Ontario Culture Days


Ontario Culture Days is a province-wide fall festival of events that occur throughout Ontario, Canada. Hundreds of art, cultural and heritage events take place in the three-week-long festival. Some events are free and some charge an entrance fee.
WWW onculturedays.ca

History

The festival started in 2010 and was originally three days in length. It was initially organized by Canadian Arts Summit. Since 2020, the festival has incorporated a "Creatives In Residence" program. Since 2021, the festival has included hubs of events in towns and cities.
The 2021 festival occurred between September 24 and October 24. The Re-Imagine theme was described as an invitation to participants to reconsider the role of art and culture in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 festival occurred between September 22 and October 15 and included eight hubs including Caledon, St. Catharines and Thunder Bay.
The 2024 Culture Days occurred between September 20 and October 13. The festival featured hubs in Brant,Niagara Region and St. Catharines, Gananoque and Thousand Islands, Guelph, Manitoulin Island, Halton, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie,  Scugog, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan, and Windsor.

Spotlight Awards

Since 2020, Ontario Culture Days has organized Spotlight Awards. Since 2023, the Spotlight Awards has included Warren Garrett Inclusive Programming Award, named after one of the organization's founding board members. The awardees are selected by a jury based on programmatic impact.
YearAwardEventLocationOrganizerRef.
2024Best In-Person ProgramStories of Peace Award CeremonyBancroftCanadian Peace Museum
2024People's ChoiceNature's ThreadsBarrieEbru Winegard
2024Best Collaborative ProgramParis Birds for DiversityParisCarolina Saenz from La Trenza Tacos, Lisa Franklin from Forest and Folk, and Mountain WoodWork Canada
2024Warren Garrett Inclusive Programming AwardPerforming the Apocalypse: A Performance Art Workshop with Megan ArnoldGuelphJude Akrey
2023Best In-Person ProgramDance Together FestivalYorkDance Together Festival
2023People's ChoiceWorld of ThreadsOakvilleWorld of Threads Festival
2023Best Collaborative ProgramA Place I Call Home HaltonOakvilleFaisal Anwar
2023Warren Garrett Inclusive Programming AwardDaniel's CafeVaughanDaniel Xia
2022Best In-Person ProgramArohaFest Diwali CelebrationOttawaNational Arts Centre
2022People's ChoiceSisters in Spirit VigilVaughanCity of Vaughan, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
2022Best Collaborative ProgramReshaping RuinsGuelphThe City of Guelph Museums & Culture
2022Best Digital ProgramLet's honour our mother tongue!TorontoYannis Lobaina
2022Inclusive ProgrammingRadical ConnectionsOttawaRadical Connections Unmasked Connections
2021Best In-Person ProgramON THE TABLE: Controlled Collaborative ChaosHalton HillsPauline Gladstone
2021People's ChoiceHoneymoon – My Pocketbook of I Love You'sVaughanMadeline Fiore
2021Best Digital ProgramHealing the Scars of ColonialismMiltonArts Milton, Grandmother's Voice
2021Inclusive ProgrammingEngaging in ASL and BeyondMiltonArts Milton, E.C. Drury School for the Deaf
2020AccessibilityBe Moved by ArtOttawaCJ Fleury
2020Creative SolutioneeringCurbside Concerts Featuring "The Vaudevillian"MiltonArts Milton, Rick Imus
2020Participation From a DistanceCome TogetherMiltonArts Milton, House of Chords
2020People's ChoiceHalton Mural ProjectMiltonArts Milton, Pflag

Organization

The festival is organized by a nonprofit organization also called Ontario Culture Days. The organization's Executive Director is Ruth Burns.
It is one of six provincial festivals organized by Toronto-based organization Culture Days. The other five festivals are Alberta Culture Days, B.C. Culture Days, Saskatchewan Culture Days, Manitoba Culture Days, and Journées de la culture.