The Lakehead Festival of Music & The Arts (LFMA) has posted its 2026 festival dates and registration deadlines on its official website, giving performers, teachers and schools in Thunder Bay timelines for planning. According to the festival homepage, Dance events are scheduled for March 26–29, 2026, with dance entries due Feb. 1, 2026; Instrumental performances are listed as April 10–14, 2026, with instrumental registrations due Feb. 8, 2026 (LFMA website, accessed Dec. 17, 2025).
The LFMA website and registration pages include detailed rules, syllabi and entry forms. The instrumental registration form asks applicants to total their fees and send an e‑transfer to lfmacoordinator@gmail.com.
Third‑party scheduling/registration listings show different dates in some cases: the festival’s DanceCompGenie schedule and the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA) member listing both show the instrumental/music segment as April 7–11, 2026, and OMFA lists a Feb. 14, 2026 registration deadline. Venues named on the DanceCompGenie schedule include Thunder Bay Community Auditorium and Trinity Hall Theatre. Because these sources conflict with the LFMA homepage.
Performers, teachers and schools are advised to begin locking in rehearsal space, travel and accommodations as soon as dates are confirmed. The Lakehead festival is a longstanding springtime event in Thunder Bay dating to the 1930s (local archival references commonly cite 1934 as an origin point).
