The countdown is on! 30 days until Ontario Culture Days returns
Over 1,000 free events happening across the province from Sept. 19 to Oct. 12
TORONTO – The countdown is on! In just 30 days, Ontario Culture Days returns with over 1,000 free events happening across the province from Sept. 19 to Oct. 12, 2025. From interactive art experiences and live performances to heritage tours and exhibitions, communities of all sizes will come alive this fall with opportunities to engage, explore, and celebrate. Now in its 16th year and part of the national Culture Days initiative, the festival highlights the arts, culture, and heritage that make Ontario unique.
“This year marks our biggest and most ambitious Ontario Culture Days festival yet, with over 1,000 free events, 16 festival hubs, and eight extraordinary Creatives in Residence projects unfolding across the province.” says, Ruth Burns, Executive Director, Ontario Culture Days. “It’s a true celebration of the creativity and diversity that defines Ontario, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences into this dynamic, community driven experience.”
Provincial Kick-Off in Thunder Bay
Kicking off the province-wide celebration is a launch event in Thunder Bay, taking place Friday, September 19. The event, titled Arts & Culture Under the Lights, promises an unforgettable night of music, performance, food, and art in the city’s historic downtown. Free and open to all, the evening will shine a spotlight on the region’s unique arts, culture, and heritage, all under the stars.
16 Provincial Festival Hubs
Ontario Culture Days will feature 16 official Provincial Festival Hubs, which act as cultural epicentres during the festival. From the lively streets of Toronto to the serene beauty of Manitoulin Island, these hubs will host programming that showcases the unique stories, traditions, and creative talents of each region.
Festival Hubs include: Brant, Caledon, Gananoque & 1000 Islands, Guelph, London, Manitoulin Island, Milton, Niagara Region, Oakville, Sault Ste. Marie, Scugog, Temiskaming, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan, and Windsor.
Eight Powerful Artist Projects: 2025 Creatives in Residence
This year’s Creatives in Residence program brings together eight outstanding Ontario artists to present new, community-engaged works rooted in the theme “The Shape of Memory.” Spanning sculpture, storytelling, land art, performance, and more, these projects reflect on how memory is preserved, reimagined, and shared across generations and geographies.
All eight projects feature free, interactive events throughout the festival, inviting the public to participate in installations, workshops, parades, and performances across Ontario.
Featured artists and projects include:
Shary Boyle (Oakville) will present The Sleeper: What keeps you up at night?, a large-scale effigy sculpture installed in a bedroom of Oakville Museum’s Erchless Estate. Visitors are invited to write down their fears and place them inside the figure, which will be buried at the end of the festival and marked by a moonlit garden, symbolizing collective healing and renewal.
Oluseye (Niagara-on-the-Lake) will present CROWN ACT, a community-built installation at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre inspired by braided escape maps used along the Underground Railroad. Rooted in Black diasporic history, CROWN ACT invites participants to consider a path of remembrance, resistance, and cultural resilience.
Natalie Laura King (Temiskaming & Toronto) will debut two projects: What I Forgot is Better Than Whatever They Remember at Temiskaming Art Gallery, exploring queer Indigenous identity and ancestral return; and As the Flower Returns, a collaborative drawing installation at HTO Park in Toronto. Both works invite public participation and reflect King’s vision of memory as a living, evolving ecology.
Eunice Luk (Niagara-on-the-Lake) will create Small Things (that run the world), an installation of large “critter” sculptures made from local plant debris at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre. The work explores ecological interdependence and invites viewers to reflect on the delicate connections between species and environments.
Roda Medhat (Guelph) will present Hidden in Plain Sight, a public artwork featuring a Kurdish rug motif installed in downtown Guelph. The project highlights cultural identity and visibility while inviting viewers to reflect on the stories embedded in everyday spaces.
Catherine Moeller (Gananoque) will lead Fish Tales: The Parade, a community parade along Gananoque’s main street featuring handmade puppets, banners, and costumes. Centred on the theme of urban wildlife, the project brings together residents of all ages to celebrate animals that have shaped, and returned to, the region.
Isabel Okoro (Toronto) will present Magic Dreams (Gentle Grounds), an installation and exhibition at 401 Richmond that blends sound, storytelling, and interactive elements. The work invites visitors into a dreamlike space where memory, imagination, and collective experience converge.
Richard Ashley Manitowabi (Manitoulin Island) will present LAND SPEAKS, a land-based installation rooted in his Indigenous values and guided by community collaboration. Taking place on Manitoulin Island as part of the 6 Foot Festival, the evolving work invites reflection on our relationship to land, language, and cultural memory.
Plan Your Ontario Culture Days Getaway
To help visitors plan their festival adventures, Ontario Culture Days has refreshed its popular ON Culture Guides, highlighting local gems, must-see events, and regional getaways. Whether you’re looking for an immersive art experience, a family-friendly activity, or an inspiring road trip, the festival offers something for everyone, and ON Culture Guide travel itineraries invite you to make the most of your Ontario journey.
Spotlight Awards
The Ontario Culture Days Spotlight Awards return in 2025 to recognize individuals and organizations making a lasting impact on arts and culture in their communities. Celebrating excellence in accessibility, leadership, creativity, collaboration, and cultural impact, the peer- and public-nominated awards shine a light on those who help shape Ontario’s vibrant cultural landscape. Winners will be announced following the festival.
By Niagara-on-the-Lake Local Staff
