Saskatoon shines with culture all summer long

Whether you visit Saskatoon’s vibrant downtown core or the eclectic Broadway District, you’ll find a cultural experience that will feed your soul.

When looking for arts and culture, head straight into Saskatoon’s downtown core, beginning with the scenic River Landing, the central location for some of the city’s most vibrant events.

The highly anticipated art gallery to be added to the Remai Arts Centre here will be the largest in the province and will feature a collection of 405 original Picasso linocuts, estimated at a value of $20 million. Until its completion, art lovers can take in the nationally acclaimed Mendel Art Gallery, also located along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, with its more than 5800 works of art and fabulous public programs which garner some of the highest per capita attendance rates in Canada.

Artwork can also be found lining the riverbanks in early June as part of the Waterfront Craft Art Festival, featuring over 50 craft and art booths set up by juried members of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. Here you’ll find handmade work in pottery, wood, glass, jewelry, clothing and even food products, with a number of interactive demonstrations and activities suitable for the whole family.

Performing arts

Located within the Remai Arts Centre is the Persephone Theatre, a live theatre venue that features programming to cater to even the most discerning theatre lover—from a night at the opera to Broadway musicals and live theatre of the highest calibre. While other theatres may slow down production offerings during the summer months, the Persephone ramps things up to cater to high demand.

Those who love good theatre will also love the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan festival, bringing the best of the Bard to audiences in riverside tents during July and August. In addition to two full-length works of Shakespeare, the festival features a medieval feast complete with grog and grub—or a more elegant offering of Sunday tea.

Theatre lovers will also enjoy taking in the annual Fringe Theatre Festival that takes place at the beginning of August in the heart of the hip Broadway shopping and arts district. Broadway hosts an annual Art Fest in June, live music each Saturday in July and August, and the spectacular Broadway Street Fair each September.

City of festivals

Back downtown, just a short walk down the scenic paths of the River Landing brings visitors to the festivals that have put Saskatoon on the map—starting with the world-renowned Jazz Festival. For 11 days each summer, hundreds of jazz artists from around the world descend upon the Bridge City and the main stage located in the gardens of the majestic Bessborough Hotel. Offering not only jazz but pop, R&B, blues, world music, soul, funk and even hip hop performances, the shows run the gamut from free concerts to big ticket performers like Colin James, Ziggy Marley, Metric and more.

Not a jazz lover? Not a problem in Saskatoon. For those who prefer the folk scene, the city also offers a yearly Folk Festival in mid August. A multi-cultural event, it features 23 ethnic pavilions located throughout the city. Grab a passport and visit each country’s individual pavilion, where visitors are treated to the featured country’s culture on display through dance, song, food and folklore.

Still not had your thirst for great music quenched? Take in the Saskatoon Reggae and World Music Festival in late July or the John Arcand Fiddle Festival in August. There’s simply no shortage of great music to be found throughout the summer in Saskatoon.

Then there’s the annual Taste of Saskatchewan in downtown’s beautiful Kiwanis Park in mid July. More than 30 of Saskatoon’s finest restaurants offer up a taste of their favourite dishes, from entrees straight through to dessert. Over 50 of Saskatchewan’s premier bands and solo performers entertain throughout the six-day event.

With so much going on, there’s simply no need to go anywhere else. Just park your RV at the beginning of summer and wait for the festivals to begin. Visit Waneskuwin Heritage Park, the Western Development Museum, the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, or the historic Prairie Lily Riverboat that cruises up and down the South Saskatchewan.

The great food, great music, great art, great theatre and great people of Saskatoon simply equal one thing: a culturally enriching vacation experience.