05 Dec 2018
IGLOO FEST
JANUARY 17 – FEBRUARY 2, 2019
Now in its 13th year, Igloo Fest takes place from January 17 to February 2nd in the old Port of Montreal. This electronic music festival is winning growing recognition each year. It attracts thousands of enthusiastic electronic music fans who come to discover the music of artists from Quebec and abroad. It adds to the vitality and visibility of Montreal and Quebec
The Quai Jacques-Cartier will once again be transformed into a winter wonderland complete with ice sculptures, architectural installations, interactive games and impressive stages, all geared towards making Montreal the ultimate place to party this winter. Not forgetting the crazy one piece costume competition.
POUTINE FEST
APRIL 25 – 28 , 2019
Covering three blocks in Canada's Capital City, Ottawa, the Poutine Fest showcases Poutine in all its variety. Love it or hate it . Purveyors bring Poutine in all flavours – traditional, Filet Mignon, Lobster, Shawarma, Fajita and even a Pad Thai version. Admission is free but you need to purchase a Poutine Passport to get to taste.
https://www.sparkslive.com/poutinefest
ICEBERG FESTIVAL
JUNE 7 - 16 , 2019
The Iceberg Festival celebrates the coming of spring in the north and the annual arrival of icebergs along the Great Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. The festival features music, food, entertainment, history, culture, great hospitality and of course icebergs. Dip your toes into the North Atlantic. Eat seafood fresh from the sea. Breathtaking landscapes and seascapes, fantastic fare and good company, are all on offer
The Iceberg Festival traditionally starts on the first Friday of June and runs 10 days to the following Sunday. June 7th – 16th, 2019; June 5th – 14th, 2020 & beyond.
DAWSON CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL
JULY 19 – 21, 2019
The Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF) remains “Canada's tiny, perfect Festival”. It first took place in 1979. It was an intimate two day affair among friends. Since then the festival has developed a reputation as a festival of unparalleled intimacy, grass roots spirit, fabulous Klondike hospitality and the best concerts North of 60.
DCMF is famous for presenting Canadian artists shortly before they develop into household names. A selection of past performers include : Tanya Tagaq, Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund.
ELVIS FESTIVAL
July 26 – 28 , 2019
First held in 1995 in Collingwood, Ontario, 2020 will mark the 25th hosting of this event and is the world's largest Elvis festival. It was originally promoted as the Canadian Elvis Tribute & Convention and approximately 35 Tribute artists attended this then, new event.
Over its current 24-year history the Collingwood Elvis Festival has attracted thousands of visitors from all over the world. In the past seven years the estimated attendance has averaged 25,000+ visitors per year. The festival is a celebration of the life and times of Elvis Presley and his influence on various musical genres, the popular culture of his time, and an entire era of fans who have carried lasting memories of his impact on the world. The Collingwood Elvis Festival is sponsored by OLG, Cranberry Golf Resort, Living Water Resort & Spa, Blue Mountain Resort and the Westin Trillium House.
www.collingwoodelvisfestival.com
CAMPOBELLO ISLAND FOG FEST
JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2019
A free, 5-day music and art festival on U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's 'beloved isle'. Fog Fest is a fast-growing annual festival held on beautiful Campobello Island in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. Venues across the island include historic cottages and churches, beaches and parks. Music runs the gamut from jazz and blues to classical and gospel. Exhibits by visual artists from both sides of the border are held in historic venues, including a 19th-century church hall and an old marine store built on poles over the water. Additional activities include heritage events detailing the island's rich history as well as local native culture.
CANADA'S ICELANDIC FESTIVAL
AUGUST 3 – 6, 2019
The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba "Islendingadagurinn" as far as we have been able to determine, is the second oldest continuous ethnic festival in North America. The first Icelandic festival in North America was held in Milwaukee in 1874. The first Icelandic Festival in Manitoba was held in Winnipeg in 1890; was held there annually until 1931, and since 1932 has been held in Gimli.
August 2nd was chosen for the festival date because on that day, in 1874, the first Icelandic celebration in North America had taken place, and, in Iceland, a new constitution had been accepted. Early August was also convenient for farmers, as seeding was over, but harvest had not yet begun.
https://www.icelandicfestival.com/
BONAVISTA BIENNALE
AUGUST 17 – SEPTEMBER 15, 2019
Floe – Bonavista Biennale will be the second iteration of a month long contemporary visual arts festival taking place in historic buildings and public sites, indoor and outdoor locations dispersed throughout the Bonavista Peninsula on the east coast of Newfoundland. The goal is to enhance creative tourism through the presentation of unique art encounters in a spectacular setting, inviting visitors, art patrons and local residents to participate in and reflect upon contemporary art embedded within the cultural context of the Bonavista Peninsula and the North Atlantic landscape. Following on the success of the inaugural 2017, FLOE strives to mobilize an on going rural based national art event, unique in Canada, as a significant element within the Canadian cultural landscape
https://bonavistabiennale.com/
EMERGING MUSIC FESTIVAL
AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
Four days of Pure musical delight. Over 60 musical acts from Quebec, Canada, the USA and Europe. Artists from all musical horizons: rock, metal, hip hop and more – this festival is a showcase for many international and up and coming performers. The festival takes places in Rouyn Noranda, Quebec and is a talent scout for up and coming artists with brand new projects. It regularly attracts around 4500 festival goers as well as 130 industry professionals from Quebec, the rest of Canada, Europe and even South America alongside 140 national and international journalists.
Between scheduled concerts, fans were hungry for news of the next surprise show, whilst also enjoying the Festival's other activities such as the VR Garden, which offered a dose of the surreal , an immersive and poly sensory experience. This multidisciplinary mix is central to the festival, giving the unique feeling of being plugged into a parallel universe for four days.
The promise of complete disassociation from the rest of the world continues to attract attention year after year. Last year 120 people hopped into buses, destination unknown, arriving finally at the foot of Mount Kanusta for a block buster concert by Galaxie. On the Sunday, 350 hiked to a lake in the Kekeko Hills to attend a concert by Fred Fortuin. These unusual side trips allowed festival goers to fully enjoy one of Rouyn Noranda's greatest strengths; its proximity to nature.
Finally tallying up all of the official events alongside surprise concerts, there were 83 shows at 32 different venues for a total attendance of 35,000. More than 65 artists appeared on the various Festival stages.
INAUGURAL TORONTO BIENNALE OF CONTEMPORARY ART
SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2019
The Inaugural Toronto Biennale of Art will launch in Autumn 2019 and will be Canada's newest biennale of Contemporary Art. Taking place along the waterfront in unexpected venues and public spaces in collaboration with not for profit galleries, museums, community organisations and educational institutions across the city, the Biennial will present Canadian and International art within the complex creative, cultural,social and political context of Toronto. On view from September to December 2019, the Toronto Biennial of Art will position the city as an emerging, inclusive visual arts centre, providing an ambitious platform on which artists and art professionals at various stages in their careers, might exchange ideas and collaborate.
CORNUCOPIA WHISTLER
7 – 17 November, 2019
Cornucopias' 11 day calendar is teeming with diverse events sited for the high roller or savvy shopper, for the connoisseurs' palate and those that are eager to learn.. From cooking demonstrations to drink seminars, winery dinners to gala tasting and late night celebrations –Festival guests can customize the perfect Cornucopia experience with packages that include accommodation and their choice of Signature Tasting events such as Cellar Door, flagship Crush Grand Tasting or Poured Grand Tasting starting from $70 per person, per night.
For luxury seekers, the Chef's table luncheons will be held in lavish private Whistler chalets as a chef prepares decadent lunch before guests. Festival dinner events from winemakers to brewers round out each evening throughout Cornucopia such as options from Araxi, Bearfoot Bistro, Legs Diamond, and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
JASPER DARK SKY FESTIVAL
October 18 – 27, 2019
A Dark Sky Preserve is an area in which no artificial lighting is visible, and active measures are in place to educate and promote the reduction of light pollution to the public and nearby municipalities. Sky glow from beyond the borders of the preserve will be of comparable intensity or less, to that of natural sky glow. As a Dark Sky Preserve, Jasper National Park has made a special commitment to protect and preserve the night sky and reduce or eliminate light pollution in all its forms. Jasper National Park is one of 17 designated Dark Sky Preserves in Canada. It is the second largest Dark Sky Preserve in the World and is the largest accessible Dark Sky Preserve ,meaning there is a town within the limits of the preserve. As daylight hours start to recede, October is the ideal time to celebrate the skies with the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival, an ever growing festival aimed at connecting all ages to our universe and beyond.
MUMMERS PARADE
Late November to mid December
The Mummers Parade is in St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Mummering, in case you didn't know it is the Christmas tradition of visiting several homes throughout an evening dressed in disguise. Groups of oddly dressed friends will piece together their disguise using whatever they have around their homes. They might change their walk, talk, shape or size or whatever it takes them to make them unrecognisable. The Mummers Festival invites you to their Rig up (the provinces largest dress up party) and get your gatch on for the parade.
https://www.mummersfestival.ca/
Looking Ahead :
2020:
NEW INDIGENOUS BIENNIAL LAUNCHES IN 2020 AT WINNIPEG ART GALLERY
The first Winnipeg Indigenous Biennial themed on water, climate change and sustainability is to commence in 2020. Titled 'to draw water', the new biennial is due to begin in 2020, the same year as WAG is opening its Inuit Arts Centre. “To Draw Water”, is being curated by WAG curator of Indigenous Art, Jaimie Isaac, and WAG /University of Winnipeg Indigenous Art history chair Julie Nagam. The two exhibitions will take over the entire WAG space. The exhibitions title derives from an Anishinabegmowin concept, and the show will reflect on issues of sustainability, climate change and the environment. It will feature emerging, mid-career and established Indigenous artists based in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
It is described as the first indigenous biennial organised by a public art museum in Canada
For more information on Canada and its many events and festivals go to www.explore-canada.co.uk
Media seeking more information should go to www.destinationcanada.com/media
Or Contact Media and PR Manager, Nim Singh, Destination Canada UK, singh.nim@destinationcanada.com 0207 389 9983 (not for publication)
