The Huntsville Festival of the Arts marks its 30th anniversary with a summer season of 30 concerts and events.
Huntsville is known for its surrounding lakes and the beautiful scenery that nature offers, but it also boasts some great live entertainment through art, music, and drama. With the weather warming up, it means it’s time for the return of the summer music season, and the Huntsville Festival of the Arts is ready to celebrate. Muskoka’s largest arts organization marks its 30th anniversary with a program featuring 30 different concerts and events. Whether your taste favours a folk-rooted country ballad, laugh out loud comedy, virtuosic musicianship or a raucous drag show, Huntsville Festival of the Arts has something for everyone in this season’s line-up of shows.
Returning festival favourites include superstar fiddler and step-dancer Natalie MacMaster, and the Legendary Downchild Blues Band. With a star on the Walk of Fame, the Order of Canada and no less than 15 JUNO awards, Jim Cuddy needs no introduction and will undoubtedly offer a sell-out performance. And in September look for a stop by legendary Canadian Rocker Tom Cochrane joined by Red Rider.
The season also features boundary pushing Canadian musicians including fan favourite Kathleen Edwards, folk/country artist William Prince, East Coast rocker Joel Plaskett, Indie rocker Dan Mangan, boogie woogie piano virtuoso Michael Kaeshammer, Rising Country Star Tyler Joe Miller, and Gord Sinclair (best known as the bass player from the Tragically Hip).
There’s plenty of diversity in this year’s program. Iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ and Tom Wilson (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse) team up for a very special performance. World class drag queen Tynomi Banks brings a full-blown drag show to the Algonquin Theatre. And the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music of all styles, presents a program of choral pieces drawing from classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk, and blues.
For the performing arts aficionados, the summer will feature Canadian cultural icon, comedienne and social activist Mary Walsh, an in-depth conversation with Murdoch Mysteries creator Maureen Jennings, and the return of the hilarious sold out hit Ralph + Lina. HfA Executive Director, Dan Watson, takes the stage with his real-life partner Christina Serra to tell the very Canadian story of Serra’s grandparents and their struggle to make a better life together in a new country. Other local artists to be featured this year include the Huntsville String Quartet, and several musicians playing in the popular Music at Noon Series.
The 2022 event will see the return of the popular Nuit Blanche North: a one-night multi-arts street festival that takes over downtown. The season brings back Movie on the Docks: a boat-in movie experience where films are shown on a double-sided screen, and audiences can either watch from the water or on shore.
The programming also ventured into many alternative spaces. Hillside Farm played host to the Landed Arts Festival in June which featured folk artists Abigail Lapell, Annabelle Chvostek and the sold out hit MORE BARN!: The music of Neil Young. Canvas Brewery hosted a free concert with Brazilian Jazz group Tio Chorinho with Flavia Nescimento. Finally, 2021 Juno winner for outstanding Blues album Crystal Shawanda (hailing from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island) brings her powerful voice to the popular Etwell Concert Series.
To learn more about the exceptional line-up of concerts, shows and performances please visit www.huntsvillefestival.ca.
2022 Huntsville Festival of the Arts Summer Programming
This year’s venue spaces include the Algonquin Theatre, Etwell Concert Series, Hillside Farm, Canvas Brewery, and more. To reserve tickets for the concerts, please visit the Huntsville Festival of the Arts website at www.huntsvillefestival.ca, call 705-789-4975, or visit the Algonquin Theatre Box Office, which is open from 10 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday.
- Huntsville ART CRAWL | June 1-30 | Downtown Huntsville
- Tio Chorinho with Flavia Nascimento | June 15 @ 8pm | Canvas Brewery
- MORE BARN!: The Music of Neil Young | June 15 & 16 @ 8pm | Hillside Farm
- Annabelle Chvostek | June 17 @ 8pm | Hillside Farm
- Abigail Lapell | June 18 @ 8pm | Hillside Farm
- Group of Seven Canoe Murals | June 21-16 | River Mill Park
- Michael Kaeshammer | July 2 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Artist Life Stories: Maureen Jennings – Murdoch Mysteries & Beyond | July 3 @ 2pm | Algonquin Theatre
- An Evening with Mary Walsh | July 7 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Joel Plaskett (solo) | July 8 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Music at Noon Series | July 11-15 @ 12pm | Trinity United Church
- William Prince | July 14 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Ralph + Lina | July 15-17 @ 8pm & 2pm | Algonquin Theatre
- The Legendary Downchild Blues Band | July 21 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Natalie MacMaster | July 22 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Nuit Blanche North | July 23 | 8pm-2am | Downtown Huntsville
- The Jim Cuddy Band | July 27 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Nathaniel Dett Chorale | July 28 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Gord Sinclair | July 29 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Movie on the Docks | July 30 @ 9pm | Town Docks
- Dan Mangan | August 4 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Tynomi Banks | August 5 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- The Men Behind the Music: Beatles Edition | August 6 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Crystal Shawanda | August 7 @ 3pm | Etwell Concert Series
- HfA Nature Arts Camp | August 8-12 | 8:30-4:30 | HfA Studio
- Kathleen Edwards | August 10 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Tom Wilson & Iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ | August 11 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Toronto All-Star Big Band | August 12 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Tyler Joe Miller | August 13 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Huntsville String Quartet | August 14 @ 2pm | Algonquin Theatre
- The Last Waltz: A Musical Celebration of the Band | August 19 @ 8pm | Algonquin Theatre
- Tom Cochrane with Red Rider | September 15 @ 8pm | Deerhurst Resort
Need a place to stay after the show? Check out these great accommodations nearby.