When it comes to local culture, Oakville has once again set the gold standard.
A summary of Canada's 2024 Culture Days has reported that for the second year in a row, the town of Oakville has topped the list for most active communities in Canada engaging in the annual nationwide Culture Days festival held each fall.
The now annual Culture Days celebration in Oakville was ranked No. 1 overall in the Culture Days 2024 Top Participating Community Listing. Culture Days this year took place from Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, 2024.
Of the over 350 total participating communities, Oakville was ranked as the number one overall participating community, and for the third year in a row, Oakville was also the top mid-size city.
Oakville was one of this year’s Ontario Festival hubs, and held over 280 events where participants explored creativity, artistic expression and more during the three-week long celebration.
This marks the second consecutive year that Oakville was named the most engaged city for Culture Days; the town won the same distinction in 2023.
Read more here: Oakville tops Canada-wide list for Culture Days 2023
This included exhibitions, workshops and performances featuring local creators at locations across town, including:
- Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
- River Oaks Community Centre
- Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts
- The Oakville Museum
One Oakville event in particular also took home a special award:JazzYat, a concert that brought together musicians from both Arab and Canadian backgrounds, received recognition as recipients of Ontario Culture Days’ 2024 Spotlight Awards as runner up for the People’s Choice award.
The concert celebrated the distinctive and soulful sound of Arabic Jazz, blending improvisational spirit of jazz with the rich traditions of Arabic music.
This recognition award acknowledges organizers who, through their leadership, have crafted festival programming aimed at breaking down barriers and nurturing a more equitable arts and culture sector in Ontario. The Ontario Culture Days website provides a full list of recipients.
"I’m thrilled that Oakville’s has been recognized through Culture Days as 2024’s top overall participating community and top mid-sized city," said Mayor Robert Burton in a statement.
"Congratulations to everyone involved in helping the town achieve such high rankings for this year’s festivities. Council and I are proud of our community for coming together to showcase the rich and thriving arts and culture scene that Oakville has to offer."
Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture that invited the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes and experience the importance of arts and cultures in our communities for free.
Culture Days 2024 had record-breaking attendance with 5 million participants across Canada. Oakville has been recognized over the past 13 years among the top 10 cities and towns in Ontario offering Culture Days festivities.
For more information about the town’s annual events, visit the town's Culture Days page here.