The history of Canadian festivals is a bit different from the American ones given that we have two official languages. To this day, there are still a few in which the primary language is French.
That said, a festival in Quebec or a francophone area will be more likely to have programming in French, but that’s just a general rule.
Many festivities began in the late nineteenth century, but most of them started to become popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Some still take place on an annual basis while others are only celebrated every three or four years.
This is an overview of music events in Canada, both national and regional festivals.
Acadian Festival
Many early arts and culture festivals were held as a way to celebrate the opening of a new town hall or museum. Other popular reasons for launching an arts festival were to promote tourism and civic pride.The oldest festival in the country is the Acadian Festival, which began in 1901. The Carrousel de la Jeunesse was an annual event from 1910 to 1914. As of 2016, there are over 200 festivals across Canada.
Canada has a number of major arts festivals that have become well-known on the world stage. These events attract visitors from around the globe and feature performers who are internationally acclaimed. Here are some of these key national or international celebrations.
Chamber Music Festival
Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival holds concerts every July at venues all over Ottawa. The popularity of this event soared after it received its current name in 1991, becoming one of the largest chamber music festivals in North America with 40 concerts featuring more than 450 musicians onstage. The Ottawa Jazz Festival began in 1980 and is North America’s largest jazz festival. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was established in 1976; it has since become one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world with an attendance of 400,000 people every year. The Montreal Just for Laughs festival is best known as a comedy festival where ticket sales exceed 1 million each year.
There are also many popular summer music festivals that occur annually.
Penticton Peachfest
Penticton Peachfest hosts various live musical acts along with over 70 attractions to keep visitors busy throughout the day. Since its inaugural event in 2002, this annual fest continues to be growing in popularity. The Red Shoe Pub Crawl takes place during Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, a ten-day celebration that attracts more than 700,000 visitors each year. It is the second largest Bavarian festival in the world after Germany’s Oktoberfest.
Ottawa Folk Festival
Ottawa Folk Festival is held at Carp Fairgrounds every September and showcases some of the best folk music artists in North America. Montreal International Fireworks Competition (L’International des Feux Loto-Québec) takes place over eight nights every summer on Sainte Helene Island; this fireworks contest has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest annual international fireworks competition worldwide.The Calgary Stampede is an annual event started in 1912 to celebrate Western heritage with rodeo competitions, live shows and concerts. It also features the Indian Village, a historic area that represents First Nations culture.
The Caribana festival in Toronto
The Caribana festival in Toronto is part of an annual Caribbean carnival on Lake Ontario where Calypso, reggae and soca music are played on land while colourful boats make their way on the water.
AtlanticFest
There are also regional festivals held across Canada every year, some of which attract up to one million visitors. These major gatherings include
AtlanticFest in Newfoundland takes place near Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s in late August or early September each year and showcases many traditional folk singers from all over Atlantic Canada along with other performing arts acts. This four-day event has been running since 1990.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival first started in 1980 as a three-day folk festival, but has since become an eight-day event that continues to grow every year.
The Jasper Heritage Rodeo
The Jasper Heritage Rodeo celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2016. This renowned music fest attracts thousands of visitors each August along with some of the world’s best cowboys who come to compete for major cash prizes
This four day music festival takes place at Chinguacousy Park during late June or early July each year. More than 300 artists attend this annual celebration of indie rock bands which also features comedy acts, educational presentations and video artworks.
The Kitchener Blues Festival
The Kitchener Blues Festival has been running since 1994 and is a three-day event for lovers of blues music. This popular fest takes place each July at multiple venues around the city.
The London Rib-Fest
The London Rib-Fest also known as “London’s Original BBQ Celebration” runs for 10 days every June in Victoria Park, bringing together food vendors selling ribs, sausages and side dishes from all over North America. The Winnipeg Folk Festival features many folk music artists from across Canada and other countries during five days every July. The Calgary Stampede Showband Show takes place during this well-known festival in early July where a variety of outfits compete to become the official showband of Calgary Stampede.
The South Simcoe Country Fair
The South Simcoe Country Fair in Innisfil has been running for over 60 years and is North America’s largest free admission fair. Visitors can see live musical performances, train rides, exotic animals and traditional county displays in this three-day event which takes place every August.