Jordan Parker
During COVID-19, the Ultimate Online Nova Scotia Kitchen Party was born of necessity. Now it remains a fixture because of passion.
A guiding light for many artists and streamers during a time where many where locked down, Heather Thomson began a Facebook group that would become a beacon of joy.
“In March of 2020, I felt like I just needed more joy in my life. The pandemic was beginning, and everywhere you looked was doom and gloom. There was so much people just didn’t understand,” she said.
“I would be scrolling on Facebook and be inundated with unhappiness. I came across a video of my friend in their living room playing guitar and singing, and it changed my perspective.”
She soon realized many may benefit from seeing some joy in their feeds, and began a Facebook page for what became the Ultimate Online Nova Scotia Kitchen Party – A place to share music and hope.
“I just started inviting friends in Pictou County, and the group became flooded with people. The page ran out of room for new people, so I put a note on the page and made a group.”
The group hit 200,000 members, and at its highest point would have 286,000 people worldwide, with 99 countries represented. It was a spot for people to enjoy song together during the pandemic, but its purpose has now taken on a new meaning post-lockdowns.
Shows have moved from online to live and in-person, giving a community that grew close during a difficult time a way to finally get to know each other three-dimensionally.
A 2021 virtual show was broadcast live to the group, YouTube, Nova Scotia Buzz and the centre’s social media, with donations going to the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. There
They would then host a major live event in June 2022 at the downtown Light House Arts Centre, featuring four shows, with Merimac, Shaydid, Signal Hill, and Maximum Overdrive.
“It’s just been an amazing thing, to see things come full circle. This started online, and to see it go from that streaming platform to live performance at the deCoste Centre in Pictou with restrictions, and then the Light House is amazing,” she said.
“it just proves that this event – the people and what it meant to them – is here to stay, and will live on forever.”
While there are no set plans for a big 2023 event yet, Thomson says the group is still used for people to catch up, get together online or make in-person plans, and people still post music or do live shows like clockwork.
“People have built followings over three-and-a-half years. This is a part of peoples lives, whether audience or musicians. The numbers remain steady,” she said.
“Musicians are getting onstage and putting videos from their performances on the site, and people are connecting in real life. There are members visiting each other, and the relationships and things shared through the Kitchen Party are so strong.”
For Thomson, it’s a mutual respect and love for music as a healing power that’s kept everyone so tight-knit through everything.
“It’s something we take for granted, but music makes you feel things. Music has a power to control certain aspects of your consciousness without you realizing. It’s no surprise people came out the way they did. The music community here is so supportive of each other,” she said.
“People were just enjoying what they were doing and sharing it with each other. The longevity surprised me though. There was an instant engagement with this and a willingness to put things on a virtual stage. Things may have opened back up in our world, but people still seem to gravitate towards this group.”
