BC Culture Days announces an inspiring series of community events designed for all ages, presented by artists and cultural organizations across British Columbia, as part of the countrywide celebration set to take place from September 22 to October 15, 2023.
This network of events, presentations, activities and workshops is aimed at showcasing, sharing and exploring the artistic and cultural essence of the participating areas. Over 350 events across 50 diverse BC communities have already registered for the event!
[White Rock Arts Festival Culture Crawl; image courtesy of City of White Rock]
With three weeks of free and Pay-What-You-May interactive events, Culture Days invites the public to immerse themselves in the creativity and abundant cultural diversity that exists right in their own backyards.
Event-goers can expect fun, friendly and low-barrier experiences, from art walks, cultural crawls, festivals, exhibitions and film screenings to workshops and collaborative art projects in visual arts, crafts, theatre, dance, music and much more.
This year, BC Culture Days celebrates our province’s expansive cultural landscape by putting the focus on a diverse group of B.C.-based emerging artists dedicated to accessible and inclusive art. Each year, BC Culture Days appoints emerging artists from across the province as ambassadors for arts and culture.
[BC Culture Days Ambassador in Kelowna Cameron Gelderman at Nuit Blanche 2022, Kelowna; photo Mallory Gemmel]
Via the A/I/R Ambassador Series, 10 BC Culture Days ambassadors are chosen to host public activities during the event. Guided by the theme of AIR (access, inclusion, resilience), each ambassador will present low-barrier and accessibility-focused event(s) in their local areas.
With support from BC Culture Days, the artists will create events focused on increased access points including ASL interpretation, live captioning and more.
[Culture Days Vernon 2022, Vernon Community Arts Centre; image by Silmara Emde]
These events aim to support public participation as well as greater participation from deaf individuals and people with disabilities, neurodivergent, IBPOC, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people as well as trauma survivors and other under-represented communities who will gather to connect, share, learn and explore through arts and culture.
[Bollywood Dance Workshop; image courtesy North Vancouver City Library and North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission]
Organizations and artists across B.C. are encouraged to register their free, hands-on, and interactive arts and culture programming for the event’s duration on the Culture Days website. From grassroots community volunteers, public libraries and independent artists, to major arts, culture, and heritage institutions, specialty festivals and municipalities, all may register.
For the latest updates, please visit Culture Days online and follow @BCCultureDays on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Top image: Culture Days ambassador Pedram Penhan; photo courtesy of Mallory Gemmel.
