September 23rd - October 16th

A 3-week celebration of arts, culture, and creativity across Canada!

Canada is ready for a reemergence of arts and culture — and so is Culture Days! As the world navigates to past norms and designs new solutions for everyday life, we believe arts, culture, and expression play a vital role in a healthy, thriving society. As we reimagine and reemerge, Culture Days is an opportunity to champion a life enriched by arts, culture, and creativity.

The next Culture Days national celebration will take place September 23rd through October 16th, 2022, for three weeks of creativity, community and connection from coast-to-coast-to coast. Over this 3-week run, organizers, volunteers, artists, creators and community members showcase the important role that arts and culture play in strengthening communities, the well-being of individuals, and the vitality of our social fabric. Get inspired by checking out the highlights from the 2021 Culture Days celebrations.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR) honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools and their families, endeavours to acknowledge and better understand the history and harms done and, as individuals and members of our communities, engage in actions which advance Truth and Reconciliation.

Accordingly, Culture Days has set September 30, 2022 aside to create space exclusively for events organized to commemorate the NDTR, including those aimed at sharing First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit experiences and perspectives celebrating the creative and cultural expressions of Indigenous people and communities.

In order to ensure that Indigenous voices and participation are central to any event planned for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, there will be additional questions for organizers to answer during the registration process. If the proposed event does not appear to appropriately and meaningfully reflect the above, Culture Days may contact the event organizer for more details. Find more information on our FAQ page.

Getting ready for the 2022 Culture Days celebrations

Event registration will open May 2022

Anyone can organize an event and participate in Culture Days! Event organizers hail from the full spectrum of cultural creators — from grassroots community volunteers, public libraries, and independent artists, to major arts, culture, and heritage institutions, speciality festivals, and municipalities — and, there’s always room for more!

Culture Days celebrations are all about amplifying and reflecting your local community. Although there is no singular theme, you can draw inspiration from the following list of words that are important to Culture Days:

CELEBRATION, CONNECTION, PARTICIPATION, INCLUSIVITY, CREATIVITY, SELF-EXPRESSION, COLLABORATION, COLLECTIVE CARE

Throughout the year, Culture Days will be presenting learning opportunities for the network and talking about a wide range of timely topics, including: partnerships, placemaking, hybrid programming, inclusive engagement, youth empowerment, and sustainable futures.

Event planning:

• Not sure where to start? Review our Participation Guide where you will learn how to participate, get organized and promote your events as part of the nation-wide Culture Days celebrations. Check out the Getting ready for Culture Days page for some tips on engaging other organizers in your area.
• Our FAQ covers all the basics to answer your questions about Culture Days.
• Once again, this year you have the flexibility to program events in-person or online throughout the duration of the Culture Days festivities. Need activity planning inspo? Explore our updated Programming Ideas page. Plus, we have an Online Programming resource for those who want to go digital!
• With registration launch, Culture Days will release official campaign creative assets and customizable graphics, templates, and materials that you can use to join the campaign! Other media assets, PR support tools, and more are released over the summer.

Make sure you are signed up for our Newsletter to receive important updates and releases.

Explore other available resources:

• Visit our Logo and Brand Assets page to download the files and see our brand guidelines.
• Our Planning your Event resource will give you detailed information about finding venues, naming and describing your events, and more.
• Once your event has been planned, visit our Promoting Your Event page to start spreading the word.
• Get everything you need to know about PR in our Public Relations Guide, including key messages, generating awareness and identifying media.
• If you are a community organizer, be sure to check out our Community Organizer Guide, where you will find a Culture Days timeline, from connecting with local reprsentatives and promoting event registration to putting on the events and reflecting on them.
• From recruitment, to training and supervising volunteers, all you need to know is in our Volunteer Management resource
• Find information on how to best capture your Culture Days celebrations in our Documenting Your Event resource
• Throughout the year, Culture Days invites guest experts to discuss a variety of topics and provide insights and skill development to help strengthen your public engagment practices. Watch the recordings of our webinars and access tip sheets.
• Review the Indigenous Cultural Programming guide and learn how to start the development of lasting and respectful relationships with Indigenous communities and the production of meaningful cultural programming.
• Are you incorporating school programs into your Culture Days strategy? Read through our School Engagement Tool Kit.

Join the campaign

Connect with us as we share and promote arts and culture happenings and reimaginings across Canada. Stay up to date with the good stuff on our blog, and meet cutting-edge creatives from across the country through our video profiles.

Follow the latest from across Canada, learn about network updates, opportunities and funding resources through our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn channels.

Subscribe to the national newsletter to stay in the loop.

Find more inspiration from Culture Days participants in the ‘Meet our Organizers’ blog profiles

Latest posts:

• Meet our Organizers: Kenthen Thomas of the Secwepemc Nation
• Meet our Organizers: Crystal Massier from Eden Care Communities

Get in touch with your provincial offices

British Columbia - Alberta - Saskatchewan - Manitoba - Ontario

For all other regions, to connect with National staff, or for general inquiries: [email protected]