PEI will host the Canada Winter Games from February 18 to March 5, 2023. The Games will bring together 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches, across 20 different sports, for the largest multi-sport event in the country. A large part of Games delivery includes a national festival where the diversity and talent of Canada’s identity and culture can be strongly reaffirmed. The festival will also serve as an occasion where the links between and sport and culture and sport as an art can be explored and celebrated. The festival components will include performances in rural communities, partnered concert series’, community stages on winter carnival sites, multicultural arts programs, youth\family events, athletes’ village programming, as well as headliner concerts featuring Canada’s top acts. Professional artists will also be featured in the televised Opening and Closing ceremonies.

COMMITTED TO CREATION, COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada is an international award winning, creation-based company with a focus on new works, collaboration and broad-based public engagement in the arts. It presents 20 to 30 performances annually at home and abroad. Atlantic Ballet Canada serves as a creative dance hub by supporting artist development and exchange through an Artist in Residence program, a biennial IMPACTfest featuring dance, film, workshops, and artist networking and hosting an intensive International Summer training program. Recognized as a national leader in using ballet-art for public engagement, Atlantic Ballet Canada has established cross-sector partnerships with the education, social/health and ICT sectors, creating leading large-scale provincial, regional and national initiatives. The Company engages in projects and initiatives in the community every year on relevant challenges and issues. Embracing diversity, Atlantic Ballet is a multicultural company of soloist artists well known for their extensive technical abilities and strong emotional qualities on stage. Through collaboration with like-minded artists attracted by the vision and artistic philosophy of our Artistic Director our creative practice uses ballet-art as a platform to see our world in more compelling, poignant and imaginative ways.

Dance is an art form that knows no boundaries. It moves beyond linguistic, cultural, political and geographical frontiers. Inspired by this philosophy, the DansEncorps Productions Inc. established the atlantic dance FESTIVAL danse atlantique, in order to bring together representatives of various dance sectors in a collective celebration of artistic excellence. The team is proud of its accomplishments since the Festival’s first edition in 2006.

The aim of the professional dance performances is the discovery of top-level artists from the Atlantic Provinces and Canada. Training development and interaction between the dancers and the general public are the main themes of the Festival. The goal is to establish dialogue and networking between participants, and those who have a passion for dance, in a friendly non-competitive atmosphere. The atlantic dance FESTIVAL danse atlantique strives to pursue this goal by offering a program that is even more complete and divers each year.

The Carleton North Theatre in Florenceville-Bristol, NB plays host to the performances presented by the Carleton-Victoria Arts Council. Located along the scenic St. John River valley in rural western New Brunswick, area residents from several small communities from Perth-Andover to Woodstock and beyond enjoy the intimate setting of this soft-seat venue. Approximately 400 seats are contained in twelve rows with centre, left and right sections.

The Carleton-Victoria Arts Council was honoured to receive the Community Presenter’s Award at Contact East 2007. This award recognizes excellence and achievement by a volunteer organization to present touring performances, commitment to excellence in programming and contribution to community life.

The first show presented by the CVAC was by the Canadian Brass in 1979. We are proud to maintain the long-standing tradition of presenting professional Canadian and international artists to local audiences. The continued success of the Carleton-Victoria Arts Council pays homage to the vision, hard work and dedication of the early committees.

CB Nuit is a multi-disciplinary, after dark arts festival that invites contemporary exploration and expression. CB Nuit aims to engage artists in the creation and installation of site specific and participatory contemporary works. By bringing art, from all mediums, to the streets, businesses, and vacant spaces, CB Nuit has the goal to invigorate, beautify, inspire and economically stimulate our community. The festival provides an opportunity for engagement between Corner Brook’s numerous creative individuals and groups, including Grenfell’s Fine Arts Department (professors, student body and alumni), and our visual arts, theatre, dance, digital arts, voice and music communities. This opportunity for creative expression is also extended to our community at large, inviting local groups, schools and individuals to collaborate in projects and even produce their own project. CB Nuit has the long-term goal to become an international destination for artists participating in the festival as well attracting an international audience.

The Celtic Colours International Festival is a unique celebration of Cape Breton Island’s living traditional culture. For nine days in October you’ll discover hundreds of events and activities taking place in communities across the Island.

The Centre Expo-Festival Center was officially opened in 1998. The center includes a main hall with stage, a pub/restaurant, a bakery and an outside venue Village Musical Acadien which is open during the tourist season and présents cultural expériences and has an art gallery. The center is also host to community festivals, produces a dinner-theater in July & August, présents weekly Kitchen Parties and acoustic music jams and other musical shows during the year.

Founded in 1979, Debut Atlantic is one of this country’s most dynamic and prestigious musical organizations. In fact, the Debut Atlantic tour has evolved into a much coveted opportunity for Canada’s up-and-coming talented classical musicians. The impressive list of artists waiting to be added to the roster is a testament to our success as is the caliber of names which comprise our star-studded compendium of alumni. The list includes some of Canada’s most recognizable artists such as pianists Jon Kimura Parker, Louis Lortie, and Angela Hewitt, cellist Shauna Rolston, Canada’s finest baroque orchestra Tafelmusik, and the world-renowned singers Ben Heppner, Richard Margison, Wendy Nielsen, and Measha Brueggergosman. Despite its enormous success, Debut Atlantic continues to grow and develop new facets that contribute to Atlantic Canada’s cultural environment. A decade ago, Debut began its Encore series, featuring some of our most celebrated alumni. In 1998, Debut began pairing award-winning authors with Encore artists in its Words and Music series, featuring literary giants such as Mordecai Richler, Michael Ondaatje, Wayne Johnston, and David Adams Richards. In 1999, the Debut Atlantic Award for Musical Excellence was inaugurated and continues to award annual $1,000 scholarships to high school music students from all over the Atlantic Region. In the fall of 2001, New Brunswick composer Alasdair MacLean was appointed Composer-in-Residence to Debut Atlantic making it the first touring organization in Canada to host a resident composer. 2002/03 saw the start of the Classical Musics of the World series – which to date has hosted George Gao, Liu Fang, Aditya Verma, and Vineet Vyas, to name a few. 2007 saw the introduction of Debut’s Encore in the Summer series, featuring pianist Angela Cheng – one of Canada’s most gifted artists. As one of Canada’s most highly regarded classical music organizations, Debut is proud to celebrate 30 years of bringing musicianship of exceptional quality to communities big and small throughout all four Atlantic Provinces.

Set in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, the Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival is an annual September event enjoyed by music lovers of all ages. With this picturesque university town and its beautiful natural surroundings as the backdrop, the Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival brings together some of the finest folk and roots singers, songwriters and musicians in the world for a weekend of concerts, workshops and celebration.

Combining cinematic talent with extraordinary gastronomic activities, Devour! The Food Film Fest is the world’s largest film festival focused on food and drink. The annual six-day festival hosts 100+ events, high profile chefs and celebrated filmmakers from around the world in Wolfville, Kentville and across Kings County, Nova Scotia. Throughout the year, Devour! hits the road with 15+ satellite events around the world.

The Eastport Peninsula Heritage Society Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and showcasing the culture and heritage of the Eastport Peninsula region through history, music, drama and visual arts. We are governed by a volunteer 15-person Board of Directors under a constitutional framework.

Feels Good Community Inc. is a non profit organization whose main focus is bringing together the over abundance of artistic and musical talent which presides in the Maritime provinces.

Full Circle Festival is a newfangled stringband hootenanny in Newport Landing, NS. We are a homemade non-profit music festival held over the summer solstice weekend. We love music, good food, friendly friends, dogs, children, and dancing in warm summer air.

Harmony Bazaar Festival of Women and Song

The Best International Festival Experience on Canada’s East Coast!

400+ Musicians, 150 Performances, 27 Stages, 6 City Blocks, 6 Incredible Days, 1 Happenin’ City! Fredericton comes alive for six days each September as hundreds of world class performers appear on dozens of stages, all conveniently located in Fredericton’s beautiful and historic downtown.

Whether you want to dance all night at a spicy Cajun party, listen to the raw sounds of electric blues, sway to some smooth jazz or just get your funk on, you’ll find something to tempt every musical taste – all at a price that’s easy on the wallet.

Known internationally for presenting the best in established international talent, up-and-coming discoveries from the East Coast and abroad, great musical memories, friendly community, and a touch of the unexpected are what the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival is famous for.

JazzEast is dedicated to music presentation and education in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Held in Perth-Andover, NB, and known as the “Little Festival that Could,” the Larlee Creek Hullabaloo brings together some of the best talent the East Coast of Canada and beyond has to offer, for one weekend of pure musical bliss.

The Larlee Creek Hullabaloo is known for its genre-rich lineup, collaborative performances, and the downhome hospitality we show our audience and the artists who are our festival.

Live Art Dance is a specialised dance presenter that programs an annual season of works that feature local, national, and international dance artists. While our activities vary in scope from the 200 seat Sir James Dunn Theatre to the 1000 seat Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the focus is on contemporary dance. Recent artists include Company Marie Chouinard, Le Carré des lombes, Mocean Dance, BJM, and Denise Fujiwara. Evocative and provocative, Live Art Dance highlights the best in contemporary dance performance.

-The mandate of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society is to promote the preservation and continuation of traditional folk music from a diverse range of cultures and regions, through emphasis on acoustic instrumentation and a capella singing. Also, to encourage the writing and performance of current and timely folk music which contributes to the evolutionary nature of an international folk tradition.

The Coopérative de développement culturel et patrimonial de Mont-Carmel ltée was founded in March 2006 when a group of volunteers realized that it was imperative to establish cultural tourist programming in the Mont-Carmel region following the closing of Le Village de l’Acadie.

In the beginning, the Coopérative produced and staged the dinner theatre “La Cuisine à Mémé” for the last two years of its existence (2006 and 2007).

In 2008, the Coopérative tried something new and organized eight variety concerts during the summer months. Due to the great success of this first concert series, the Coopérative has been offering eight variety shows each summer since then.

Since 2010, the Coopérative organizes its Grand Ruisseau Song Festival at the end of September. This event lasts three days, from Friday evening until Sunday evening.

Neighbourhood Dance Works (NDW) assumes an essential leadership role in the advancement of the professional milieu in our country’s most easterly province. We are the front-runner for board-based artistic programming in dance in this province, which informs our connections to artistic allies within Atlantic Canada and peers across the country. We represent the professional sector, alongside the dance service organization (DanceNL), by liaising with regional and national artists, stakeholders and presenters who contribute to NDW’s growth and resilience.

Co-Founded in 1981 by Cathy Ferri and Agnes Walsh as a performance collective, Neighbourhood Dance Works began by creating innovative dance works for stage. It later shifted its focus to presentation, introducing the first Festival of New Dance in 1990, curated by Ann Anderson. Under her direction, and subsequently that of Lois Brown, Anne Troake, Sarah Joy Stoker and now a community-based committee, the festival continues to grow each year.

Neighbourhood Dance Works’ ongoing support and development of Newfoundland choreographers and dancers has advanced the careers of many Newfoundland dance artists and has made the Festival of New Dance a major cultural highlight of the St. John’s performance season.

For more information, about NDW programs please visit: www.neighbourhooddanceworks.com

Photo Credit (Louise Moyes)

The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society (NLFAS) is a charitable organization located in St. John’s, NL whose mandate is the promotion and preservation of the traditional folk arts of the province. Active since 1966, the organization presents educational and cultural events that provide artists with the opportunity to showcase their work and that engage our youth and the general public in the transmission of our intangible cultural heritage.

Our two longest running events, Folk Night at the Ship Pub and the Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival are rites of passage for up and coming folk and traditional musicians, and beloved by seasoned performers. Our support for young artists is amplified at our annual Young Folk at the Hall concert, and on the Neil Murray stage for young performers at the Festival. Our events give audiences the opportunity to engage in celebration of our traditional folk arts. Our annual Holiday Wassail is a gathering where families can sing their favourite Christmas Carols along with some of our best musicians in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Our Folk Festival not only showcases great performers, but gives our audiences a chance to take part by playing along in open jam sessions, learn traditional dances, arts and crafts.

Nocturne: Art at Night is a fall festival that brings art and energy to the streets of Halifax between 6 p.m.-midnight. The completely free annual event showcases and celebrates the visual arts scene in Halifax. Nocturne, designed and planned by volunteers, is an opportunity for everyone to experience the art of Halifax in a whole new light. The Nocturne Program Guide provides details about exhibitions in galleries and public spaces throughout the city.

The Nocturne program and map guide residents and visitors alike to a variety of exhibitions in galleries and public spaces throughout the city.

Nocturne is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization. We work on building partnerships with the city and area businesses and government organizations to bring the city access to art and wonder with no barriers.

Every year the city of Halifax partners with Nocturne and that year’s curator to bring art and artists to create fixed points for the evening. These projects echo the year’s theme and create gathering spots to which to explore the festival from.

Nova Scotia Summer Fest is a non-profit association that has a mandate to develop Antigonish into a world-class event tourism & eco-tourism destination.

Paddlefest is a Music & Outdoor Recreation Festival in St. Andrews, New Brunswick that has taken many variations over the years but has always maintained one key element at its core; celebrating New Brunswick culture in its many forms.

Through showcasing musical and artistic talent and celebrating (and protecting) the tranquil beauty of the Bay of Fundy, Paddlefest is an annual celebration of its hometown and its province. It attracts music fans, nature lovers and those who are passionate about both.

In addition to music programming, the event often features workshops/presentations from both the music/arts and paddling/recreational sides. Community engagement is also a strong goal of the festival, with a number of free events aimed at the community at large (i.e. a community stage, an artist market, kids events, etc.)

Over the years a strong focus of the festival has been showcasing and supporting local emerging artists. Now household names, New Brunswick acts like Matt Andersen and David Myles performed at Paddlefest in small venues in their early days, and that tradition continues as a bulk of the programming is dedicated to up and coming New Brunswick artists.

Paddlefest showcases music in unique local venues and attractions, such as Kingsbrae Garden, Minister’s Island and the Paddlefest Main Stage which overlooks the St. Andrews waterfront. The quaint seaside town of St. Andrews truly comes alive with music and culture every May and the atmosphere is a warm and welcoming one.

Paddlefest is a not-for profit organization whose main objective is to offer a culturally significant event for the region that highlights the local arts, helps boost tourism and gives a positive message of inclusion, sustainability and cultural & environmental awareness.

Established in 1934 The Pictou Lobster Carnival marks the end of the lobster season on the North Humberland shore. The carnival takes place in the historic seaside town of Pictou. The festival is a celebration of maritime culture, history and music.

RE-Jigged is a festival celebrating new directions in music and dance based in the rich history of the Celtic musical tradition.

RE-JIGGED showcases and nurtures the best emerging and established local talent alongside national and international independent music and dance in the genre of “new trad” (traditional) Celtic music.

The Riverfront Jubilee is a three day music festival, that takes place annually on the August long weekend. The festival features regional, national, international and local performers nightly. There is a free afternoon community event, two late night stages at local bars, and a blues matinee on Sunday.

Just four years old, this young festival with a mighty heart has full intentions of warming up the music lovers of mid-winter Fredericton. Curated by local folk-pop group Olympic Symphonium and friends, this festival has a strong emphasis on the songwriting craft and annually features an array of East Coast artists as well as songwriters, musicians and storytellers from all over North America. Highlights alongside the headlining performances at downtown’s Wilmot United Church include the always popular Songwriter’s Circle and the hootenanny known as the Bluegrass Brunch at the Boyce Farmers Market. Music fans of all ages will find something to embrace at Shivering Songs.

Small Halls Inc. is a non profit organization dedicated to providing cultural entertainment and experiences to rural venues across PEI with the main production being the annual Festival of Small Halls.

The PEI MUTUAL FESTIVAL OF SMALL HALLS is a unique traditional music, dance and storytelling event, highlighting PEI’s Scottish, Irish and Acadian heritage. Held annually in rural community halls across the entire province of Prince Edward Island, this kickoff-to-summer festival features first-tier internationally-acclaimed musicians, dancers and storytellers from Prince Edward Island, Atlantic Canada and abroad.

The Festival, produced by Small Halls Inc. and presented annually in June, began in 2008 in 14 community halls and has grown to include over 40 community halls across the Island.

Our tag line claims “A truly exceptional Island experience!”

The Stephenville Theatre Festival has become a cornerstone among professional theatre companies in Newfoundland and Labrador providing employment for artists, technicians, designers, along with training and hands-on experience for numerous individuals, many of whom are now counted among Canada’s top professional artists. Stephenville Theatre Festival has enriched the economic and cultural fabric of the Town of Stephenville and has become a major draw for tourism.

The purpose of the Parks, Recreation and Community Relations Department is to provide quality recreational, leisure and cultural opportunities for the enjoyment of the citizens of Riverview while building community spirit and awareness. Directly, this is accomplished through effective management of parks, facilities, open space and direct program planning. Indirectly, the Department provides assistance to community groups and organizations through leadership, consultation and coordination.

Our entertainment includes: weekly summer concerts in Caseley Park, Canada Day celebrations during our SUNFEST summer kick-off festival, musical entertainment at various smaller events such as our Neighborhood ward parties, our Fall Harvest Festival, a community Christmas concert, and activitiesand entertainment during Winterlude our 10 day winter festival. All of our events are designed to be accessible to as many people as possible as most are either free or have a minimal cost attached.

Presented by the Confederation Bridge, Under the Spire Music Festival (USMF) offers a summer long series of concerts in a magnificent heritage church located in in Kataganek, Prince Edward Island. The internationally recognized Festival has been twice named by the Globe and Mail as one of the best summer music festivals in Canada and presents outstanding performances from a dynamic mix of some of the biggest names in Canadian music and exciting emerging talents. Now entering its 26th season in 2022, this summer-long festival attracts thousands of music lovers annually to the acoustically perfect Historic St. Mary’s, idyllically set overlooking beautiful Malpeque Bay, to experience the very best in folk, blues, jazz, classical, traditional, contemporary, and world music. 

Writers at Woody Point literary festival in Woody Point, Bonne Bay, Newfoundland had its inaugural season in 2004. The festival is organized and presented by Friends of Writers at Woody Point and, each year, has played to sold-out audiences. This August, as in the past, the event will be hosted by CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers, host of “The Next Chapter” a show about Canadian writing and writers.

The lovely and historic western Newfoundland village of Woody Point, on the south shore of Bonne Bay, is surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of Gros Morne National Park. Writers, artists and scientists are drawn here from around the world. Home-grown talent runs deep, too – in art, craft, music and award-winning architectural restoration. In the heart of the community stands the Woody Point Heritage Theatre, built in 1908. Owners Charlie and Joan Payne have carefully restored and renewed this cherished village feature, which has been the lively home of community dances, suppers, meetings, plays and concerts over the years.

Now this unique part of the cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador also provides the stage and setting for the annual Writers at Woody Point events. Firmly rooted in Newfoundland literature, which is itself wildly acclaimed across Canada and internationally, the festival attracts both writers from abroad and those nurtured here at home. They come to Woody Point to read their work to hospitable audiences of villagers and visitors – sell-out crowds, in fact. Here the authors can also connect with other writers over dinner and drinks or on a hike into the pristine hills. And they can soak up the area’s own creative talent at exhibits of art and crafts, musical performances and impromptu after-hours celebrations that combine jam sessions, dancing and lots of laughter.