The annual PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls kicks off its 19th season today, June 12, 2026, at 7:30 pm with the opening show “Shakin’ the Shingles” at the Historic St. Mary’s Church on Hamilton Road in Indian River, near Kensington. Tickets for the event are $45 and it launches a 10-day celebration of music, comedy, and storytelling across rural Prince Edward Island.
The festival, which runs from June 12 to 21, will feature more than 40 acts in 30 shows at community halls and historic venues from tip to tip of the Island. It has been named Music PEI’s Event of the Year six times, reflecting its deep roots in Island culture.
Friday’s opening night offers a blend of comedy and music inside the 120-year-old church known for its exceptional acoustics. The lineup includes British-Canadian comedian James Mullinger, who moved from London to New Brunswick in 2014 and has become a familiar voice on CBC’s The Debaters. London, Ontario folk trio The Pairs, winners of the 2024 Ontario Folk Music Award for Song of the Year, will bring their classically trained three-part harmonies. Rounding out the evening is Beòlach, a Cape Breton Celtic group whose foot-stomping energy builds on their experience as Artists in Residence at the 2019 Celtic Colours International Festival.
The festival was founded in 2008 with 13 events and has grown steadily, with PEI Mutual becoming the title sponsor in 2013. That partnership has provided financial stability, allowing the festival to support rural communities by turning churches, Lions clubs, and other gathering places into stages for local and visiting performers. Historic St. Mary’s Church, built between 1900 and 1902 with donated materials and labour, was designed by Island architect William Critchlow Harris and remains a centrepiece for culture near Kensington.
With comedy, folk, and Celtic sounds echoing through one of the Island’s most iconic buildings, the festival opens a summer season that brings together neighbours and visitors alike.
