St. Andrews Rock 'n' Ride Music Festival & Stationary Bike Marathon

St. Andrews Rock 'n' Ride Music Festival is the ultimate small-town rock concert experience. Held annually in picturesque Market Square, this eight-hour music blowout serves as the backdrop for over 30 teams of stationary bike riders who have raised funds to support Dignitas International's HIV/AIDS clinics in the Zomba District of Malawi. Though bands cannot be paid directly, they will be offered a paid gig at a local bar, accommodation, and partial support for food and travel./n/nSt. Andrews Rock 'n' Ride Music Festival is the ultimate small-town rock concert experience. Held annually in picturesque Market Square, this eight-hour music blowout serves as the backdrop for over 30 teams of stationary bike riders who have raised funds to support Dignitas International's HIV/AIDS clinics in the Zomba District of Malawi.

Although they are unable to financially reimburse bands for the show, as this is a charity event and 100% of the proceeds go to Dignitas International, bands will be compensated as follows:

• A paid gig at a local bar


• Accommodation


• Partial contribution for food in the form of coupons


• Small contribution towards travel/gas


• Publicity via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace & BlogSpot pages, as well as local and provincial media and radio stations

The festival attracts hundreds of people from southern New Brunswick and is supported by the Town of St. Andrews and the New Brunswick Department of Education. Rock 'n' Ride is offering slots for seven artists, three of which have been reserved for Sonicbids artists. 2010's performers were little foot long foot, HUDSON, The Broken Flowers, Kendra Gale, Jens Jeppesen, and We Are Radio.

The fundraising initiative that the Rock 'n' Ride centres on is the Race for Dignity. Participants form teams and race in a spin bike marathon, in which they have to keep the pedals of their bike in perpetual motion for the entire eight hours of music. The proceeds raised by the festival benefit Dignitas International HIV/AIDS medical clinics in Malawi, where there are 13.5 million people and only 94 qualified doctors. Last year's incarnation of the Rock 'n' Ride raised almost $12 000, and the goal this year is to raise $20,000.

The Rock 'n' Ride is held in St. Andrews, a small historic seaside town in south-western New Brunswick, situated on Passamaquoddy Bay in the Bay of Fundy, which is known for the highest tides in the world. Originally established by the Empire Loyalists, it was made famous as a tourist destination for the rich and famous in the early 1900s and has remained on the itineraries of travellers ever since. Besides beautiful vistas, historic landmarks, and a picturesque downtown, St. Andrews overflows with culture. Up-and-coming talents in the East Coast music industry call St. Andrews home, art galleries and artists abound, and many prominent environmental groups have made the town their headquarters.