THUNDER BAY – Culture Days kicks off this Saturday. In Thunder Bay there are a number of events you can participate in. The event runs from Saturday until Monday. You can do yoga, watch dance, see art, have fun at the Bay Street Film Festival, and much more. Tied into this year’s second annual Culture Days is the 75th Anniversary of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
On the heels of Culture Days’ 2010 success, this year the pan-Canadian collaborative grass-roots movement has taken hold in some 800 communities (up from 700 last year) as more artists, organizations and supporters have mobilized to work together to promote their cultural resources and talents concurrently under the Culture Days banner. Some 5,500 free activities have been planned across the country for the Culture Days weekend (up from 4,500 in 2010).
Over 10 free activities are scheduled for the weekend in Thunder Bay, spanning a wide range of arts and cultural disciplines and practices including: visual arts, music, dance, theatre, architecture, heritage, film and video, literature, culinary arts and new media.
“Canada is growing a cross country team committed to our culture. Artists and cultural organizations, municipalities and businesses have really stepped up to the plate in 2011 to collaborate and promote the creative vitality of their communities during the Culture Days weekend. It’s going to be a great weekend of celebration and fun,” commented Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Chair of Culture Days’ National Steering Committee.
The diverse activities taking place across Thunder Bay over the Culture Days weekend include:
Uth Link, Community Arts & Heritage Education Project
Meet the Filmmakers, Bay Street Film Festival
Local Artists & Printmaking Demonstrations, Local Colour Art Gallery
Yoga for Children & Families, Thunder Bay Public Library
30th Anniversary: Theatre for Youth Open House, Eleanor Drury Children’s Theatre
Sports Hall of Fame Open House, NWO Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
Your Home’s Heritage, City of Thunder Bay Archives
Book Launches, Thunder Bay Museum
CBC Open House, CBC Radio
Thunder Bay residents can visit the Culture Days online at www.culturedays.ca to plan the weekend using the new Culture Days Bright Spots Schedule. This online planning tool creates a personalized agenda of activities happening over the Culture Days weekend and includes a “smart” recommendation feature that will make activity suggestions based on those already selected. Schedules are easily exported to email, other calendar platforms and PDF.