(External) Festival of Small Halls

Get ready to clap, knee slap and toe tap in rural communities across Ontario!

The Ontario Festival of Small Halls is announcing its 2018 halls – welcoming more cherished spaces to the schedule this year.

With more than 40 performances over two weeks in September, the Festival is expanding its scope again to bring even more internationally-renowned musicians to special halls this fall.

The celebration of exceptional live music is taking place from September 13 to 30, 2018 in intimate settings that provide authentic rural Ontario experiences.

Now in its fifth year, the festival continues to highlight many towns and villages throughout the region, as well as the warmth and hospitality of the communities that fill them. The new host halls this year stretch from Combermere to Matawatchan and from Harrowsmith to Snow Road. While some venues are familiar hosts from last year, such as Elgin’s Red Brick School, others are new to the festival line up, like Sydenham’s Grace Hall, as well as the Rankin Cultural and Recreation Centre.

These are the spaces that play a vital role in bringing people together, often having deep roots as community gathering places. Some of the venues include heritage spaces, ornate churches, an historic mill, and even a country hall that was entirely built using local materials and labour.

Keep your ear to the ground in June as organizers of the Ontario Festival of Small Halls will be announcing the schedule and the big-name musicians who will be taking center stage across Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley, at the following chosen venues:

La Fraternité, Alexandria
Almonte Old Town Hall
Joshua Bates Centre, Athens
Balderson United Church
Althorpe Bolingbroke Community Hall
Burritts Rapids Community Hall
Chaffey’s Lock Community Hall
Combermere Community Centre
DACA Community Centre, Dacre
Delta Old Town Hall
Dunvegan Recreation Hall
The Red Brick School, Elgin
Golden Links Hall, Harrowsmith
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Kilmaurs
Lyndhurst Legion (Royal Canadian Legion Branch 504)
Maberly Hall
St. James Roman Catholic Church, Maxville
Matawatchan Hall
McDonald’s Corners Agricultural Hall
Merrickville United Church
Union Hall, Mississippi Mills
Morton Community Hall
Portland Community Hall
Rankin Cultural & Recreation Centre
Seeley’s Bay Community Hall
Snow Road Community Centre
Spencerville Mill
Grace Hall, Sydenham
Tamworth Legion (Royal Canadian Legion Branch 458)
Tatlock Community Hall
Marble Arts Centre, Tweed
St. Andrew’s United Church, Pakenham
Westmeath Recreation Centre
Winchester United Church

The festival is expanding quickly thanks to loyal supporters and the commitment of host communities. Keep up to date with the latest news from Small Halls and sign up to receive our newsletter, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We’re looking forward to September already!