by Katie Wilde
Guelph Dance Festival kicked off the season in June, and Hillside kept things buzzing through July. Here are five more festivals to look forward to in 2018.
1. Discover your next great read at…
Eden Mills Writers Festival
September 7-9
On the second weekend in September the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival celebrates three decades of community and great Canadian literature.
Friday features a 30th anniversary celebration at the Eden Mills Community Hall, with storytelling, music, and a cash bar. There will also be a ten-minute reading from “The Cowgirl and the Indian”, a play by Eden Mills residents Kieran and Teeka Ric about Native/non-Native relations, written in collaboration with their mother, playwright Dale Hamilton, and Coast Salish elder Shane Point. Saturday boasts a slate of sold-out events including writing workshops and Jann Arden: In Conversation. On Sunday, from noon to 6pm, event-goers will gather at a variety of wheelchair-accessible sites along the banks of the Eramosa river, for readings by
Canada’s top authors. View the Sunday reading schedule here.
High school students interested in writing should take note of The Hundred Story Wood, a series of writing workshops happening on Monday, September 24.
Ticket prices range from free (children under 14), to $25 for adults at the gate, with discounts offered to students, and for buying in advance.
Find details and tickets online.
2. Delight your ears, stretch your mind at…
Guelph Jazz Festival and Colloquium
September 12-16
The Guelph Jazz Festival also celebrates an anniversary in 2018. Now in its 25th year, the multi-day event takes over a range of venues across downtown and the University of Guelph. The colloquium, themed Hovering at the Edge: Words, Music, Sound, and Song, is convened by the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) at the University of Guelph, featuring panel discussions, keynote speakers, artist talks, and workshops.
Get into Jazz Fest mode now: listen to a series of podcasts in conversation with artists who will perform at the festival, see schedule and venues or sign up to be one of the 100s of volunteers that make this festival possible.
Individual concert tickets and Saturday or full-festival passes are available through the River Run Centre.
3. Participate in or host creative events at…
Culture Days
September 28-30
Culture Days is an annual, nation-wide event that encourages participation in and discovery of what creative pursuits each community has to offer. Events are free to attend, and are hosted by organizations, artists, and municipalities. If you would like to host an event, there are toolkits, and easy-to-use registration forms available on the Culture Days website. Please register (free) by September 7 at noon so the City of Guelph can include your event in the handy print guide they produce. Visit the website to browse the lineup of local events registered so far, and plan your Culture Days weekend!
4. Speak up and listen at…
Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (hosted by Guelph Spoken Word)
October 28 – November 4
Guelph is fortunate this year as Guelph Spoken Word brings the 2018 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word to our city!
Programming proposals were due earlier this summer, but there are still a few days left to register a slam team; the deadline is August 31 at 11:59pm EST. For details contact spokenwordcanada[@]gmail[.]com.
Attendees can look forward to an array of events over the week such as: feature performances, Master Class Workshops on creative writing, performance and spoken word, “Adulting 101” tutorials (1-hour sessions on skills that are useful to those living as a working artist), awards, and panel discussions.
Stay tuned for the full schedule of performances and events.
5. Open your eyes at…
Guelph Film Festival
November 2-10
This year the Festival will once again feature a selection of global documentaries, short videos, visiting directors, panel discussions, and programming for children. The programming focuses on social justice, the environment, and community building.
The full lineup has yet to be announced, but the Guelph Film Festival will be co-presenting the keynote and screening of the legendary 16mm short film Sweet Willie Rollbar’s Orientation, originally made and scored by saxophonist Julius Hemphill in 1972 at the Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium keynote on September 14. This event is free and open to the public.
For now, mark the first week of November on your calendar, and sign up to receive updates.
