Travel across Canada without leaving Niagara

The Niagara 2022 Host Society is thrilled to reveal the official schedule and some of the headline performers for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games’ 13 For 13 Cultural Festival. Held from August 7 to 20 in a different Niagara municipality each evening, the 13 For 13 Cultural Festival will see performances from various headliners including Scott Helman (seven-time JUNO award nominee), The Trews (six-time JUNO award nominee), Said The Whale (JUNO award-winning band), and Susan Aglukark (four-time JUNO award winner).

The 13 For 13 Cultural Festival is a unique Canada Games initiative that pairs each of Niagara’s 13 municipalities (including the Regional Municipality of Niagara) with one of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories as co-hosts to this cultural event with complimentary admission. During their special evening (see schedule, pairings & details below), each municipality will showcase the unique entertainment, art, and culinary experiences of its co-host Canadian province or territory — allowing visitors to experience the distinct cultural heritages that define different areas of our nation.

In partnership with the Tourism Partnership of Niagara, the Niagara 2022 Host Society and Niagara’s 13 municipalities have worked together to develop this unique 13 For 13 Cultural Festival. Led by Pride Niagara, Positive Living Niagara, and the presenting sponsor Accenture, this Festival will also feature Pride Day on August 17 which will bring participants, spectators and volunteers together to celebrate LGBTQI2S social and self-acceptance, achievements, and pride. All of the entertainment provided during the event’s Pride Day will be a true highlight of Niagara’s sexual and gender-diverse community.

“Working alongside the Regional Municipality of Niagara and the 12 local municipalities in Niagara, we can’t wait to host the 13 For 13 Cultural Festival as part of this summer’s 2022 Canada Games,” said Doug Hamilton, Board Chair of the Niagara 2022 Host Society. “This spectacular Festival will allow guests to enjoy the cultural heritage of all of Canada without leaving Niagara, and play an important role in bringing Canadians back together to celebrate sport and culture on the heels of the pandemic.”

“The Tourism Partnership of Niagara is pleased to support the Canada Games celebrations that include all the communities that define ‘Our Niagara’,” said Anthony Annunziata, President of the Tourism Partnership of Niagara. “These events allow for our communities to showcase their capabilities to visitors from all over Canada.”

“As a Canadian and Ontarian, I am really very honoured to be a part of this incredible event,” said Scott Helman, a Canadian singer/songwriter and multiple JUNO Award nominee who will be performing on August 14 as part of the Festival. “Canada is an amazing country full of unbridled talent, from the studio to the rink, and it is so wonderful to know that I come from a place that is so deeply dedicated to admiring and celebrating those talents, while highlighting the diversity that helps them flourish. I can’t wait to hit the stage! See you there!”

Schedule of 13 For 13 Cultural Festival during Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games

While known for its sporting competitions, the Canada Games also feature cultural celebrations as part of each Games. In addition to the 13 For 13 Cultural Festival, Niagara Place will be the other festival site of the 2022 Canada Games. Set for August 7 to 21, Niagara Place will be a daytime outdoor festival event hosted in the parking lot of the newly-built Canada Games Park. Niagara Place, which will also be free of charge to all of its guests, will allow visitors of the Games to enjoy live performances from local artists, artistic exhibits, and elements of the Niagara Region’s culinary scene.

Held every two years, alternating between winter and summer, the Canada Games are the country’s marquee event for amateur sport representing the highest level of national competition for thousands of up-and-coming Canadian athletes. The 28th edition of the Canada Games will mark just the third occasion in the event’s history that it will have taken place in the province of Ontario and the first time in 21 years. In total, more than 5,000 participants and close to 4,500 volunteers are expected to take part in the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games scheduled for August 6-21. The 2022 Games will take place at 19 different venues across the Niagara Region and feature 18 different sports, including an inaugural rugby sevens competition and the return of lacrosse after a 37-year absence from the Games.

Tickets for this summer’s Games are currently available for purchase online.

About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games

At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 up-and-coming athletes, their coaches and support staff will gather to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. From August 6 to 21, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The 2022 Games, made possible thanks to funding and support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Niagara Region, and the Canada Games Council, will give rise to new legacies of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.

For further information, visit us at niagara2022games.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2022canadagames).