Province provides more than $2.1-million in funding to Ottawa festivals
OTTAWA—The recipients of 2011 Celebrate Ontario funding have been announced, and this year the provincial government’s commitment to several Ottawa area festivals is over $2.1-million, marking an increase of over half a million dollars from last year’s investment.
The twelve festivals benefiting from this year’s funding are the Canadian Tulip Festival, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Festival franco-ontarien, Music and Beyond, Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Ottawa International Children’s Festival, Ottawa International Writers Festival, Rideau Canal Festival, Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival, and the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival.
“It is very encouraging to see an increased commitment from the province,” says Barb Stacey, Executive Director of Ottawa Festivals, a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 50 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in Canada’s Capital Region, “There is no question that these events have tremendous socio-economic impact on the community by providing affordable access to cultural and community-based activities while also attracting more visitors. These events help showcase Ottawa’s identity while also creating significant economic impact that supports increased prosperity, jobs and opportunities for our community.”
Created to help festivals and events improve their programming and services to attract new audiences, increase visitor spending and create jobs; Celebrate Ontario is investing a total of $20-million in 230 events across the province.
It’s festival season in the capital
TRACEY TONG, METRO OTTAWA
Ottawa is widely known as the city of festivals.
For residents looking for something to do on weekends without having to leave the city, the lineup doesn’t disappoint.
Read the full article on the Metro website to see a run down of a few of the many, many events that will be happening over the course of the next few months: It’s festival season in the capital
Community focus at Aboriginal Arts Fest
TRACEY TONG | METRO OTTAWAThe people, not the politics.
That’s what this weekend’s Aboriginal Arts Festival is all about, according to coordinator Trina Mather-Simard.
In celebration of National Aboriginal Day on Sunday, the free festival, running Friday through Sunday, aims to educate both aboriginals and non-aboriginals about the cultures and contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples to Canada.
“Our goal is to bring the larger community together and create a connection, understanding and awareness on a more peer-to-peer basis,” said Mather-Simard.
“It’s important to recognize aboriginals as a part of our communities.”
The main festival events on Saturday and Sunday take place on Victoria Island, which is a historically sacred Aboriginal spot, still used for ceremonies and gatherings.
Full story on the Metro Ottawa website: Community focus at Aboriginal Arts Fest
Festival fever
Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
The Dragon Boat and Summer Solstice festivals offer great entertainment this weekend, says Lynn Saxberg.
In the meantime, two relatively new festivals taking place this weekend are of growing interest to music fans. The Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival at Mooney’s Bay is presenting the all-star African Guitar Summit as part of its lineup, while the Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival on Victoria Island includes a headlining performance by one of Canada’s top First Nations bands, Eagle & Hawk, on Sunday.
At Dragon Boat, the concerts are part of an initiative that started five years ago, partly to entertain hundreds of paddlers and their families on shore at Mooney’s Bay. This year, 190 teams are participating in the races, with a goal of raising more than $300,000 for Ottawa-area charities.
June 21 is the summer solstice, a traditional day of celebration for aboriginal people around the world. In 1996, it was officially declared National Aboriginal Day in Canada. For the last couple of years, organizers of the Ottawa event have expanded the celebrations to fill a whole weekend.
Read the full article on the Ottawa Citizen website: Festival fever
