Great Canadian Summer Festivals to Enjoy in 2015

Summertime is festival time in North America, especially in Canada, where a variety of lively, festive events draw huge audiences every year, both locally and from the U.S. and other countries.
In fact, there are many more festivals held annually in Canada than many people realize, ranging from popular cultural and musical performances to food and sporting events attended by thousands, varied enough to suit almost any interest.

Here is a list of some of the top annual Canadian festivals that are perennially popular broken them down by region.

Atlantic Canada Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador

Canada’s birthday celebration, Canada Day, takes place on July 1 so why not celebrate it in the country’s birthplace, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island? The Atlantic Superstore Festival of Light takes place in Charlottetown during the three days leading up to July 1. A carnival midway with buskers from around the world, and concerts by rock bands at night, lead up to the laser show and fireworks display over the harbor on July 1. You can also enjoy the wide-ranging Charlottetown Festival (June 8–August 29).

The Halifax Pride Parade (July 25) is part of Halifax Pride Week (July 16–26). You’ll also find a mixed bag of music, storytelling, rowing regattas and street buskers in Newfoundland at St. John’s Time (June 30–August 9). Also of note are Le Festival Acadien de Caraquet (August 1–15) and Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival (July 23–25), both in New Brunswick, and The Tuckamore Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland (August 8–23).

If you’re hungering for shellfish check out the Digby Scallop Days (August 7–9) festival in Digby, Nova Scotia and the Summerside Lobster Carnival (July 20–25) or the PEI International Shellfish Festival (September 17–20), both on Prince Edward Island.

Montréal Jazz Festival / photo: Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Central Canada

Québec and Ontario
The Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, ON (August 21–September 7) is summer’s must-go-to event while the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (which opened May 1 and continues to October 18) stretches the season with numerous productions, ranging from Sound of Music to Hamlet. In Montréal you can enjoy Les FrancoFolies de Montréal (June 11–20), a huge outdoor music festival featuring 1,000 artists from a dozen countries, and the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (June 26–July 5).

Toronto also hosts a jazz festival, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival (June 18–29) and the gay festival Pride Toronto (June 19–8), capping it off with its celebrated Toronto International Film Festival (September 10–20). Ottawa gets into the musical act with the RBC Royal Bank Ottawa Bluesfest (July 8–19).

If you want to stretch the summer season you may want to visit the pretty historic village of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, only 20 minutes North of Niagara Falls, which is home to the Shaw Festival (April 8–November 1) that annually presents an eclectic array of comedies, dramas and classics.

Winnipeg Folk Festival / photo: Winnipeg Folk Festival

The Prairies

Saskatchewan and Manitoba
There’s plenty happening in Saskatchewan and Manitoba during the summer months ranging from Fringe to Shakespeare. The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival (June 25–July 5) kicks off the season, followed by Dauphin’s Countryfest (June 25–28) in Manitoba. July 8 sees the curtain raised on the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan (July 8–August 23), this year presenting Much Ado About Nothing and Othello, followed by the Winnipeg Folk Festival (July 9–12), the same dates as the Craven Country Jamboree in Saskatchewan. They’re followed by the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival (July 15–26). In Regina enjoy dance, food at the cultural festival Mosaic (June 4–6).

The Calgary Stampede / photo: Calgary Stampede

Mountains and West

Alberta and British Columbia
Further west in Alberta you can mingle with cowboys at Alberta’s Calgary Stampede, the famous annual western-Canadian classic (July 3–12). Hang around a few weeks longer for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (August 6–9) and the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival (August 14–24), or travel westward to get your dose of Shakespeare at the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, BC (June 4 – September 26). This year they’ll be presenting The Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Shakespeare’s Rebel.

Vancouver also hosts the Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival (August 2) and two music festivals, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 17–19) and MusicFest Vancouver (August 5–­11) while nearby Victoria hosts the TD Victoria International JazzFest (June 19–28) and the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival (August 27–September 6).

Alberta’s Banff Summer Arts Festival offers dance, opera, orchestral music, jazz and string quartet competitions, literary and visual arts, Aboriginal arts, and film (June 1–August31). If you’re visiting Victoria you can also watch the 90 teams that compete in the annual Victoria Dragon Boat Festival (August 14-16), which takes place in the city’s inner harbor.

Great Northern Arts Festival / photo: Great Northern Arts Festival

Canada’s North

Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories
If you’re hardy, up north celebrate the longest day of the year, and National Aboriginal Day, at the Summer Solstice Festival (June 21) at Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, or race a mountain bike through the night – no headlight required – at 24 Hours of Light, a mountain-bike festival in Whitehorse, in the Yukon (June 27–28).

If you’re in a less energetic mood you might enjoy the Alianait Arts Festival in Nunavut (June 26–July 1). Or visit the Northwest Territories for the Great Northern Arts Festival (July 17–26) and Folk on The Rocks (July 17–19).

International Balloon Festival of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu / photo- Márcio Cabral de Moura

If you’d rather stay closer to the border and relish a good fireworks competition, you’ll likely enjoy the Honda Celebration of Light (July 25­–August 1) in Vancouver, BC or the Loto-Québec International Fireworks Competition (each Wednesday and Saturday, July 1–August 1) in Montréal.
There are also exciting aerial exhibits at British Columbia’s Abbotsford International Airshow (August 7–9), The Canadian International Air Show (September 5–7) in Toronto, Atlantic Balloon Fiesta (September 11–13) in Sussex, NB and the International Balloon Festival of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (August 8–16) in Quebec.

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