North Bay Ontario is a mid-sized Northern community and a creative hub known for being rich in a variety of arts and culture initiatives, festivals, and events! Lockdowns and restrictions have put a hold on so much, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a wish list of all the amazing cultural experiences we can’t wait to get to once restrictions are lifted. North Bay is bursting at the seams with creative experiences, so we’re making a Post-Lockdown Creative Sector Bucket List that you will want to write down. (I’ll wait for you to get a pencil).
Hop, don’t run to the Downtown Gallery Hop!
This quarterly event brings together galleries, cultural spaces, and downtown shops, inviting folks to walk North Bay’s beautiful downtown and explore it in a new way. Shops stay open late, galleries host opening receptions, and there’s even a restaurant after-party inviting everyone to grab a beer and make art of their own! Follow Downtown Gallery Hop on social media to make sure you don’t miss this event on your next trip.
GalleryHop – Raven and Republic. Photo by Jaymie Lathem
Catch a live show!
There’s nothing like experiencing a performance in person! The atmosphere of the theatre, the energy from the performers, the feeling of togetherness that you get from the rest of the audience. And man, does North Bay have one amazing theatre. The Capitol Centre was built in 1927 and entertained crowds through the Great Depression and WWII. This historical theatre still boasts some of the best acoustics I have ever heard. Home to the North Bay Symphony, Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre, and the WKP Kennedy Gallery and welcoming many Canadian and International artists each year – I cannot wait to get back in there and escape through each and every performance.
Capitol Centre Theatre. North Bay, Ontario.
Film Festivals
Festivals are the ultimate summertime event. A way to get away, transform yourself, and live a life of freedom for a day or a weekend. And we’ve got quite a few festivals that make our bucket list! Film Festivals? Oh, we’ve got some: North Bay Film Festival happens every November and is a weekend packed with films, panel discussions, and artist talks, sure to make a killer film-lovers weekend getaway. Deep Cut Film Festival is packed with international hitters and emerging works, and it’s held in February, making it a great choice for a cold winter destination vacay.
The Deep Cut Film Festival.
North Bay Film Festival at the Capitol Centre.
Ice Follies
Ice Follies, is a great biennial winter festival of contemporary and community-engaged art installations on the ice of Lake Nipissing. YUP – North Bay is cold in the winter, and this internationally recognized festival takes advantage of the below-zero temperatures. All visitors are invited and encouraged to interact with the works embedded into the ice just off the shore of Lake Nipissing and engage with each piece. Ice Follies runs in February for just over two weeks and transforms from day to night as well – with many artists incorporating LED lights and media-based works into their installations. Set to return in 2023 for their 10th anniversary, this is at the TOP of our bucket list.
Ice Follies ‘The Deep Dark Crossing’. Artist Caitilin R. C. Brown & Wayne Garrett. Photo by Liz Lott
Ice Follies. ‘Tetra’. Artist Studio Nude Beach. Photo by Studio Nude Beach
Ice Follies. ‘Tetra’. Artist Studio Nude Beach. Photo by Laura Peturson
Experience the Bay Block Party!
Bay Block Party, organized by the North Bay Realestate Board, is a full day in August that shuts down Downtown North Bay’s Main Street and transforms it into a full on music, food, and art experience that you won’t want to miss. We’re talkin’ multiple beer booths, food trucks, an artisan market, art installations, and a full stage setup with a music lineup that goes from afternoon to party time. Stay tuned to Bay Block Party on their website and Facebook as they announce their return to Downtown North Bay.
Bay Block Party. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli
North Bay is just 3.5 hours North of Toronto and about the same distance West of Ottawa. That means – It’s not too far and 100% worth the trip any time of year. I hope you’ve made notes, set alarms, favourited some websites, sharpened your pencils and got yourself ready to star checking things off your bucket list because, I don’t know about you, but when restrictions are lifted, I want to be ready!
Arts & Culture proudly supported by Creative Industries.
