Culture Days

Celebrate Culture Days 2026 in St. Catharines

Join us from September 18 to October 11, 2026, as St. Catharines comes alive with creativity, culture, and community during Culture Days, Canada's largest celebration of arts, culture, and heritage.

Throughout the festival, residents and visitors can explore a diverse lineup of free exhibitions, performances, workshops, public art experiences, cultural activities, and community celebrations taking place across the city. Whether you're discovering local artists, participating in hands-on creative activities, attending live performances, or exploring new cultural perspectives, Culture Days offers opportunities for people of all ages to connect through arts and culture.

Culture Days is a nationwide movement that brings together artists, cultural organizations, collectives, municipalities, and community groups to provide meaningful and accessible cultural experiences for everyone.

About Culture Days

Each year, artists, creators, grassroots organizations, public libraries, museums, galleries, municipalities, and arts and cultural institutions across Canada participate in Culture Days by offering free opportunities to experience, create, and engage with culture. The annual celebration highlights the important role that creativity plays in building vibrant, inclusive, and connected communities.

Learn more about Culture Days at culturedays.ca.

Festival Hubs and Featured Events

St. Catharines City Hall Hub

Celebrate the launch of Culture Days in St. Catharines at City Hall, where community, creativity, and artistic excellence come together. As a key festival hub, City Hall will host the official Culture Days Flag Raising Ceremony on Friday, September 18 at 4:30 p.m., featuring a special reading by St. Catharines Poet Laureate Shannon Kitchings.

Visitors can also explore the City of St. Catharines Annual Juried Exhibition: Current, a long-standing showcase of exceptional work by local and regional artists. Featuring a diverse range of artistic styles, media, and perspectives, the exhibition highlights the creativity that thrives throughout Niagara. Community members are encouraged to attend the exhibition reception and celebrate the achievements of participating artists.

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Hub

Located in the heart of downtown St. Catharines, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Hub will feature free exhibitions, performances, workshops, and family-friendly cultural experiences taking place on Saturday, October 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Visitors can explore Lives Displaced By War, a powerful photography exhibition presented by Rakoubah: The Art House featuring the work of Sudanese photographer Ala Kheir, and participate in What We Carry, an interactive art activity exploring themes of migration, resilience, belonging, and home.

Families can also enjoy a vibrant Day of the Dead cultural workshop led by LuisMartinFlores, featuring sugar skull decorating, face painting inspired by Catrina and Catrín traditions, a photo booth experience, and an educational Ofrenda de Muertos display celebrating Mexican cultural heritage.

Additional activities will be presented by local organizations including Carousel Players, Future Black Female, The Brown Homestead, and Willow Arts Community, offering engaging opportunities for creativity, learning, and community connection.

Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) Hub

Experience the creative energy of downtown St. Catharines at the Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) Culture Days Hub. Visitors can explore contemporary visual art exhibitions, attend live music performances, and participate in community-focused arts programming throughout the festival.

NAC's galleries will showcase the work of individual artists and collaborative groups, while live performances provide opportunities to experience Niagara's vibrant music scene. Visitors can also explore the popular Well Done Super Market, discover regional artists, and engage with one of Niagara's leading cultural organizations.

St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre Hub

Discover creativity through hands-on artmaking at the St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre Culture Days Hub on Sunday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This welcoming community space will feature free drop-in workshops led by talented Niagara artists.

Participants can create colourful woven artworks with Janice Low, experiment with nature-inspired printmaking techniques in Michelle Nicholls' Botanical Monoprints, and explore storytelling through recycled materials in Joanne Ring's Come Collage With Me!

Open to all ages and experience levels, these workshops encourage creativity, curiosity, and self-expression. All materials are provided, and no registration is required.

Featured Public Art Event: Everything in Balance

As part of the 2026 Niagara Festival Hub, Toronto-based artist Jon Sasaki will create Everything in Balance, a large-scale collaborative sculpture developed with contributions from community members.

Throughout the performance, visitors are invited to contribute a symbolic object representing something that is important to them. Each item will be incorporated into a suspended mobile sculpture, creating a continually evolving artwork that explores balance, coexistence, and shared values. As new objects are added, the sculpture will be carefully reconfigured to maintain equilibrium, reflecting the ongoing process of making space for diverse perspectives within a community.

Community members can contribute objects weighing five pounds or less during the performance on September 18 or in advance at the Culture Days/Cultural Services table at the St. Catharines Farmers' Market on September 10, 12, and 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Everything in Balance encourages participants to consider what matters most to them while contributing to a collective artwork that celebrates the connections between people, ideas, and communities.

Plan Your Visit

For a complete listing of Culture Days activities, event details, and registration information, visit culturedays.ca and search for events in St. Catharines.

From exhibitions and performances to workshops, public art, and community celebrations, Culture Days 2026 invites everyone to discover, create, and connect through arts and culture in St. Catharines.