Humber hosts weekend arts festival

Humber College and Lakeshore Arts are teaming up for the third time to host the annual Culture Days, a three-day event featuring over 50 free interactive activities and events.

The Culture Days event will take place from Friday, Sept. 26 to Sunday, Sept 28 and will run along Lakeshore Boulevard from Brown’s Line to Park Lawn.

Culture Day Coordinator, Joelle Berlet said that this year’s Culture Days event would be the biggest so far.

“Last year we just had a little over 30 activities but this year it’s gone up to 54,” Berlet said. “It’s exciting to see the event grow more and more each year”.

This year there will be a market place where artists will be showcasing their activities over the weekend and an area where bands will perform.

Events this year include the Etobicoke Lakeshore: Historic Tunnel Tour hosted by Humber Business professor and local historian, Steve Bang featuring a first hand view of the buildings at the Lakeshore campus once known as the Mimico Asylum.

“The buildings at the Lakeshore campus have a lot of history behind them being over 130 years old,” Bang said. “I take the people on the tours through places that visitors are normally not allowed to go to such as the attic and the connecting underground tunnels.”

Also returning this year is the popular Aboriginal Community Celebration, presented by the Humber College Aboriginal Resource Centre. Visitors will able to participate in activities such as the dreamcatcher making workshop and learn traditional dancing in the Pow Wow, a traditional celebration featuring drumming, singing and dancing.

Aboriginal Programming Officer, Allysha Wassegijig hopes visitors learn more about the history and culture of the Aboriginal people.

“We hope to share a new experience with those in the lakeshore community who have never experienced traditional aboriginal culture,” Wassegijig said. “The lakeshore area is fitting for events like this as it was once a central meeting place for many aboriginal groups.”

Inspired by the Journees de la culture festival in Quebec, Culture Days is founded by The Banff Centre and The Canadian Council for the Arts. It is a nation wide initiative to bring awareness and participation in the Canadian arts and cultural life in people communities. Last year, over 1.6 million Canadians attended the event across Canada with over 850 cities and towns participating.