Culture Days 2022 Highlights
Across Canada, a tide of arts, culture and creativity rose to a swell that saw a record 3.8 million people – or 10% of the population — participate in the 13th annual Culture Days, making it the most attended in the organization’s history. Culture Days celebrations connected communities from September 23rd through October 16th, 2022, and created the pathway for a substantial return to the arts.
Culture Days thrives thanks to organizers from hundreds of different communities who organize and register events. Every encounter is possible thanks to these organizers, volunteers, artists, creators, and performers who make Culture Days come to life. A massive THANK YOU and congratulations to all involved!
In Alberta, Culture Days celebrations ran alongside the Month of the Artist during September. The annual Journées de la culture celebrations in Québec also took place in tandem with Culture Days, from September 30th to October 1st.
Culture Days 2022 Recap
The 2022 Culture Days celebrations unfolded with a special energy and enthusiasm felt by attendees, organizers and the network at large. Take a look at this highlight video featuring only some of this year’s spectacular events that took place across the country.
2022 Culture Days Events
Culture Days organizers from hundreds of different communities registered over 3,000 free and participatory events, creating an array of opportunities for creative expression, knowledge-sharing and community-building. Many returned to in-person programming across the country, with participants attending performances, exhibitions and workshops, learning more about their local histories, and having new artistic and creative hands-on experiences. Online, there were hundreds of Culture Days activities to engage with - allowing folks to virtually criss-cross the country and discover arts and culture from the comfort of home.
Events were presented across a wide range and disciplines, in 31 different languages. Our listing is still live, so you can take a look back at the variety of events offered.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Friday, September 30, 2022, marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, federally commemorated and created to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools and their families. This day endeavours to acknowledge and better understand the history and harms done and engage in actions that advance Truth and Reconciliation as individuals and members of our communities.
This year, a variety of in-person and online events commemorated the day with meaningful programming which explored themes of Truth and Reconciliation and shared perspectives, and celebrated the creative and cultural expressions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit stories and communities. Many of these were planned and programmed by Indigenous artists, organizations and collectives. We thank the network for their efforts and commitment in creating programming which advances Truth and Reconciliation in their communities.
View our Truth and Reconciliation Learning Resource and Featured Events
Top Participating Communities
Each year, we recognize communities across Canada for their dedication and efforts with the Top Participating Communities list. For the first time, the list encompasses and denotes both in-person and online events. Hailing from rural and urban communities, municipalities, cities and towns, each host is a dedicated champion of a creative life–bravo to all!
Jesse Jones: Culture Days Connector
This year, Culture Days welcomed Jesse Jones (@iamjessejones)! As an entrepreneur, media host, speaker and connector with a long and storied history in the industry, Jesse is a dedicated believer in creating spaces for expression of all kinds, making him a perfect ambassador for the Culture Days message.
Throughout the three-week celebration, Jesse connected with organizers and attendees as he visited some events around Ontario and explored online activities from across Canada. Read all about Jesse’s experiences and reflections from his time visiting Culture Days events in this Blog piece, “Engaging with Arts and Culture…Together, and More Often”.
Culture365 Blog Series: Meet the Organizers
Event organizers are the force behind each year’s Culture Days celebrations. 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. The Meet the Organizers series aims to spotlight some of these community leaders and the work that they do through arts and culture in their communities. Get to know just some of these stellar Organizers featured in the Blogs below.
- Crystal Massier from Eden Care Communities
- Kenthen Thomas of the Secwepemc Nation
- Charlene Van Buekenhout from Dalnavert Museum
- Brent Johnson from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
- Jenna Kuzemski of the Surrey Fusion Festival
- Laura Rojas as an Ontario Creative in Residence
96% of attendees say that participating in Culture Days had a positive impact on their community pride.
Stay tuned for more results from our surveys to be released over the winter. Check back on our Research Page for updated statistics and results.
Community Snapshots
The 2022 Culture Days celebrations carried out a special energy and enthusiasm felt by attendees, organizers and the network at large. This energy was reflected through the campaign and interactions through social media as attendees came together and share their perspectives on this year’s spectacular displays of arts, culture and creativity. Take a look at some highlights below.
Nikhat Qureshi in Richmond, British Columbia
“Art connects cultures and communities without boundaries – defining and uplifting how we learn from each other. Culture Days brings so much excitement each year and a chance to interact with people from all backgrounds – each year I have great stories to cherish.”
Culture Days in Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Culture Days Yorkton, Saskatchewan, launched Culture Days with guided tours of the Heritage Brick Mill. Participants learned about wheat straw weaving and Yorkton’s local history.
Downtown Culture Days in Winnipeg, Manitoba
“Seeing so many people playing with art and culture throughout Culture Days gave me so much hope for our downtown. I cannot thank you enough for that.”
Scugog Arts celebrations in Port Perry, Ontario
“It was such a wonderful opportunity to connect with our arts community, for kids and adults alike to get creative, and for our arts practitioners to show off their amazing skills. Scugog arts and volunteer staff did a fantastic job facilitating this event!”
The Many Red Dresses for Awareness Project during Nuit Blanche Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
For this installation piece, artist April Doepkerengaged participants in making their own mini-dresses to be hung up around the life-size dress. The Many Red Dresses for Awareness Project, honours the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirited (MMIWG2S+), and shows support for their families, friends and communities.
We look forward to sharing more with you through the year! Be sure to sign up for our Newsletter for the latest news, and follow us on all social platforms @CultureDays