I still remember the afternoon I first wandered into a Culture Days workshop three years ago. A ceramicist had set up wheels in a community center basement in east Vancouver, and within minutes, strangers were laughing together as clay spun wildly in every direction except the intended one. That’s the magic of these moments – they transform public spaces into shared creative experiences that somehow manage to dissolve the barriers we normally keep between ourselves and our neighbors.
In Barrie, Ontario, that same transformative energy is brewing again as the city prepares for Culture Days 2024, set to run from September 20 to October 13. The annual nationwide celebration invites communities to explore arts, culture, and heritage through free, interactive programming, and Barrie’s cultural leaders are now calling for local creators, organizations, and businesses to join in.
“Culture Days gives people a chance to try something new, to find an artistic outlet they might not have considered before,” explains Stephannie Schlichter, Director of Economic and Creative Development for the City of Barrie. “When we open our creative spaces to everyone, we strengthen the fabric of our community.”
This year, Barrie organizers are putting special emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, hoping to draw participants from every corner of the city. Events will be held throughout downtown Barrie, with additional programming planned for neighborhood hubs like the Five Points Theatre, MacLaren Art Centre, and the Barrie Public Library.
What makes Culture Days unique is its participatory nature. Unlike traditional arts festivals where audiences primarily observe, Culture Days invites everyone to roll up their sleeves and engage directly with creative processes. Past years have featured everything from community mural painting to songwriting workshops and theatrical improv sessions.
Local artist Jordan Williams, who led a printmaking workshop during last year’s celebration, witnessed this engagement firsthand. “There’s something powerful about watching someone who claims they ‘aren’t artistic’ create something beautiful with their hands,” Williams told me when I called to discuss this year’s plans. “By the end of our workshop, people were exchanging phone numbers and planning to meet up for coffee. That connection – that’s what it’s really about.”
The Culture Days movement began in 2010, inspired by Quebec’s Journées de la culture and similar initiatives around the world. Since then, it has grown into Canada’s largest public participation campaign for the arts, with thousands of free activities organized across the country each year. According to the Culture Days national office, more than 2.5 million Canadians participated in activities during last year’s celebration.
For Barrie, the timing of Culture Days coincides with the city’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a cultural destination. The municipality’s Cultural Plan, adopted in 2022, specifically identified public engagement in the arts as a priority for community development and economic growth.
“We know from research that culturally vibrant communities attract talent, foster innovation, and create more resilient economies,” notes Schlichter. A 2019 study from the Conference Board of Canada supports this view, finding that arts and culture contribute approximately $25 billion annually to Ontario’s GDP.
But beyond economic impacts, the celebration addresses something more fundamental: the human need to create and connect. In a digital age where many interactions happen through screens, Culture Days offers tangible, shared experiences.
The City of Barrie is currently accepting applications from artists, organizations, and businesses interested in hosting activities or workshops during the celebration. Applicants can propose anything from hands-on demonstrations to performances or exhibitions, provided they include some interactive component allowing public participation.
Registration is open until August 15 through the Culture Days website. The city is particularly encouraging proposals that represent diverse cultural traditions and artistic disciplines.
For those who haven’t experienced Culture Days before, the range of potential activities is almost limitless. Past Barrie celebrations have included Indigenous beadwork demonstrations, community dance lessons, storytelling circles, and collaborative art installations.
“I brought my kids last year thinking we’d stay for maybe an hour,” recalls Barrie resident Melanie Thomson. “We ended up spending the entire day going from one activity to another. My son, who never shows interest in art at school, was completely absorbed in a stop-motion animation workshop. It showed me a side of him I rarely get to see.”
As I’ve seen repeatedly in my reporting on community arts initiatives across Canada, these moments of creative discovery often extend far beyond the event itself. They can change career trajectories, spark lifelong hobbies, or simply offer a new lens through which to view one’s community.
The official Culture Days programming for Barrie will be announced in early September. In the meantime, cultural organizations throughout the city are already brainstorming ways to welcome both first-time participants and returning enthusiasts.
“The beauty of Culture Days is that it meets people wherever they are in their creative journey,” says MacLaren Art Centre educator Rima Koleilat. “You don’t need any prior experience or special knowledge to participate – just curiosity and willingness to try something new.”
As communities across Canada continue navigating post-pandemic reconnection, initiatives like Culture Days offer important opportunities for rebuilding social bonds. They remind us that creativity isn’t just about producing art – it’s about fostering the conditions where people can discover unexpected connections with each other.
For more information about participating in or attending Culture Days in Barrie, residents can visit the Culture Days website or contact the City of Barrie’s Creative Economy Department.
When the celebration arrives in September, I hope to visit Barrie to witness firsthand how this particular community interprets the national initiative. Because while the Culture Days framework may be consistent across Canada, the expression of it always reflects the unique character of each participating city – and that local flavor is precisely what makes it worth experiencing.
