Family Day Weekend, February 14 - 17, 2025
Downtown Port Hope, ON
A warm hug on a cold weekend, filled with live music, local food, arts, crafts and community.
hibernate Festival Is Coming
live music
Snuggle into some great venues in Downtown Port Hope and have your socks knocked off by some incredible performances in some mighty unique venues. Enjoy free live afternoons and ticketed shows in the evening. You'll find incredible, diverse Canadian music blended with some of our finest local artists too!
Arts, Crafts and Community
Free artistic programming throughout downtown Port Hope celebrating community in typical Cultivate fashion – with tonnes of fun! Everything from print making to candle making and you can even make some music while you're at it!
hibernate hunt
Family Day Fun
Join us for some simple family fun in Downtown Port Hope on Monday afternoon. Live music at the Lion's Centre in Port Hope between 12 - 4pm. Pay what you can.
hibernate eats
free live music
Friday February 14th
Join us on Valentine's Day for a Pay-What-You-Can concert fetauring the Cultivate Festival All-Stars!
The All-Stars debuted at the 2024 Cultivate Festival to much fan fare. Often recalled as the hightlight of the festival, the band leans on four masters of their craft, each contibruting their own songs and often swapping instruments. The band consists of Kyler Tapscott (Amanda Rheume, Logan Staats), Melissa Payne (Matt Mays), Derek Downham (Broken Social Scene), Saskia Tomkins (Medusa, Sultans of String), Ian McKeown (Union Duke) and Nicholas Campbell each with their own unique connections to Port Hope and the history of Cultivate and each remarkable musicians. It’s gonna be a great time!
free live music
Saturday February 15th
Make your way back and forth between these two great venues and enjoy hours of free entertainment throughtout the afternoon of Saturday February 15th.
Doghouse Orchestra
Ganaraska Brewing Company
Irish Millie
Ganaraska Brewing Company
kaia kater and shannon & jakeb
Sunday February 16th
Join us for this ticketed event in at the Ganaraska Art and Framing featuring award winning americana artist, Kaia Kater and local folk pop duo, Shannon & Jakeb
Kaia Kater is a Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression.
Through her artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia, her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, and her recent work in film composition.
Shannon and Jakeb are a folk-pop duo known for their dynamic vocal synergy and vibrant performance style. Characterized by percussive guitar and soaring harmonies, their songs are honest and vulnerable with a lighthearted spirit.
Shannon Linton is a classically trained singer whose love of singing harmonies found its perfect match with multi-instrumentalist and vocal powerhouse Jakeb Daniel. They are both proud to call Cobourg, Ontario their home, and to be part of its flourishing music community.
the pairs and lotus wight
Saturday February 15th
Join us for this ticketed event in the Sculthorpe Theatre at The Capitol. A stunning concert featuring The Pairs, and Lotus Wight.
With three distinct lead singer/songwriters, the award winning folk trio, The Pairs, offer a unique blend of music with stories of life’s hope, hilarity, and hardship.
“Wight's original works defy the epoch. These songs could’ve been written at the turn-of-the-century and stand up to modern scrutiny. Lotus has transformed himself from a skilled revivalist/multi-instrumentalist into a highly credible songwriter of astounding originality. Not to be missed!” David Clayton Thomas
Arts crafts & community
Sunday Feb. 16th
Weave your way through downtown Port Hope and join in on tons of FREE programming for the whole family scattered about some remarkable storefronts.
Details coming soon.
Family Fun Day
Monday February 17th
Come hang out with Hibernate! Join us at the Lion's Centre We've got some simple, feel-good fun for the whole family.
trash panda brass
Only having hit the streets in June 2022, Trash Panda Brass is a new and exciting voice in the Toronto brass band scene. Having quickly gained a large following, Trash Panda Brass has appeared on the cover of the Whole Note magazine; performed at TD Jazz Fest, and Small World Festival; and recorded their first EP, all within the first year of conception. Their home however, will always be on the streets where they are “retooling the art of busking into a kindof amazing outdoor ambush” - The Whole Note
In an effort to bring music and joy to as wide an audience as possible, they regularly play at community events, festivals and educational workshops and can still be seen playing on the streets of Toronto. With all arranging done by members of the band, Trash Panda is known for their upbeat and fun loving tunes, paying homage to quintessential queer hits and icons. Trash Panda Brass is proud to be here and queer!
Balfolk Dancing
Pop Up
Choir
what it's all about
Community
Hibernate is all about bringing people together! Stroll the streets, spark up a conversation and snuggle into a venue with someone you love or even just met. We'll get you in places you may have never been before, exposing you to the remarkable people and places of Port Hope.
Inclusivity
Cultivate sembraces inclusivity at its core, creating a vibrant space where diverse voices and perspectives flourish. With a celebration of art, music, and culture, it fosters a welcoming environment that promotes unity, acceptance, and the power of shared experiences. We are also committed to access for all - if you’d like a free ticket send us an email to info@cultivatefestival.ca and we’ll send you some with no questions asked.
Free Programming
Hibernate is a hybrid festival with free and paid events, but mostly they are free. With those free events comes a commitment to accessibility. Attendees can immerse themselves in a vibrant cultural experience, enjoying diverse performances, workshops, and interactive artistic programming, all without any cost barriers. If you’d like a free ticket to a paid event, you can simply send us an email to info@cultivatefestival.ca and we would be happy to help as a part of our No Questions Asked policy.
downtown port hope
Beautiful, historic downtown Port Hope. Everything you could ever need in a 500 meter radius. Come see for yourself!
How else can you participate?
Help us create an unforgettable experience or showcase your local products!
Passes on Sale Now!
Kids 18 and under are free with a ticket holding adult.
Young adults are around half price.
Hibernate Kick Off Concert
you can!
- Kick-Off Concert at The Capitol Theatre featuring the Cultivate Festival All-Stars. Tickets are general admission and seaeting is first come, first served.
Saturday Night Concert
$19
- Passes to Saturday night concert at The Sculthorpe Theatre inside the Capitol Theatre featuring award winning folk trio The Pairs and Lotus Wight. Only 80 tickets available.
Sunday Night Concert
$19
- Passes to Sunday night concert at Ganaraska Art and Framing featuring award winning artist Kaia Kater and Shannon & Jakeb. Only 60 tickets available.
Family Day
Extravaganza
you can!
- A pass to our Hibernate Festival variety show on Family Day at The Lion's Centre. Live music, toller pizza, dancing, singing and so much more!
No questions asked
Cultivate events cost a lot to produce and we couldn't do it with out the support of ticket holders. Truly. We know, though, that it's not easy for everyone and we'd like to remove as many barriers as possible to the Cultivate experience. If you need a ticket and can't otherwise afford, choose your ticket through the link below and enter the promo code NOQUESTIONSASKED and it's all yours. No questions asked.
Programming Partners
These community organizations are as dedicated to building healthy and vibrant communities as much as we are and we couldn’t be more proud to have them presenting unique, collaborative art experiences that strengthen the Cultivate Community.
SONG
Green Wood Coalition
Funding Partners
Sponsors
TD
Cameco
Port Hope Rotary
Quantrill Motors
Copeland Realty
Ganaraska Financial
Ste. Anne's Spa
Battlefield
Lauria
Sign up for the Good News Report
The Cultivate Festival Newsletter
Sign-Up for our email list & get notified of upcoming promotions, events & what’s happening with the Cultivate Community!