Calgary Stampede, Alberta
The world-renowned Calgary Stampede is the place where hides are raw, hearts untamed and the world’s toughest rodeo stock walk on two legs.
More than four million guests will don cowboy/cowgirl boots and feast on the Stampede’s infamous carnival fare from July 5 to 14.
The event is as much about the music as it is about rodeo. Previous line-ups included Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Nelly Furtado, Ben Harper, KISS and the Dixie Chicks.
This year’s performers include Motley Crue and country music icon, Miranda Lambert, with the full line-up to be announced soon.
Festival d’été de Québec
Is 11 days enough time to explore 300 shows and 10 stages? Find out at the Festival d’été de Québec from July 4 to 14.
Every year this event attracts more than one million festivalgoers to Québec City’s historical district for concerts by international superstars and top new talent. Don’t forget to check out the street performers and night festivities too.
Just For Laughs, Montreal
The largest comedy festival in the world transforms Montreal into a laughing frenzy with galas, street art, theatre productions and stand-up performances.
Hosting more than 1,700 artists from 19 countries as well as more than two million festivalgoers, Just For Laughs offers 1,600 performances, including 1,200 free outdoor shows. The festival runs from July 12 to 28.
Folklorama, Winnipeg
This is the largest and longest-running multicultural event of its kind in the world, allowing visitors to explore an array of diverse cultures displayed across community centres, high school gymnasiums and cultural centres.
Taking place from August 4 to 17, The Folklorama extravaganza features world-class entertainment, ethnic foods and beautiful cultural displays.
Adäka Cultural Festival, Yukon Territory
Visit the Yukon from June 28 to July 1 when more than 150 Aboriginal artists and performers will congregate in the capital city of Whitehorse to share their arts and culture during this week-long event.
The banks of the Yukon River offer the perfect backdrop to this world-class festival, hosted at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre.
Immerse yourself in traditional and contemporary music and sign up for a workshop to try your hand at drumming, dance, storytelling, film, visual art exhibitions, interpretive programming and community feasts.
Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival
From May 30 to June 2, Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival returns to Toronto where almost 100 Indigenous artists and designers will participate in runway shows, panel discussions, hands-on workshops and an art exhibition.
Led by Indigenous women, the festival explores the connections between mainstream fashion, Indigenous art and traditional practices.
This year’s line-up features 89 Indigenous artists, designers, makers and brands, with a spotlight on Indigenous Latinx artists from across Turtle Island.
Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa
Taking place from May 10 to 20 in the capital city of Ottawa, this is a vibrant celebration of nature, culture and Canadian history.
This annual event showcases more than a million tulips in bloom, painting the city with a kaleidoscope of colours and fragrances.
Beyond the blooms, attendees can immerse themselves in a diverse lineup of cultural performances, culinary delights and interactive activities that celebrate the enduring friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, commemorating the symbolic gift of tulips from the Dutch Royal Family to Canada.
Luminato, Toronto
This international arts festival is dedicated to performance, media and visual arts and turns theatres, parks and public spaces into homes for art.
It features programming that cuts across traditional artform boundaries, working closely with Canadian artists to support the development and creation of distinctive new work as well as presenting today’s most exciting artists from around the world. It runs from June 6 to 16.
Bluesfest, Ottawa
World-class acts including Motley Crue, Tyler Childers and Talk will be playing at this epic outdoor music festival that has gone beyond its blues roots to increasingly showcase mainstream pop, hip hop, reggae and rock acts.
Running from July 4 to 14, the full line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.
GETTING THERE
Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane. Direct flights from Sydney to Vancouver are also available on Qantas. Internal flights are available throughout Canada from all major cities, in addition to the VIA Rail train service.
