We seek to honour the memory of the late, great, "Punk Rock Warlord," Joe Strummer (of The Clash and Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, among others); but don’t expect  just covers or a tribute show. That's not what we're  about.  Although a lot of our performers love to share a Joe Strummer tune or two (and, yes, a few are primarily cover bands), to honour him we just ask our performers to be  as honest and original as he was. 

The degree to which a community supports and celebrates its arts and culture is a sign of its vibrancy. Strummerfest supports  the vitality of the Waterloo Region by promoting its indie music scene, including many new and younger bands and performers, as well as other indie artists who love to perform in this area.  

Suicide is one of Canada’s leading killers.  In 2017 it was the 7th most common cause of death for adult men, 14th for women, and one of the top three leading causes for youth and young adults.  Suicide is preventable. For many people, it just takes an infusion of hope.  We try to help with that. We primarily support Your Life Counts and the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council. The  value of the work performed by these organizations, and the hope and support  they provide to struggling individuals and families, cannot be overstated. We  are very pleased to be able to contribute all net proceeds to these organizations. We also support House of Friendship, one of the leading organizations providing direct support to vulnerable people in our communities.

Strummerfest is entirely non-profit, run primarily by volunteers (including its key organizers).