This year will mark Culture Days’ eighth year in Brantford. The annual weekend will take place September 29th to October 1st and will feature free events and activities in the city. 

Culture Days, first launched in 2009, is an annual event held across Canada and was initially created to raise awareness and accessibility to cultural and creative activities and events available to Canadians in their own cities. Independent local artists and businesses can host any activity of their choice, so long as it is free and available for public engagement. 

Anyone can attend these activities and events, and the public is encouraged to seek out artistic and cultural events during the Culture Days weekend. Any independent artists and businesses can easily register their event on the Culture Days website. 

The City of Brantford’s Arts and Culture Coordinator, Sara Munroe, said the event places importance in showing people what kind of culture is available in their own community. 

“Oftentimes when you live in a community you miss those opportunities,” said Munroe. 

Culture Days will add to an already burgeoning art culture in Brantford, joining art events such as the Brantford Art Battle and the upcoming Brantford Arts Block Day on the Grand. 

“This community in particular is extremely collaborative,” said Munroe. “It’s like a little family.” 

Brantford will feature many activities, which will be finalized and available on the Culture Days website mid-September. Several activities and events are already available. 

The Brantford Public Library will feature an event called “How-To In Ten” wherein attendees can come to learn a new skill or create something in ten minutes. The event will be split into stations and feature talented teachers and specialty hobbyists. This event is family friendly. 

The Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford will host “Moving Forward Together,” an event to support the journey and healing of survivors of the First Nations Residential School system. Activities will feature a Sacred Fire, a Healing Tree exercise and more to honour survivors’ journeys. This event will start September 30th at 11am and coincides with Orange Shirt Day – a day for the recovery of these survivors – and attendees are encouraged to participate. 

This weekend will also feature numerous open studio tours for the public to attend. Thomas Stewart Robertson, Heather Vollans and Ralph Heather will be among the artists to participate in Culture Days’ Brant Studio Tours. More information on these tours can be found on the Brant Studio Tour website. 

Culture Days is held in Brantford to help show community members that they may not need to leave the city to find the cultural experience they want. 

“People could be inspired and start to understand what’s in their own backyard,” said Munroe. 

Munroe also said the Brantford art scene has improved in the past few years.  

“I’m seeing the growth just in the short time that I’ve been here, and the attitudes are really changing where people are more positive,” said Munroe. 

More information about events and activities can be found on the Culture Days website throughout the rest of September.