Despite it’s smaller size, the city of Guelph is home to many festivals, cultural events and vibrant public spaces. The city is known for its unique combination of city bustle and rural quiet. Today’s Hazelview blog post will explore the ins and outs of arts and culture in Guelph.
Guelph Civic Museum
Explore the history of Guelph and the Guelph area in the city’s historic downtown. The museum’s collection includes over 30,000 items with a strong connection to Guelph (made or used in Guelph). On the fourth Friday of each month, the Civic Museum is open during the evenings from 5-9 p.m. with free admission; some exceptions apply for entry to special exhibits. The museum is normally open daily between 1-5 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors or students or $10 for a full family. Guelph Civic Museum is located at:
52 Norfolk St, Guelph.
Entrance is off of Cork Street.
For more info visit: Guelph.ca/museum
Guelph River Run Centre
This performing arts centre, owned and operated by the City of Guelph, is located downtown next to the Speed River. Here you’ll find a variety of concerts, plays, musicals, dance performances and family shows. The River Run Centre has a huge contingent of volunteers that are involved with the day-to-day operations of the centre. If you’d like to join their ranks in return for exposure to city arts and events, positions include ushers, hosts and tour guides. Keep your eyes out for shows like the Just for Laughs Road Show and live concerts this spring.
River Run Centre
35 Woolwich Street
Guelph
Box Office: 519-763-3000
Toll Free: 877-520-2408
e-mail: info@riverrun.ca
Twitter: @riverruncentre
For more info visit: www.riverrun.ca
Hillside Festival
Hillside Community Festival is a Guelph-based not-for-profit music festival. It is an annual celebration of creativity, environmental leadership and community engagement. The Festival is held for three days during the summer on Guelph Lake Island in the Guelph Lake Conservation Area just outside of the city. The festival includes five stages with a great variety of musical genres and performers; whether you like rock, folk, blues, electronic or reggae, the Hillside Festival has it all.
As an organization, Hillside focuses on the promotion of altruism, equality, environmentalism and peacemaking in its work. Hillside is also known for its leadership in sustainable environmental practices. Attendees are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles (no disposable plastic bottles are permitted). Disposable dishes are also not allowed at Hillside. Beer tents offer reusable beer mugs, while food vendors use reusable plates that are collected and washed by a team of volunteers. For the last three years, the organization has also run an indoor music festival each February. 2013 marks the summer festival’s 30th. Tickets are known to sell-out quickly so keep your eyes on hillsidefestival.ca or join the Hillside volunteer team.
Guelph Arts Council
This organization has a great website that lets you take a peek into Guelph’s arts and culture community. Whether you’re looking to join a dance collective or commission a custom-drawn portrait as a gift, Guelpharts.ca is a great online resource that gives you access to a wide variety of artists in the Guelph area.
Online Planning & Resources
The What to Do in Guelph website walks users through a series of questions to create a custom recommendation for planning your night, your day or weekend in the city. Need a dose of culture? Looking to relax? Looking for something new? Have a lot of energy? This site has something to offer for each of those needs. Suggestions range from shopping in the area’s second hand stores, a trip to a local artist’s studio or planning a weekend at an arts and culture festival.
The City of Guelph has a cool culture map that helps users access the city’s diverse creative community of cultural resources. The website includes venues, stories, events, collections, interesting individuals, organizations, public art and built heritage. In addition to the map, there’s also an extensive directory of services and events in the area.
This is only a brief overview of the rich artistic, creative and cultural network that exists in Guelph. Are you curious about this city or planning a move to the community? Consider a Hazelview apartment to call home. Our team offers a variety of rental apartments in some of the most convenient and central areas of the city. We have properties located near the University of Guelph and Stone Road Mall, as well as rentals near the banks of the Speed River.