6 Virtual Festivals and Events to Check Out Across Canada This Summer
Summer festivals and events that would typically attract local crowds are putting their programming online – which means it’s possible to hop from a live reading at the Saskatchewan Festival of Words to a screening of Romeo and Juliet in Stratford, Ontario, all in one day. Here’s how.
Lululemon SeaWheeze Half Marathon, Vancouver.
- Set your own course —
- The Lululemon SeaWheeze Half Marathon is famous for its hard-to-get-into popularity and picturesque route, which traditionally winds along Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall. This year’s virtual edition makes the race more accessible than ever: register for the 21.1k (or new 10k option) and chase your runner’s high anywhere you like from August 15 to 23.
Saskatchewan Festival of Words.
- Get lit at home —
- The Saskatchewan Festival of Words (July 13 to 19) will be entirely digital and free (though donations are welcome). Beyond author readings, highlights include a writing workshop featuring Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Bruce Rice, a panel talk on the province’s literary culture and a live-streamed concert by Andino Suns, Regina’s South American folk-rock band.
Josh and Benny Safdie and Robert Pattinson, Fantasia International Film Festival, Montreal.
Photo: King-Wei Chu
- See films first —
- From real-time premieres to audience Q&As, Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival is going virtual, August 20 to September 2 (screenings viewable only within Canada). As one of North America’s biggest showcases for genre cinema, a.k.a. B-movies, it has plenty to entertain horror/thriller fans, kicking off with Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning, set in England’s 17th-century Witch Hunt era.
Amaka Umeh, *Hamlet*, creative direction by Punch & Judy Inc., Stratford Festival On Film.
Photo: David Cooper
- Stream Shakespeare’s classics —
- While theatre-going is on indefinite pause, the next closest thing is the Stratford Festival On Film, now screening some of the Bard’s best-known plays – each shot during a single live performance. Visit the website to catch free productions like Antony and Cleopatra (July 2 to 23), Romeo and Juliet (July 9 to July 30) and The Taming of the Shrew (July 16 to August 6).
Edmonton Heritage Festival.
Photo: John Lucas
- Celebrate diversity —
- The Edmonton Heritage Festival is bringing its multiculti entertainment online, August 1 to 3. Instead of its usual Hawrelak Park grounds, festival organizers will lay out more than 40 virtual pavilions – each focused on a different country or cultural group – on an interactive map. Stop by to watch craft demos, performances or food videos.
Inspector (Christy) Bruce, SummerWorks, Toronto.
- Take in the drama —
- Toronto’s SummerWorks is running a slate of free contemporary performances until September. The socially distant programming includes shows from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Toronto Fringe Festival and other collaborators; keep an eye on the festival site for event announcements.
