Ontario Culture:
Aboriginal Culture, Arts Festivals, Multicultural Festivals

Celebrate Ontario culture and its richness and diversity with Aboriginal festivals and powwows, art festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, and multi-cultural festivals like Oktoberfest, Caribana and more!

ABORIGINAL CULTURE

Aboriginal people have lived in the land now known as Ontario for about 11,000 years. Although today many individuals live in cities and towns, there are still several Aboriginal territories, referred to as native reserves, across the province. Many host tourism ventures including art galleries, museums and performances.

The largest reserve in Canada is the Six Nations territory near Brantford. They put on the spectacular Grand River Powwow, which is open to visitors, every summer. Many other powwows take place across the province, including the Canadian Aboriginal Festival which is being held in Hamilton for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Looking for work by Aboriginal artists? For more information about where to find see it and where to buy it, see my article on Aboriginal Art.

ART FESTIVALS

Ontario hosts more cultural festivals than I can count. Every community puts on festivals celebrating art, literature, storytelling and more, and often a combination of many different arts.

Toronto is the site of many of the biggest Ontario culture fests: Toronto International Film Festival, IFOA: International Festival of Authors, the Toronto Outdoor Art Show, and Luminato are just a few.

MULTICULTURAL FESTIVALS

As a multicultural society, Ontario is also rich in folk and ethnic festivals. Toronto, which is Ontario’s biggest city and the number one destination for new immigrants, is in fact the most multicultural city in the world.

Perhaps that explains why you’ll find so many exciting ethnic festivals in this city. The annual Caribana Festival is the biggest one of all, and it includes several different celebrations, including dances (or “jump-ups”), concerts and the biggest interactive show of all, the Caribana Parade.

Almost every ethnic group in Toronto has an annual festival. The Irish have St. Patrick’s Day, with its parade down the main streets and parties and dances all over the city. Kitchener Ontario is home to the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany.

In addition to cultural festivals celebrating one particular ethnic culture, Ontario puts on festivals celebrating many cultures, called “Multicultural Festivals”.

You may enjoy

Ontario Culture: Galleries, Museums, Studios, Performances

Aboriginal Art

Grand River Powwow

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