[Above Photo: 2019 Hillside Festival – the last in-person festival Photo provided by Hillside Festival.  Photo Credit:  Ryley Remedios ]

For Immediate Release -  July 15th, 2021

They also  strengthen our communities and economy. For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit  cultural organizations hard. Many are facing exceptional financial pressures as they adjust their  programming or cancel events. During these difficult times, the Government of Canada is committed to  maintaining its support for cultural organizations. 

“One of the things we have missed most during the pandemic is live performances, and their unique  power to inspire and connect us. With this funding, we are glad to be able to encourage people to  rediscover their love of the performing arts while safely reconnecting with each other through online  and outdoor programming.”   Mayor Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph 

In addition to being wonderful cultural showcases, festivals are important economic drivers and  celebrations of communities across the country. That is why today, Lloyd Longfield, Member of  Parliament for Guelph, announced a $164,700 investment for local festivals in Guelph on behalf of  the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Arts Presentation Funds and the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Fund. 

“Thank you to everyone working so hard in the arts and cultural sector for continuing to look for  creative, engaging and innovative ways to deliver programs to Guelph, and now the much broader  community. I am delighted to announce this funding to support their critical work of providing artists a  venue to perform, instruct, and give audiences a reason to celebrate during these very difficult times.” – Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph 

The Hillside Community Festival of Guelph celebrates musical creativity through artistic expression,  community engagement, and environmental leadership. It has received an investment of $80,000 for its Hillside Homeside: A Weekend of Audio Tourism. This year’s festival will run virtually from July 23rd to  July 25th including a wonderful array of music, dance, art, literary reading workshops and collaborative  musical jams.  

“It is our duty to serve our mission in our community by delivering great art and instruction, but without  ticket sales, we have been unable to program and plan to realize our creative ambitions. Canadian  Heritage’s Support for Workers fund allows us to hire the artists whose music, dance, and literature give  us the hopeful ideas that will sustain us and help us imagine the world anew. It also allows us to hire the  technical production people who facilitate that art, bringing out its full, nuanced audiovisual richness.  This funding is our oxygen. It feeds into and recharges a life support system for artists and technical  production crew. We couldn’t be more grateful as this funding ensures our cultural workers stay alive  and well during a challenging time.”   Marie Zimmerman, Executive Director of Hillside Festival 

The Guelph Jazz Festival showcases excellent and unconventional live music that reflects the world we  live in and has received an investment of $28,400. Running July 25th and July 26th, their outdoor event,  Arborienteering, will allow you to listen to performers on the grounds of the Arboretum at the  University of Guelph. This year’s Guelph Jazz festival, scheduled for September 16th-18th, is also being  imagined in new and unconventional ways to continue to celebrate live music and artists.  

"The last year has provoked us to conceive of live music events that can be engaged safely while still  enriching lives, and our site-specific event-piece in the University of Guelph Arboretum,  Arborienteering, is a special example. The Support for Workers in the Live Arts and Music Sectors  Program has offered generous and timely support to help us execute it, and to employ 20 artists and  support workers in the process."   Scott Thomson, Artistic and General Director of Guelph Jazz Festival 

The City of Guelph’s Live from the River Run performances focus on supporting local artists and  connecting with audiences in our community and beyond. At the same time, their Guelph Gathers  festivals offer a variety of programming to cultivate civic pride and celebrate our city and its people. The  city will receive $45,000 in support of these events. 

Additionally, the Guelph District Multicultural Festival is receiving $11,300 through the Local Arts and Heritage Festivals component of the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program. These  investments will help ensure they can continue to inspire thousands of Canadians while bringing us  together in celebration of diversity, culture and the arts.

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