FAQ — Harvest Moon Festival

What if I don’t buy a ticket in time? Can I get a ticket at the gate?

Sorry! Adult weekend passes and day tickets will not be available at the gate.

Why? Our volunteer run festival has limited capacity when it comes to food, water and port-o-potties. We are grateful to the Town of Clearwater for hosting, if we were to go over the town's capacity it would be uncomfortable for everyone.

Camping and festival wristbands are required for Harvest Moon Festival site and campgrounds. Security and volunteers will be checking!

Please don’t show up without a ticket. If you do, you’ll be turned away. We’re sure you don’t want to deal with that. Neither do the organizers, volunteers and security personnel. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

When can I arrive?

The festival box office opens at noon on the Friday of festival weekend and won't be giving out or checking for wristbands until then. If you arrive before noon to set up your tent, you will be asked to pick up your wristband at noon.

When does the music start?

The music starts on Friday at 7:00pm at the main festival stage.

Where is Clearwater?

The town of Clearwater is located in the heart of South Western Manitoba, just a few kilometres from the Canada-U.S.A. border. Visit the Maps page to take a look at a map of Southern Manitoba and of Clearwater.

Coming from Winnipeg, the drive is approximately 2.5 hours South West.
Coming from Brandon, the drive is approximately 2 hours South East.
Coming from Carman or Morden, the drive is roughly 1-1.5 hours West.

What should I pack?

Please come prepared for temperatures ranging from -5°C to +25°C. Your packing list should include everything from warm socks, a toque and warm underwear to a rain jacket to a sunhat and sandals.

You may also want to consider bringing an article of clothing to have screen-printed with the Harvest Moon logo, your camping dishes (plate, cutlery, mug), your instrument for the evening jams and the Hootenanny stage and some cash (there is no bank or ATM in Clearwater.)

What about water?

There is drinkable tap water at the festival site. We encourage the use of reusable water bottles.

What about food?

Breakfast, lunch, dinner & late night snacks are sold at reasonable prices, as local as possible (ingredients & labour) from local food vendors, the local store and restaurant. Please bring snacks & a camp stove if you’d like to make your own meal.

What about alcohol?

Alcohol is permitted at the festival, but you cannot bring alcohol from outside into the licensed fenced-off portion of the festival site.

Can I camp or bring and RV?

Festival camping is available adjacent to the Festival site. Amenities include port-o-potties, drinking water, communal fire pits and beautiful sunsets. No personal fires please. Please note this area is for tents only. There is a drop off loading zone close to the camping area to load in your camping gear. Motorized vehicles, tent trailers or bolers trailers are not permitted in main festival campground.

For those who prefer camping with less hustle and bustle, and for those with RVs/camper vans, quiet and RV camping are located at the ballpark on the northwest corner of town (behind the arena and curling rink), a short 5-minute walk away from the festival site.

RVs, bolers and camper vans at the ballpark only. Toilets and sinks are on site in the ballpark.

Entry to the RV and quiet campground will not be permitted until after 4 pm on the Friday of the festival, with the exception of Harvest Moon Festival volunteers.

Please note that there is no electricity available in the RV / quiet camping.

All campers must have festival and camping wrist bands. A volunteer crew and security check the campgrounds for wrist bands.

What’s the deal with the RV passes this year?

An RV pass should be purchased if you plan to sleep in a vehicle in the RV section. This is so we can better anticipate how many vehicles are going to be in the RV section so we can avoid an overflow.

Folks who are RV-ing must still have festival and camping passes to get into any campground, including the RV campground.

Passes are subject to availability so don't wait if you intend to camp in your vehicle.

What about fires?

There are no fire pits for cooking but we light & maintain several large bonfires in the festival campground throughout the night for warmth and great hangouts. No personal fires in the campground, please.

I don’t like camping. Where can I sleep?

We recognize that camping is not for everyone so we encourage those that prefer to not camp to check out the local bed and breakfast options in the area.

I'm thinking about bringing my dog. What do I need to know?

The Harvest Moon Festival strives to provide a safe and healthy event that is welcoming to all. With the growth and popularity of the festival in recent years we are required to become more stringent with dogs.

Dog tickets must be purchased separately from your admission. Calm, gentle, non-aggressive dogs are welcome with a ticket, however we do encourage folks to keep their dogs at home! We are now a large event of over 1,400 people; it can be an overwhelming environment for a pet.

If you choose to bring your dog, the rules are:

Dogs must be on leashes at all times in Clearwater and on the festival grounds (main site, on the roads, on school grounds, in the camping and RV grounds).
Dogs must be kept off private property (Clearwater residents and businesses).
Dog waste must be picked up and disposed of in a garbage container.
Failure to comply with the above will result in a warning or patrons and their dogs could be asked to leave the festival without a refund.
If a dog is misbehaving (barking excessively, nipping/biting)—even if on leash—the owner will be asked to remove the dog and may be asked to leave without refund.

If people do not comply we may not be able to host dogs at the festival in the future. Please help us provide a respectful environment for all. Thank you.

What do I need to know about the bridge?

The (now decommissioned) rail bridge that lays over the creek at Clearwater is narrow, and over 200 meters high. Thanks to the efforts of Bob & Minnie Guilford, the bridge has recently been outfitted with railings and chain link fence along either side, making it safe to walk on. But please continue to take care when using the bridge, and ensure any dogs in the immediate area are on leashes.