Press Release
Ontario Culture Days Festival Runs September 20th to October 13th
Province-Wide Festival Expected to Welcome Over 100 Municipalities, Host Over 1,500 Free Events, and Draw Attendance of 1 in 10 of Ontarians
TORONTO – September 20, 2024 – The annual celebration of arts, culture and heritage, Ontario Culture Days festival opens this Friday, September 20th and runs until Sunday, October 13th. This year, the festival welcomes nearly 100 participating municipalities across Ontario and will host over 1500 free events over a three-week period. Each year, Ontario Culture Days works with organizers and artists of all disciplines to produce this province-wide festival.
Opening Celebrations
The festival will kick off with a series of opening celebrations:
- Thunder Bay (Fri, Sep 20, 6-9 pm): Arts & Culture Under the Lights
- Vaughan (Sat, Sep 21, 11 am – 5 pm): Vaughan Food and Culture Festival
- Oakville (Sat, Sep 21, Starting at 11 am): Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
- Gananoque (Sat, Sep 21, 11 am – 4 pm): Gan Arts Fest
- Scugog (Sat, Sep 21, 10 am – 4 pm): Culture Days at Palmer Park and the Latcham
- Sault Ste.Marie (Fri, Sep 20, 6:30 pm – 10 pm, Sat, Sep 21, 12 pm -10 pm) Vivid Art Festival
- Ottawa (Sat, Sep 21, 1:00pm – 5:00pm) Westmeath and District Recreation Association
Provincial Festival Hubs
Festival Hubs are local communities that serve as focal points for visitors to explore unique programming, connect with the community, and discover new destinations. This year’s hubs are Brant, Burlington, Gananoque & 1000 Islands, Guelph, Milton, Oakville, Ottawa Region, Scugog, St. Catharines & Niagara Region, Toronto, Vaughan and Windsor in southern Ontario and Manitoulin Island, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario. Each hub has a dedicated event page allowing visitors to easily select what to do in that area during the festival.
Ontario Culture Days at 401 Richmond in Toronto, September 28th
In Toronto, diverse neighbourhoods and an iconic skyline set the stage for city-wide arts events that showcase community spirit. 401 Richmond Street West is a restored, heritage-designated, industrial building turned arts-and-culture hub in downtown Toronto. It is home to over 140 artists, cultural producers, social innovators, micro-enterprises, galleries, festivals, and shops. Join Ontario Culture Days and 401 Richmond organizations and artists for a full day of free, participatory activities on September 28, 2024, from 11am – 4pm. Free activities include the world-renowned Performance Workshops by Red Sky Performance, in addition to:
- Le Labo Image Transfer Workshop
- Zinemaking with Sonali Menezes at Tangled Art + Disability
- Cyanotype Demonstration by Cruz at Gallery 44
- & many work workshops, lectures, artist talks and exhibitions!
Creatives in Residence
2024 marks the fifth year celebrating the Creatives in Residence program, which has become an integral part of the annual festival to which many visitors look forward. Each year, the Creatives in Residence program invites artists to develop new community-engaged projects for the festival, with creatives working across different disciplines and regions. Their results culminate in installations, performances, and activities presented during Ontario Culture Days. The 8 Creatives in Residence for this year are:
- Aaron Jones, (Scugog and Toronto): Sky Mirage – Installation and Performance
- Reilly Knowles (London): Magic Circle for Earth Communion – Exhibition, Workshop and Artist Talk
- Don Kwan (Westmeath, Whitewater Region): Heartbeat of the Valley – Community Event
- Lucia Laford (Waawaaskone Kwe) (Sault Ste Marie): Dibaajimo. She tells a story. – Community Event, Installation & Artist Tours
- Vik Mudge and Skye Rogers (St. Catharines): Composing Community – Dance Showcase & Workshops
- Yasmeen Nematt Alla (Toronto) Thread that Tangles but doesn’t Knot – Community Kite Flying Event and Workshops
- Camila Salcedo (Toronto) UPCYCLED: Camila Salcedo & Iconography of the Venezuelan Diaspora – Exhibition and Workshop
- Jennifer Willet (Point Pelee National Park)Baroque Biology – Community Event and Science Fair
Find all Creatives in Residence events here.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30th
Ontario Culture Days has set September 30th aside to create space exclusively for events organized to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, including those sharing First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit experiences and perspectives, and celebrating the creative and cultural expressions of Indigenous people and communities.
Over 1,500 Free Events
From dance classes, to singing performances, to participatory art classes, there are over 1,500 free events happening throughout the Festival all over the province in cities and in towns. The festival has also collaborated with many established institutions like the Toronto Public Library, The Bentway, Art Gallery of Algoma, and many more, to offer unique experiences throughout the three weeks.
ON Culture Guides
The festival offers a fantastic chance to explore various regions of Ontario and indulge in cultural tourism. This year, Ontario Culture Days has reintroduced user-friendly travel guides for different areas throughout the province. These guides serve as reliable resources for visitors to make the most of their weekend activities this fall. You can find the ON Culture Guides here.
LISTING INFORMATION Ontario Culture Days
Dates: September 20 – October 13, 2024
Price: FREE
Event Link: onculturedays.ca
Hashtag: #ONCultureDays
Media: Photos of the 2024 Creatives in Residence can be found here.
Photos of the 2024 Festival Hubs can be found here.
For more information on Ontario Culture Days, visit our website at onculturedays.ca.
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About Ontario Culture Days:
Ontario Culture Days is a not-for-profit organization that celebrates artists and cultural groups in our communities.
The Ontario Culture Days festival is an annual celebration of arts, culture and heritage taking place each fall across the province. Each year, we work with organizers of all disciplines to produce this province-wide festival. Organizers host programs throughout Ontario and invite the public to participate for free. The next Ontario Culture Days festival will take place between September 20th to October 13th, 2024.
Ontario Culture Days lives at the local level. We support organizers from the smallest hamlets to the largest cities, while coordinating with other national and provincial Culture Days partners. We support the success of our sector colleagues through resources and network development, while highlighting the breadth and diversity of Ontario’s arts and culture to the wider public.
A sincere thanks to Ontario Culture Days’ supporters, including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), VIA Rail Canada, Arterra Wines Canada, Destination Northern Ontario, and the Toronto Star.
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Ontario, and the Ontario Arts Council.
For further media information, contact:
Deanne Moser
DMPUBLIC
(647) 888-9388