Photo from Port Hope Facebook
The annual Port Hope Arts Festival returns on Saturday, August 8, bringing a full day of theatre, music, visual art, literature and community activities to downtown Port Hope.
One of the festival’s signature attractions, the 10 Minute Play Series, will feature 15 original short plays performed across eight outdoor locations between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Each play will be staged five times throughout the day, with organizers introducing ASL interpretation for select performances to improve accessibility.
The festival’s Art Around Town program will once again transform downtown shop windows into an outdoor gallery, with local artwork displayed from August 1 to 16.
Visitors can browse an outdoor artisan market featuring more than 40 artists and makers, operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. near Town Hall and Augusta Street. In Memorial Park, local organizations will offer hands on activities for all ages from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Literary events include a caregiver focused poetry workshop with author Kate Rogers and a poetry reading featuring Rogers and Laurie D. Graham.
The festival also includes an open mic SoundStage hosted by Sounds of the Next Generation and an evening outdoor concert by Nicholas Campbell & The Metre Cheaters under the Capitol Theatre marquee at 8 p.m.
New this year are festival kickoff events on August 6 and 7, including the premiere screening of the locally inspired Bell Fibe TV1 anthology series Inklings: Tall Tales, Short Stories and a guided downtown Art Crawl.
Festival schedules, performance details and registration links are available at the Town of Port Hope’s Arts Festival webpage.
