MPP Lou Rinaldi announced Friday that Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink 2017 will receive $17,500 in financial support through the Celebrate Ontario 2017 program

The province is supporting 304 festivals and events that celebrate Ontario’s diversity, heritage and culture. This support allows festival and event organizers to enhance their programming, activities and services so that they can draw more tourists and create jobs in communities across the province.

The program is also recognizing the importance of rural and northern festivals and events in Ontario, which plays a vital role in local economies. This year, 126 distinct festivals and events supported by the Celebrate Ontario program will take place in rural or northern areas, and will showcase the diverse traditions that make these communities so unique.

According to Cultivate Northumberland Festival Director and co-founder, Jeff Bray: "As we draw near to our third annual, Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink, I can't help but think where we would be without Celebrate Ontario. In two short years we were able to jump from a one day festival, to a three day festival, to a three day festival with a 30+ vendor Marketplace that is free to the public. Each year we grow and get better because of the support we receive from Celebrate Ontario."