Canmore residents will get a chance to enjoy a weekend of free art workshops, live music, and community campfires when the annual Canmore Festival of Art & Creativity returns September 18 to 20. Hosted by artsPlace, the three-day event is part of Alberta Culture Days, a province-wide celebration that drew over 247,000 attendees last year.
The festival offers drop-in programming for all ages, including hands-on art activities, outdoor markets, film screenings, and multicultural performances. No tickets or registration are required, and the full schedule will be posted in August on the artsPlace festival page.
artsPlace, located at 950 8 Avenue, has been Canmore’s community arts hub since opening in 2015. The centre runs more than 500 programs each year, reaching over 24,000 people across the Bow Valley in 2023. The festival has grown into one of the organization’s signature events, aligning with its mission to make arts and culture accessible to everyone in the mountain community.
The Canadian Mountain Arts Foundation operates artsPlace as a registered non-profit and receives funding from the Town of Canmore. In 2024, the town provided $260,000, with a request for $300,000 in both 2025 and 2026 to support its expanding programs.
