The Best 10 Festivals of Canada
Canada is a vast country rich in cultural diversity. There is so much fun to be in Canada. Be it playing casino games, visiting Niagara falls, playing ice hockey, going to a night club or just relaxing at home you really love each and every place in Canada. Canada as well as Canadians keep you engaged in some event or sport whatsoever.
It is amazing to find that there are so many festivals and cultural events going on one after the other. Recently Justin Trudeau the PM of Canada was seen celebrating Chinese New Year at Dragon Ball festival 2016 along with the Canadians and Chinese. Also in attendance were former mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion as well as Immigration minister John McCallum.
The festivals are categorically segmented like Children’s festivals, Comedy festivals, Cultural festivals, Exhibitions, Film Festivals, Food Festivals, Fringe Festivals, Literary festivals, Music Festivals and much more.
Let use learn about the best 10 festivals that celebrated and are most popular ones in Canada.
1. Honda Vancouver Celebration of Light
You can enjoy the largest fireworks competition in the world at Vancouver during summers when you get to experience for three nights the best of firework ever displayed. The Honda Celebration of Light comprises concerts, food stalls and the Seawall Challenge, a popular urban adventure race. This festival started annually since 1990 mostly occurs in the month of July-August. The streets are jam-packed and you have to get off your car to enjoy this festival at English Bay Beach. In 2015 more than 400,000 people attended the Celebration of Light fireworks. There are tons of concession stands, food vendors, and good restroom access, too.
2. The Calgary Stampede
Horses are always admired by Canadians. The city of Calgary features good old fashioned hospitality combined with cultural diversity. Located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and popular destinations like Banff and Jasper, awaits a world of outdoor adventure. This 10 day festival being held in the month of July has millions of visitors. You can enjoy concerts, music, dance, eateries, lottery games like Keno and have all the fun winning luxurious cars, trucks and even boats and bikes.
3. Edmonton Folk Festival
This famous festival began in 1980 at Edmonton and is now world’s premier folk festivals. Held each year in the month of August, the festival’s has outstanding artists to perform with live concerts to enjoy within the reasonable ticket prices. About two hours drive you can also enjoy the Jasper and the Canadian rockies!
4. Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a public film festival held in September at Toronto. Started in early 1970s this festival has focuses on the best international cinema discovering new talent and promoting new works from filmmaking masters. Films such as Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty, and The Big Chill made their premieres at this prominent star-studded event held each September.
You can watch best of films here even animated series of documentaries. You can also view the trailers of movies in your Official TIFF Smartphone App and can buy TIFF tickets online or by phone (416-599-TIFF or toll free at 1-888-599-8433).
5. Winterlude Festival Ottawa
Canadians have the habit to enjoy cold weather and snow. This festival is all about the celebration in sub-zero temperatures and waist-high snowdrifts The nation’s capital puts on a winter festival that features ice-skating on the world’s longest rink, ice sculptures, a snow playground,
This is annual winter celebration in Canada’s capital city held over the first three weekends of January- February. Most Winterlude activities are free and outdoors and include skating on the world’s largest skating rink – the Rideau Canal – snow sculpture contests, concerts and more.
The many Winterlude activity venues are at various locations, including Confederation Park, Jacques Cartier Park, and the Rideau Canal Skateway and downtown Ottawa. Winterlude events and activities take place in downtown Ottawa. Event locations include the Rideau Canal Skateway, Jacques Cartier Park, Festival Plaza at Ottawa City Hall, and Confederation Park.
6. Canada Day Festival
July 1st is the day of celebrations in Canada marking Canada’s birth as a country, You can see Canadians donning their red and white attire and whooping it up with fireworks and lots of that good Canadian beer. The celebration is nationwide, but Ottawa will show you a particularly good time. Excitement continue the whole the day at major sites and attractions downtown and across the Capital. The evening show on Parliament Hill features a stellar lineup of Canadian performers and the festival is culminated in evening with giant fireworks show.
7. Montreal Jazz Fest
Named the largest jazz festival in the world in 2004 by the Guinness Book of World Records, Montreal Jazz Festival organizers claim the fest attracts roughly two million guests at every edition, offering attendees the choice of hundreds of concerts spread out over 10 or 11 days. In 2016, the Montreal Jazz Festival runs from June 29 to July 9, 2016 with pre-opening shows anticipated on June 28 and post-closers on Jul 10, 2016. In this 10 day festival you can enjoy rock, pop and other genre of jazz shows
Expect to see the biggest names in not just jazz but other types of music. Performing artists have included Diana Krall, Norah Jones, and Aretha Franklin. The 2016 festival welcomes Diana Ross, Cab Calloway and Wynton Marsalis amongst others.
8. Just for laughs Comedy Festival
The comedy festival of festivals, Montreal’s Just for Laughs runs July 13 to July 31, 2016. Started in 1983 this festival is for laugh fun and entertainment. The festival is held every July, has grown in popularity and reputation and today features some of the world’s greatest comedians and spawned a television show that is broadcast internationally.
9. Quebec Winter Carnival
Quebec Winter Carnival is celebrated every year, beginning on the last weekend of January and continues for 17 days. The world’s largest winter carnival, the Quebec Winter Carnival has been a highlight on the Quebec event calendar since 1894 and been giving Quebeckers and thousands of visitors a reason to celebrate during the cold, snowy winters.
The Quebec Winter Carnival takes place at various locations in Old Quebec. Locations are within about a 1 km distance of one another, so for most people it is easy to catch up this walking distance.
10. Celtic Colors International Festival
Celtic color is held for nine days every October on the delightful island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This unique Island-wide celebration of Celtic culture and music is the largest of its kind in North America.
This festival came into being in 1997 with dozens of concerts all over the island, an extensive line-up of community events, and a nightly Festival Club. Over the years, artists have traveled from Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Brittany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Cuba as well as from across the United States and Canada to join the finest of Cape Breton’s musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and tradition-bearers for the annual Autumn celebration.
Are you planning to go for any of these festivals in Canada?