there are dance and music performances along with a tribute to Gary Clipperton, a volunteer with The  Bread and Honey who also regularly performed at the festival as conductor of the choir Justus.

There is also a one-day juried exhibit “The Beauty of Bees” on Sunday the Pollinator Garden beside the BIA building, 280 Queen St. S. from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The exhibit aims to bring attention to the preservation of the pollinating bee population.

Admission for the festival is from $5 to $10.

For a complete schedule and more information see the Bread and Honey Festival website.