CULTURE DAYS RETURNS ON SEPTEMBER 28-30 FOR A THIRD YEAR AND IT IS BIGGER THAN EVER!

800 communities are ready to celebrate with 7,000 activities planned across Canada

Toronto, ON (September 17, 2012) --- Culture Days is back for a third year and it is clear that Canadians love culture. The event kicks off on September 28-30 with thousands of free hands-on activities and events taking place across the country. Each activity offers an exciting and unique opportunity for the public as

well as artistic and cultural organizations to interact and familiarize themselveswith each other in their own communities.

Compared to 2011, there has been a 30% increase in participation by artists and cultural organizations of all types across the country. There are some 7,000 activities scheduled in nearly 800 communities that are designed to enrich the public’s appetite for Architecture, Comedy, Dance, Music, Comedy, Visual Arts,

Heritage, Culinary Arts, Theatre, Literature and so much more. In addition, over 20 official celebratory kick-off events will happen across the country leading up to the Culture Days weekend. “We are amazed by the spectacular growth of Culture Days since its inception in 2010. It is extremely gratifying to see how artists, cultural organizations and the public look forward to this wide-spread annual celebration of culture across the

country,” said Antoni Cimolino, General Director and Artistic Director Designate of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Chair of Culture Days National Steering Committee. “In addition to increased participation each year, we are also seeing a significant increase in the number of municipalities galvanizing

around Culture Days across Canada. This is underscored by many Mayors signing Culture Days proclamations affirming the immeasurable economic and social value that a vibrant arts and culture life offers their citizens and the well being of their communities. It’s exhilarating to be a part of this creative awakening.” With so many events that available to partake in – it’s time for Canadians to start planning their Culture Days weekend using the Sun Life Bright Spots Schedule that was introduced last year. This free, on-line tool allows individuals to create a personalized schedule of activities taking place in their community over the

2 Culture Days weekend. There is even a short online video tutorial to show just how easy it is to use. Schedules can be effortlessly exported to other calendar platforms or to a PDF format that can be easily e-mailed and there is a mobile site that was designed for those who are on-the-go. Activities can be selected

categorically, by region or by keyword. Below is a sampling of what is on offer across the country this Culture Days weekend :

• TIFF presents Film Fun where anything is possible with their green screen technology and your imagination – Toronto, ON

• The Vancouver Cantonese Opera presents How to become a Cantonese Opera Performer – Richmond, BC

• Part of Alberta Culture Days Springboard Dance Collective, present ContainR, a kaleidoscope of family-friendly theatre, cinema, dance, performing arts and time-based performances in six recycled and reconditioned shipping containers – Calgary, AB

• Stratford Arts and Culture Committee and the Prince Edward Island Symphony presents Random Acts of Violins with impromptu musical performances in and around Stratford, PEI

• Mount Allison’s marketing students team up with their arts peers to present a series of engaging events in downtown Sackvlle that let everyone’s talents shine in Business & Arts Praxis – Sackville, NB

• Dream up your own parade float in The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba’s Art in the Streets – Brandon, MB

• Part of Journées de la culture in Québec, Andréanne Bouchard will ride through the neighbourhood on her bicycle, equipped with a mobile serigraphy workshop where articipants can be try their hand at printing

and silkscreening and take home the results in Circulation On the Road - Mobile Screenprint Studio on a Bicycle – Montreal, QC

• Learn how to write and edit articles for Wikipedia at Edit-a-What? Wikipedia Editathon at the Prairie History Room – Regina, SK

• The Canadian Opera Company presents A Rehearsal of Die Fledermaus – Toronto, ON Activities taking place across the country include those presented as part of the 16th annual Journées de la culture event in Québec and the 5th annual Alberta Culture Days both of which are part of this Canada-wide movement.

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Canada, join the conversation on twitter: and then visit http://www.culturedays.ca and start planning your exciting and fun-filled weekend full of discovering and experiencing the inner workings of the arts and cultural life that surrounds you.

About Culture Days

Culture Days is a collaborative Canada-wide volunteer movement that is raising the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Culture Days was inspired by Quebec’s annual Journées de la culture, founded in 1997 and the success of Alberta Arts Days (now Alberta Culture Days), founded in 2008. Culture Days was initiated by four Founding Partners: The Canadian Arts Summit, Culture pour tous (producer of Journées de la culture), Canada Council for the Arts and The Banff Centre. National partners supporting the development of Culture Days are: Founding Visionary Partner Sun Life Financial, Visionary Partners Endeavour and The J.W. McConnell Familiy Foundation, and Community Partners BMO, RBC Foundation, TD and Fairmont Hotels.

Federal Government support is provided by Department of Canadian Heritage. National Media

Partners are: CBC and The Globe and Mail. Provincial Partners are: Government of British

Columbia, Government of Alberta, SaskCulture, Government of Manitoba, Government of

Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Government of Québec,

Government of New Brunswick, Government of Nova Scotia, Government of Prince

Edward Island, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador

Arts Council and the Government of Northwest Territories. The 2012 Culture Days Weekend

is taking place September 28th, 29th and 30th across Canada.