Join us in celebrating the arts throughout Port Hope this August.
August is Arts Month in Port Hope
Our in-person Arts Festival will take place in downtown Port Hope on August 13, 2022. The event will feature a 10-Minute Play Series, a vendor market, and a community gathering in the park. You can expect food vendors, activities for the kids, an outdoor movie and other fun surprises!
Port Hope has arts and culture experiences abound!
Follow along on our event facebook page for more updates and details throughout August.
10-Minute Play Series
On August 13, enjoy eight ten-minute plays, staged in different outdoors spots downtown.
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Experience drama, comedy, readings, even story time for kids – and it’s all free! The 10-Minute Play Series is a unique chance to meet some of the warmest and most charming people in the theatre business. Performances will take place on the hour and the half hour at various outdoor locations between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.. View our festival map (green icons) to find locations.
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Art Around Town
The work of 16 artists will be displayed in various shop windows throughout downtown.
25% of art sales will be donated to Northumberland for Ukraine Families.
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View the yellow icons on the digital Festival Map to find Art Around Town display locations.
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Movie in the Park
A special presentation of the documentary film Long Time Running, August 13 at dusk.
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The outdoor movie screening will take place in Memorial Park at dusk. Bring a blanket, lawn chair and your music-loving crew for a film under the stars. Film Access Northumberland has partnered with the Port Hope Arts Festival to highlight the work of local film professionals and the next generation of talented and innovative storytellers on August 13. A special screening of the award winning short film, 'A Lifetime of Love', by local filmmaker Adrienne Eagleson, will kick off the movie night. The film is described as a "charmingly original and unpretentious film that reveals the filmmaker's remarkable potential for growth in the Canadian film industry". ... The Canadian documentary film, Long Time Running, was directed by Port Hope residents and award-winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes) and Nicholas de Pencier. The film profiles the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip during their Man Machine tour, which followed the band on their last tour after lead singer Gord Downie announced he had terminal cancer. Baichwal and de Pencier, who have known the band for over 20 years created a hopeful, beautiful tribute to a truly Canadian band. |
The Art of Shopping
Shopping vendor stalls of the outdoor market and store windows to find unique gifts and treasures is a favourite component of our annual Arts Festival experience.
Vendor Market
The in-person outdoor marketplace will pop up in downtown again this year between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on August 13 in the Lakeland Parking Lot and lawn area south of Town Hall. The Nooks Canada is leading vendor coordination of our sprawling artisan market.
Arts Festival Vendor Market Details |
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The vendor market reflects the colourful mix of Northumberland County’s culture by showcasing the diverse skills and products of local and regional artists. The Port Hope Arts Festival Vendor Market is comprised of over 50 art and craft vendors, set up alongside the 30 vendors in the Port Hope Farmers Market in the adjacent parking lot. The outdoor Arts Festival artisan market (also referred to as nookFEST) will pop up on the lawn south of Town Hall this year and in the Lakeland Parking Lot. Check the blue icons on our digital Festival Map to view market locations.
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Shop the Farmers' Market
The Port Hope Farmers' Market is running on Saturday mornings (8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.) at 56 Queen Street AND Wednesday afternoons (1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.) at 177 Toronto Road. Visit these open-air markets to find the freshest locally grown vegetables, baked goods, preserves and more.
Shop the Port Hope merchants
Port Hope merchants offer distinction and diversity. Shop local to find items ranging from the rare and curious, to the practical and pretty.
The business district is open seven days a week! There is also a pop-up Market in Lent Lane every Thursday evening between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m..
Map your experience
Explore our digital Festival Map to find all the event components in downtown Port Hope.
Click the view larger map box (top right) for full map functionality and menu options.
More local art, culture and public spaces to explore
On August 13 visit the downtown for play readings, wagon rides, freezies and painted sidewalks!
To find more local events and art programs this August check out the Port Hope calendar
Wagon Rides
Visit our beautiful downtown and take a free horse-drawn ride on August 13.
Wagon Ride details |
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Take a ride on a horse-drawn wagon throughout the downtown on August 13! The free rides are being provided by Top Notch Carriage Service from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The pick up location is Walton Street Bridge, beside Queenies Bake Shop. |
Platinum Jubilee
The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is coming to Port Hope.
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The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will make an Official Visit to Port Hope on August 13, 2022. The Lieutenant Governor will open the Arts Festival and provide remarks from the historic bandshell in Memorial Park at 10:30am. Tree Saplings are being provided in connection with the Queen’s Jubilee Tree-bilee initiative. |
Delicious Dates
Experience the art of the dining experience with the summer edition of Delicious Dates.
The Yummy Details |
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In celebration of Arts Month, indulge in the art of the dining experience with incredible food and drink offerings from Friday, August 12 – Sunday, August 22. Check out the link below to find participating restaurants and book your table today! |
Public Art Spaces
Scattered throughout Port Hope are an assortment of public art pieces. Can you find them all?
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Check out the map of public art and mural locations throughout Port Hope. The map also includes a selection of art galleries. So much to discover! |
Critical Mass Art
Creating inclusive and engaging contemporary art experiences in Port Hope since 2012.
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| Critical Mass: A Centre for Contemporary Art is a not-for-profit arts organization, led by a volunteer group of curators, artists and art supporters dedicated to bringing contemporary art experiences to Port Hope.
They believe that active participation in the arts will help redefine and shape the cultural vibrancy of the community, and have a positive impact on our collective health & well-being. Become a member, or follow along on social media to stay up to date on all the summer exhibitions, artist talks and opportunities for public participation. |
Capitol Arts Centre
A cultural cornerstone presenting atmospheric experiences since 1930.
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This summer, the Capitol is offering a summer camp for youth looking to break into the exciting world of theatre. The summer season is also in full swing and you can see 9 to 5: The Musical live on stage this August - A funny and fierce musical about female empowerment! Looking to know more about the Capitol Theatre? Join their mailing list, or follow along on social media so you don't miss an opportunity to be dazzled. |
Live music throughout the month of August
Port Hope Jazz
Jazz music makes a come back in Port Hope throughout the month of August. The Port Hope Jazz concert series will have you swooning.
All that Jazz |
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Port Hope Jazz is excited to be reviving jazz music in town by offering top-calibre Canadian Jazz musicians in local restaurants every weekend in August. Port Hope Jazz, formally known as the All-Canadian Jazz Festival Port Hope, is a grassroots organization dedicated to exploring and promoting Canadian jazz excellence. Check out their website or follow along on social media to find out more. To reserve a table at one of the concerts this August, contact the venue directly. |
Road to Cultivate
The Road To Cultivate Concert Series is live in the Memorial Park historical bandshell every Thursday in July and August!
Cultivate live music schedule |
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The Road to Cultivate Concert Series features some of Canada's best musicians, local food vendors and fun for everyone.
Bring a blanket and those you love the most and celebrate the season with some free music in the park every Thursday until the end of August starting at 6:00 p.m..
August concert dates:August 4th August 11th 6:00 - 6:30pm - Alyson McNamara August 18th 6:00 - 6:30pm - Nikola Magnolia August 25th 6:00 - 6:30pm - Melissa Payne Cultivate's flagship festival will be back this September in a new location at Haute Goat Farm. A must attend event! Check out their website or follow along on social media to find out more. |
Discover the arts
Presenting videos featuring local artists offering a quick creative tip for song writing, upcycling and print making. Uncover the artist within and start exercising your creativity today.
Looking for more colourful content? View our local artist feature videos from 2021.
Did you know the Port Hope Arts Festival has been running for 19 consecutive years? Check out more fun ways to engage with the arts and the Port Hope community below.
August is Arts Month |
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This year, to help expand and extend the Port Hope Arts Festival experience, we are inviting organizations and individuals to help us celebrate August as Arts Month. Our vision is to encourage an organic community celebration of the arts by extending an open invitation to get creative and curious. Arts Month, we hope, will be a serendipitous celebration, during which we’d like to empower residents, organizations and businesses to present activities, digital content or displays that engage folks in experiences that educate, inspire and connect us to a variety of artistic mediums. Ultimately, the goal is to have some creative, community fun. Participation could be private, and may include reaching out to a local artist to tell them you admire their talents, purchasing a new art piece, trying your hand at a new art form or getting tickets to the theatre. Participation could also be more public, like hosting a workshop, promoting artfully made merchandise, sharing a work-in-progress or tips online. If you’d like to join the Arts Month momentum, there are no rigid rules for participation and there isn't a sign-up process; participation is self-empowered. If you want to tag the Municipality of Port Hope in social posts, we will do our best to share some content on our channels. Try posting content to hashtags #porthope and #phaf to see who else is dabbling in the arts. Our goal with Arts Month is to inspire each other to be creative this summer, share our work and our discoveries and celebrate the arts throughout the Port Hope community. Spread the wordWe invite our community to spread the word. Below is a collection of Arts Festival assets that can be "saved as" and downloaded: |
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Self-guided tours |
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| Embark on a self-guided tour this August to learn about historic buildings and landmarks, find farm stands, antique barns, and movie shoot locations. Discover more Port Hope history and heritage, museums and stories while you're enjoy the sights and sounds of summer on the lakeshore. | ||
Parks Recreation and Culture programs throughout August |
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Acrylic PaintingBack by popular demand! Participants will be introduced to basic acrylic painting skills through a series of projects relating to art concepts and techniques. This is a class for beginners and those who want to come together to paint, refresh skills and/or learn new techniques. Participants will be required to purchase their own supplies. Session runs from August 4 to September 1, 2022. Registration is open until August 3. Day: Thursdays Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Location: Town Park Recreation Centre |
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Chalk art |
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Watch for colourful chalk designs downtown and around town on August 13. As part of this year's Arts Festival experience, we invite you to break out the sidewalk chalk. A creative and colourful activity, sidewalk chalking is an interactive way to brighten our streetscapes. Share photos of your designs on social media with the hashtags #porthope and #phaf. Watch for colourful chalk designs on the sidewalk downtown and around town on August 13 (or until it rains!). Give our friendly Parks staff a big hello, should you see them out and about.
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Art Beyond August (NFOTA) |
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August may be Arts Month in Port Hope, but there are many arts and culture experiences taking place all year round, and all throughout the County. Northumberland Festival of the Arts (NFOTA) celebrates the creative spirit of Northumberland County. As a not-for-profit arts organization, NFOTA brings together actors and artisans, painters and photographers, musicians, singers and dancers, writers and poets in a grand collaborative showcase over two weeks in September 2022.
NFOTA details:Northumberland Festival of the Arts – Celebrating Resilience September 16 to October 2, 2022 More than 40 events over 16 days in 8 towns and cities in Northumberland, including the Municipality of Port Hope. Visit the program itinerary to learn about exciting Literary Events; Art, Artisan & Photography Exhibitions; Creativity Workshops; Classical & Contemporary Musical Performances; and Drama & Film Presentations. Join us in celebrating Northumberland’s creativity and the resilience of its diverse creators, art organizations and lovers of art!
To find more local events, workshops and art programs this year check out the Port Hope calendar. |
Port Hope is a vibrant and creative community. The Port Hope Arts Festival and August is Arts Month was made possible thanks to these event partners and sponsors:
For more information about how to get involved with the Port Hope Arts Festival,
email Jeannie Maidens or call 905-375-7855