Tag: collingwood events

HoHo Holiday 5K

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

This weekend, a very fun event is happening right before the Santa Claus Parade in Collingwood. The HoHo Holiday 5K is five-kilometer run through the streets of Collingwood, with some fun activities thrown in.

Starting at the parking lot at 2nd and Pine Streets, meet with over 1000 of your neighbours dressed in Santa suits (which include pants, belt, jacket, hat and even a big, white beard!) to take part in the run. Registration starts at 8am and the race starts at 10am. After you pre-register online, you’ll come down and register downtown and get your free Santa suit to run in! You thought you had to bring your own, didn’t you?

Not only that, you’ll get:

  • a limited edition bracelet
  • 365 sports string bag
  • free photos fro downloading
  • race bib
  • finishers medal

Any age can participate and kids four and under are free. Children do need a guardian with them if they under 13.

Once the race is over and you’ve patted yourself on the back for a job well done, head over to the festival area for more fun! Here you can check out the Christmas tree toss, hay bale road hockey, Christmas light tug of war, vendor alley, beer tent and Santa’s village. The beer garden will open at 11am until 4pm. After that, you’ll want to get your seat and get ready for the Collingwood Christmas Parade.

Not only is the HoHo Holiday 5km fun, it is for a great local cause. All net proceeds from the event go straight to Collingwood’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge for their You’re the Chef program. This program takes action to promote the health of local kids through healthy eating and physical activity. The You’re the Chef is an after-school program for kids in grades 4 to 6 that teaches kids and parents how to prepare healthy snacks. The program runs at various Collingwood public schools.

Even if you aren’t interested in doing the run, be sure to go down and cheer on the racers, visit with the Claus family and engage in all the family fun. While you’re there, be sure to visit some of the amazing businesses downtown for a bite to eat or to pick up a unique Christmas gift.

 

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Collingwood Santa Claus Parade and Other Festivities

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events / Collingwood things to do

Whether you were elated or depressed by the sign of that white stuff falling from the sky this week in Collingwood, the first signs of winter are definitely here. And with winter inevitably comes Santa Claus, right down the streets of Collingwood, for the annual Collingwood Santa Claus Parade.

The festivities get started on November 18th at 5pm for this night parade and you truly don’t want to miss the fun.

There will be a tree lighting downtown on this day, where the city will be magically lit and stay that way for the rest of the year. Fireworks will complete the night. Who doesn’t love fireworks!

This year’s Santa Claus theme is Christmas in Canada, which is very timely during the year of Canada’s 150th birthday.

Not only will Santa be making his way down the streets during the parade, there will be much more to see and do. Many of the downtown merchants will be having open houses and you can start doing your Christmas shopping at many of the unique shops and of course stop for a bite to eat before the parade. There will be carolers serenading the crowds and dancers and clowns will delight all of the little kiddies while they await Santa’s arrival. Storefronts will feature unique Nutcracker dancers along Hurontario Street before the parade, from 3pm until 5pm.

You don’t have to wait until evening to join the fun. Head to the Town Hall between 12:30 and 3:30 that day so kids can visit with Santa’s reindeer in training.

The parade itself will feature floats from all over the community, as it makes its way down the downtown streets of Collingwood. Find a spot anywhere along Hurontario from Hume to First Street, but get there early for the prime spots. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony will happen at the end of the parade. The fireworks will happen at the harbour and your best spots for viewing will be by the Sidelaunch Basin Ampitheatre.

There is still time to register your float and there is a chance to be judged in three categories to win prizes.

The annual Santa Claus Parade is a great tradition that helps get kids and adults into the spirit of Christmas. The beautiful and historic downtown of Collingwood is always a delight to see at this time of year, so even if you can’t make the parade and all its festivities, be sure to take a walk downtown and revel in all its beauty.

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Art Events in Collingwood

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

Collingwood is a town not only known for its fantastic skiing and recreation, but also a thriving art scene. During the month of November, there are a number of art events to keep anyone even vaguely interested in the arts busy while you wait for the snow to fall.

Music for a Sunday

This event has been happening since September, but if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’ll definitely want to check it out in November. It is a series of 10 concerts over five Sundays and four of them are happening this month. ZimZum, CCI Jazz Band, the Venuti String Quartet and Rowyn Campbell are all playing at the Simcoe Street Theatre this month. Ticket prices vary, but you can get through Blue Mountain Music or at the Simcoe Street Theatre box office.

Points of View: John David Anderson and Mark Hope

Head to The Blue Mountains Public Library to witness the points of view of John David Anderson and Mark Hope, as expressed through a painting exhibition. Their work will be displayed from November 3rd until the 30th.

Annual Square Foot Show

At the Loft Gallery in Thornbury, this show happens on November 4th from 4pm. You’ll start at the Corner Café, across the street, where you’ll be getting a numbered ticked for the show. All paintings sold will be 12×12 in size and sell for $144 plus tax. All work is original and gorgeous!

Candle Making Workshop

You don’t have to just view art, you can make it. Head to Serendipity Candles at 20 Balsam Street, Unit 14, for a 60-minute candle making workshop, where you’ll learn to make four candles. You’ll select your scent and jar and do all of the fun stuff yourself!

Creative Collingwood Symposium

An initiative for arts and positive change in communities, the 4th annual Creative Collingwood Symposium happens on November 8th at the Simcoe Street Theatre. This incredible event brings together what they call “creatives” from across the South Georgian Bay area for learning and networking. There will be keynote speakers, breakout sessions, plus networking with refreshments. The event is completely free and you just need to register to reserve a spot. Anyone who is a creative professional or even who has an aspiring talent is welcome to join.

Sweetwater Film Festival

Film buffs will love the lineup of 11 short films focusing on the outdoors and outdoor recreation. Happening at the Gayety Theatre, this event donates 100% of the proceeds to outdoor programs for local youth. It happens on November 11th at 7pm and tickets are $25.

Do you know of any other great arts events happening in our region? Let us know!

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The Moonlight Market

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood business / Collingwood Events / Collingwood things to do

With all of the hype over the solar eclipse this week, many in Collingwood may have forgotten about an important event – the Moonlight Market. This once-a-year event happens in downtown Collingwood and is just as magical as the solar eclipse. This year Moonlight Market will celebrate its fifth year.

Our very successful Saturday morning farmer’s market holds a special event every September called Moonlight Market. In addition to the morning market from 8:30am until 1pm, the vendors will be open and ready for business on Saturday, September 2nd from 6pm to 10pm in their usual location, which is located in the municipal parking lot at the corner of Second and Pine Streets.

Have dinner at one of Collingwood’s great restaurants or buy dinner at the market, then shop the other vendors for all the best in produce, meat, baked goods, artisanal foods, crafts and artwork. The market employs the 100-mile market mantra and all of the produce is grown within 100 miles of Collingwood.

The market isn’t just about shopping either! There will be a number of entertainers for adults and kids. Jimmy and the Extractions, a local Collingwood band favourite will be there to play rock, alternative, and folk music. The Stilt Guys (who you may have seen at the Collingwood Elvis Festival) will be there as well, in glow-in-the-dark attire, to keep both adults and kids entertained.  

U-Pick Parties will have some balloon twisting and face painting for the kids (and the adults if you dare). There will be free (healthy!) treats from The Healthy Kids Community Challenge, an initiative that helps kids move, drink water and up their fruit and veggie intake with a number of great activities. If that isn’t enough, kids can play at the Imagination Playground, a block-based creative play system that kids love. The Mobile Active Play Trailer will also be there, offering free recreational activities for kids of all ages.

The regular market closes down after Thanksgiving weekend, so there isn’t much more time to enjoy this seasonal delight. Get out next weekend and check out the Moonlight Market, and revel in this time of harvest before the snow puts a damper on it!

 

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Canada Day in Collingwood

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

As you will definitely know, Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. Celebrations are going on all over the country, but there is no better spot to celebrate this historic birthday than in Collingwood. There are so many events going on that you truly don’t want to miss.

Collingwood Festival for Canada

Happening all weekend from June 30th until July 2nd, this family festival is exciting and one-of-a-kind. Start on Friday by heading downtown and celebrate not just Canada, but also Collingwood’s 40th anniversary. From 4pm until 10pm in the parking lot at Pine and Second streets, there will be entertainment from the 70s, food, dancing, trivia and a cash bar. If that doesn’t appeal to you, the Centennial Aquatic Centre is hosting a free family swim from 7 until 8pm. If you want to get out on the water, there are a number of harbour cruises available.

On Canada’s birthday, the list is endless for things to do. Start with a pancake breakfast at the town hall, prepared by celebrity chefs. After that, head to the kid’s fishing derby in the Collingwood Harbour. Get a prize for the biggest, the smallest and the ugliest fish. The bike parade starts at 10am and the anniversary BBQ and free family swim is from 10am until 3pm.

You’ll enjoy a lumberjack show, fashion show, a presentation by Princess Emilie, a rubber duck race, face painting, balloon creations, plus art exhibits and a Canada150 reaffirmation ceremony. Don’t forget your free piece of birthday cake! Kids will enjoy the kid’s activity centre and the healthy kids community challenge.

There will be many musical entertainers at Millennium Park including:

  • Brianna McGowan
  • Sharing Dance
  • Songbird Music Studio
  • Mila Filatova and Friends
  • Ninety-One 1
  • Harmony North Chorus
  • Coming of Age
  • Austin McCarthy
  • Mike McCarthy Band

Watch the sunset over the water, while you have a family picnic with a free meal compliments of Loblaws at Millennium Park starting at 7pm. Enjoy the evening together while waiting for the fireworks, which start at 10pm. Millennium Park is the best place to watch from, but anywhere along the waterfront will work! If you’d prefer to watch from the water, consider a harbour cruise.

The celebrations aren’t over yet! On Sunday, there’s still lots more to do. The Georgian Bay Cup Race happens at 7am, and is followed by another lumberjack show, children’s activity centre and more. The evening starts with a farm to table street feast. Simcoe Street will transform into a pedestrian-only outdoor celebration of local food, with a menu prepared in collaboration with local chefs. There will be one long community dinner table of 150 people with two seatings. The Simcoe Street Theatre will play short films between seatings.

Cap off your night with the Mudmen in concert at the Shipyards Amphitheatre.

Happy birthday Canada!

 

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A Taste of the Town

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

You don’t want to miss this gastronomic event, happening in Collingwood and now in its 15th year! Imagine, tasting delights of food and drink from 20 of Southern Georgian Bay’s best restaurants while overlooking beautiful Georgian Bay.

A Taste of the Town happens on June 4th at Sunset Point Park from 12 noon until 3 pm and your $135 ticket price goes fully back to local and international charities. Because of this, you’ll get a tax receipt for most of the money! Local charities on the list to receive donations from this event include Big Brothers Big Sisters Georgian Triangle, Georgian College’s Collingwood campus and Hospice Georgian Triangle. Hospice Georgian Triangle provides trained volunteers to support individuals in their last days who are living with life-threatening illnesses. They only get 50% of their required funding from the government, so events like this really help this important charity in our area. This event has raised close to $500,000 in its 15-year history.

With only 500 attendees, your ticket allows you unlimited tastings of all food and beverage samples. You do have to be over 19 to attend, so don’t bring the kids!

Sunset Point Park is an iconic spot to have this event, known for being a local favourite spot for having picnics. A Taste of the Town is like one big, classy and delicious picnic, otherwise known as a waterfront garden party! Once you’re done at the event, you can walk off all that food and drink on one of their many waterfront trails.

collingwood event

The list of local restaurants attending is fabulous and you know you’ll delight in some of their favourite dishes, with many utilizing the 100-mile diet mindset. Not only will you be enjoying great food and drink and supporting some amazing charities, you’ll be eating local too! Here are some of the local restaurants that will attend:

·         Bruce Wine Bar

·         Farm to Table

·         Sol Kitchen

·         Heavenly Café

·         Tesoro

·         The Pottery

·         Kaytoo Restaurant and Bar

·         Tim Hortons

·         Men with Knives

·         Collingwood Sweet Shoppe

·         The Tremont Café

·         Gustav Chophouse and Bar

·         The Smoke

·         C&A Steak Co.

·         Cabin Bistro

·         The Mill Café

·         Memories Bar and Grill

The local wineries and breweries include:

·         Georgian Hills Winery

·         Creemore Springs Brewery

·         The Collingwood Brewery

Head to the Brown Paper Tickets site to get your tickets that you can pick up at will-call, since the event is only one day away!

 

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Collingwood Live & Original Music Series

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

With another stellar Collingwood event that you don’t want to miss, Collingwood Live & Original Music Series is a singer and songwriter competition featuring local talent from around the Collingwood area. This event is happening this year from May 5th to 7th at the Town Hall Theatre at the Eddie Bush Arena.

The competition saw singers and songwriters submit online video auditions in February and March to a panel of judges. Ten semi-finalists were chosen from all who entered – eight via advance entrance and two via social media through a vote system.

These ten will perform live for judges and a willing audience who will vote on May 6th, with only six advancing to the finals on May 7th, where they will be judged and the winner will be chosen.

Already those ten have won in some form, as they will get a free professional recording session, plus free accommodation for the event. First place will take home $3000, second place will get $1500 and third place will be awarded $500.

collingwood

How can you participate?

Tickets are $10 to attend the semi-finals, the finals or one of the few workshops that are happening that weekend. A better deal is the weekend pass, which includes access to the full competition and both workshops for $20. Floor seats are for age 19+ only and the bleachers are for all ages. There will also be special performances from previous winners.

The weekend workshops include “Hitting the Studio”, discussing how to get the most of your studio time and lunch is included on May 6th. The second workshop is “Songcraft”, where there will be discussions around the creative process and new approaches on May 7th.

The semi-finalists

Many of the semi-finalists are from Barrie, with others from Azilda, Kitchener, and Huntsville. They are:

·         Brian Tuomi

·         Cam Brown

·         Courtney Dubois

·         James Cameron

·         Jamie Clarke

·         Noelle Cyr

·         The Rip Nancies

·         Sereste Aaron

·         Vokal Legend

·         Whiskey River

This is a great event that helps support local music and art in our region. It is just one of the amazing events that happen in Collingwood yearly.

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King for a Day

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

Any Collingwood resident knows that the Elvis Festival is one of our most monumentous events. Anyone patiently waiting for that weekend in July will be excited to learn that you can get a little taste of the festival this weekend. But, it isn’t all fun and games.

A new documentary on the Collingwood Elvis Festival, called “King for a Day” is going to be screened on April 1st and 2nd at the Simcoe Street Theatre. While the documentary will talk about all the hype surrounding our festival, this documentary will also get into some of the things that the general public doesn’t know.

After having their media credentials revoked at the 2015 Collingwood Elvis Festival, a small Collingwood-area film and production company called Mountain Goat Film decided to expose some of the problems behind the festival. They did the film based on the premise that a large American corporation – Elvis Presley Enterprises – are the ones in control of our locally-produced and publicly-funded arts and culture festival.

elvis collingwood

The documentary will talk to local people, including town staff, politicians and those involved with the event. It will expose some of the perceived conflicts of interest and other issues surrounding the iconic and well-known Collingwood festival. The film will definitely get into some deep and controversial topics and will ultimately draw some conflicting opinions. The aim of the documentary is to show all sides of the Elvis Festival, including the still-immense popularity of Elvis Presley.

The filmmakers have other films, music videos and sport videos on their resume, including their current production, “Snow People”, which is filmed and about Blue Mountain. It details the last 75 years and 75 stories of people who were or are involved with the mountain in some way, including Olympic athletes, people who helped build the mountain and just people who love the moment. You can get this video on Vimeo on Demand for rent or purchase.

You can get your tickets from Theatre Collingwood for $10 at the box office or online. Show times are 2pm and 7pm. After the show, there will be a Q&A with filmmakers Tracey Johnston and Tom Strnad.

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Collingwood Voted Municipality of the Year

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

Not only is Collingwood the #1 community for entrepreneurship, we are also the top community for encouraging and supporting special events and festivals! Collingwood was recently voted as the #1 municipality of the year with a population less than 50,000 by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO).

Judged by an independent panel of judges, communities were considered based on their efforts to create an atmosphere that was beneficial to the success of community festivals and events, whether they were local-only events or internationally recognized.

Basically, Collingwood is an amazing place to be because of the many festivals and events we hold that have the support of the town, the businesses and the residents of Collingwood.

The two other winners with higher populations include Guelph and Mississauga.

collingwood elvis

Collingwood has won a number of other awards through FEO through the years and has always been included among the top 50 and top 100 festivals for the last 16 years.

What festivals make Collingwood so great?

The Collingwood Elvis Festival is definitely a huge draw to our town and has been since its inception in 1995. As one of the largest Elvis festivals in the world, it brings in entertainers from all over the globe. 30,000 attendees line up to see the entertainment that this festival has to offer, with more than 18,000 visitors coming from over 100km away.

But, this isn’t the only festival that Collingwood has to delight residents and visitors. Other events include:

Whiskylicious

Frozen in Time Festival

Collingwood Santa Claus Parade

Apple Harvest Festival

Craft Beer and Cider Festival

Sidelaunch Days

Taste of the Town

These are just some of the amazing festivals and events that happen in our area on a yearly basis, with new events being added all the time. It is easy to see why the FEO chose Collingwood as the best municipality for bringing these types of happenings to the area. Stay tuned for what’s to come for this spring and summer in your town!

 

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Snowman Mania in Wasaga Beach

by Collingwood InfoCollingwood Events

Get the kids some fresh air this Family Day weekend at check out Snowman Mania in nearby Wasaga Beach. This is the 12th year of celebrations and this one promises to be bigger and better. Now four days long on February 17th to 20th, this event started off as a simple snowman building competition. While the snowmen building competitions are still going strong, there is just so much more to enjoy at Snowman Mania.

There will be music and food, winter sports, a talent showcase along with charity fundraising. Admission is absolutely free, so this is a great event for the entire family. Some events do require you purchase a very affordable $2 Snowman Mania button, which you can get from the Wasaga Beach RecPlex, YMCA, Town Hall, Wasaga Beach Public Library, Chamber of Commerce and other locations in the Wasaga Beach area. Most events are occurring at the Wasaga Beach RecPlex, which is at 1724 Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach. There will be additional parking at the Superstore on 45th Street.

The kick-off event starts at 5pm at the RecPlex, with music from the James Barker Band, Rebecca Rain and Meghan Patrick. There is an indoor children’s activity hut with face painting, singing and dancing. Outdoor fire pits will keep you warm as you listen to the great Canadian talent. The end of the night will feature a fireworks show.

The weekend’s calendar of events include:

·         Brunch & Art Show

·         Free family yoga class

·         Silent auction

·         Free public swim (both at the RecPlex and the YMCA)

·         3 on 3 hockey tournament

·         Craft beer tasting

·         Chili cook off

·         Snowshoe demo

·         Pancake breakfast

·         Laser tag

·         Dinner and a movie – showing Moana

·         Hand racing remote control car track

·         Figure skating show

·         Classic pedal planes

·         Rock Solid wrestling

·         Free family skating (held at Stars Arena)

Of note are a few events that will surely have you wanting to attend Snowman Mania (if the above list doesn’t sway you already!). The Superdogs will be making three appearances on Sunday at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. These dogs have toured all around the globe and will definitely be one of the highlights of the weekend. You will need your Snowman Mania button to attend.

snowman

The other fantastic, not-to-miss event will be the Polar Plunge. The bravest people in the Wasaga Beach area will dunk themselves into icy water, all for charity. You can do it too!

A number of sponsors made this event possible, showing their definitely community spirit. Remember to dress warm and have fun!

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