June
Banff Summer Arts Festival Banff, AB (
w banffcentre.ca). Young-artist showcase: music, opera, dance, drama, comedy and visual arts, from June to Aug.
Edmonton International Jazz Festival Edmonton, AB (w edmontonjazz.com). Ten days of jazz concerts, free outdoor events and workshops.
Pride Week Toronto, ON (w pridetoronto.com). Gigantic celebration of gay culture, with huge parades and street parties that attract a million spectators.
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal Montréal, QC (w montrealjazzfest.com). The world’s largest jazz festival (ten days) features over five hundred shows, including the world’s top names; most outdoor performances are free; more than two million people attend.
July
Canada Day Ottawa, ON, and nationwide. Fireworks, parades and a day off for patriotic shenanigans every July 1.
Pow-Wows Nationwide (w powwows.com). Traditional Aboriginal Canadian celebrations taking place on reserves across the country in July and Aug.
Calgary Stampede Calgary, AB (w calgarystampede.com). One of the biggest rodeos in the world: all the usual cowboy trappings, plus chuck-wagon rides, craft exhibitions, aboriginal dancing and much more.
K-Days Edmonton, AB (w k-days.com). Family-targeted festival featuring theme park and fairground games, a food festival, parades, live music shows and the replica Chilkoot Gold Mine.
Antigonish Highland Games Antigonish, NS (w antigonishhighlandgames.ca). All sorts of traditional Scottish sports and activities recall the settlement of the area by Highlanders.
Halifax Jazz Festival Halifax, NS (w halifaxjazzfestival.ca). First-class jazz festival pulling in big names from round the world.
Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana) Toronto, ON (w torontocaribbeancarnival.com). Large-scale three-week West Indian festival culminating in a carnival weekend with music, dance and a flamboyant parade.
Festival d’Été Québec City, QC (w infofestival.com). Arts performances, live bands and other shows on and off the streets and parks of Québec City.
Just for Laughs Montréal, QC and Toronto, ON (w hahaha.com). Internationally acclaimed comic get-together with comedians from around the world performing in theatres and on outdoor stages.
August
Fringe Theatre Festival Edmonton, AB (
w fringetheatre.ca). One of North America’s most prestigious alternative-theatre festivals.
Montréal Pride Montréal, QC (w fiertemontrealpride.com). Québec’s turn to celebrate gay pride, with another huge parade and street parties.
Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival Squamish, BC (w squamishdays.ca). The continent’s biggest lumberjacks’ convention with impressive logging competitions.
Festival Acadian Caraquet, NB (w festivalacadien.ca). Celebration of Acadian culture in the northeast of New Brunswick.
Miramichi Folk Song Festival Newcastle, NB (w miramichifolksongfestival.com). New Brunswick’s prestigious folk festival, featuring many of the finest fiddlers in the Maritimes.
Glengarry Highland Games Maxville, ON (w glengarryhighlandgames.com). Tucked away in the corner of Eastern Ontario are the North American Pipe Band Championships, Highland dancing, Gaelic sport competitions and an overall rollicking good time. Usually held on the August Ontario long weekend.
September
Toronto International Film Festival Toronto, ON (
w tiff.net). Internationally acclaimed film festival spread over ten days, inundated with Hollywood stars.