The Cultural Night Market will return on Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Arnprior's historic Downtown Core. The Cultural Night Market will feature diverse performers and vendors in an exploration of the different cultures and heritages in our community.
Our Cultural Night Market showcases artists, vendors, and artisans from a variety of cultures to celebrate the rich diversity of Arnprior and beyond.
4:00 PM | Welcome Ceremony |
Led by Master of Ceremonies (MC) Chris Kyte, speeches will include Mayor Lisa McGee and Manager of Culture / Curator Emily Stovel. This will also include the land acknowledgement and greetings from an Indigenous Elder and knowledge-keeper. |
4:30 PM | Indigenous Drumming |
To ground the day's activities, a local Indigenous drumming circle will share their cultural practice of drumming. For Indigenous Peoples, drums are more than communication tools and musical instruments as they are also tools by which Indigenous peoples recognize and celebrate their connection to the land and all beings on Turtle Island. |
5:00 PM | Sophie d'Orleans |
Sophie d'Orleans is a trilingual singer-songwriter based in Ottawa that curates and performs upbeat indie folk and soul. Trilingual, multi-instrumentalist and vocal looping artist, Sophie d’Orléans believes in the healing power of music; exploring the depths of her humanity to share a wholesome message of resilience. Her feel-good music is a breath of fresh air. She’s performed across Canada in events such as Ottawa’s City Folk’s Marvest Festival, Festival international de la chanson de Granby, Du Haut des Airs, Cranbrook’s Sam Steele Days and Whistler’s Music in the Street. She’s shared the stage with artists like Sara-Danielle, Jessy Lindsay, Jahmeema, Malia Rogers, and Country Club Pool Boy. Check out her work on her website.
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5:45 PM | Aztec Dance Workshop |
Using dance as a form of healing and prayer through movement, participants will thank the surrounding elements as an expression of harmony with nature and the universe. You can watch a sample of the Aztec Dance Workshop which was held as part of the 2023 Kingston Intercultural Artfest in Kingston, ON. |
6:15 PM | Unsociably High |
Unsociably High is a four-piece ensemble from whose sounds of dream pop take you from laying in the grass on a sunny day to sitting alone in a dark room contemplating life. Their sounds will take you from laying in the grass on a sunny day to sitting alone in a dark room contemplating life. Seasoned with sparkling vocals, funk progressions, and loop stations, Unsociably High presents a new wave of melodies that reduce the speed of heart beats. Check out their work on their website.
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7:00 PM | Holli Cow |
Holli Cow (she/they) is Ottawa Valley's sweetheart and Arnprior’s first drag queen. Since debuting in August 2021, Holli Cow has made a name for herself by bringing drag shows and drag story times to rural communities across Ontario and through sharing her story of becoming the queer representation she never had growing up on a farm outside of Arnprior. This has lead to opportunities such as:
Check out some of her work, social media (@farmgirlholli) and interviews at https://linktr.ee/farmgirlholli.
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8:00 PM | Tocani |
Tocani is a contemporary fusion band formed in 2017 and based in Toronto/Tkaronto, Canada/Turtle Island. Its members (Luis Rojas, Guillermo López, Alfonso Galicia, Jesús Mora, and Camilo Giraldo) all have their roots further south in the Americas. With Tocani (a Nahuatl term that means “the one who plants the seed” or semprador in Spanish), this group of friends seeks to explore ancient, pre-Hispanic traditions and re-interpret them for the present day, interweaving Nahuatl language, mythology, urban legends, popular stories, and the sounds of everyday city life to both connect them to their ancestry and to use traditional ways of knowing and doing to gain a fresh perspective on today. Percussion and wind instruments form the core of Tocani’s music, with the drum signaling the heartbeat, the unerring rhythm of life. In that regard, Tocani’s performances also seek to explore and emphasize connections among Indigenous cultures across the globe. Dancing in the footsteps of their ancestors, the members of Tocani perform on instruments modeled on those from pre-Hispanic times:
Importantly, the group’s members strive to build their instruments themselves, leaning on guidance from traditional Indigenous knowledge keepers but also seeking to achieve a particular sound and look for their pieces. “The act of creating the instrument with your own hands, of moulding it with your own body and your personal labor, forms part of the ritual that connects the performer to their drum or flute,” says Luis Rojas. The group aims to transmit that organic sense of cohesion to its audiences as well: no matter their background, everyone is invited to immerse themselves in the rhythms, movements, and colours of a Tocani performance—to learn something about ancient traditions, to find a fresh place of connection, and, above all, to enjoy. Learn more about the Tocani Project on their website.
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9:00 PM | Closing Ceremonies |
Master of Ceremonies (MC) Chris Kyte and Mayor Lisa McGee will thank participants for attending and encourage participants to engage with the Arnprior and District Museum in their cultural planning work alongside the Town's Culture and Diversity Advisory Committee. |
While we are still confirming vendors for the 2024 Cultural Night Market, this event will have over 60 vendor booths including food and beverage vendors. Participating vendors will be listed below once they have satisfied all application requirements.
Food and Beverages |
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Restaurant Patios |
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Arts and Crafts |
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Jewelry |
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Bath and Home Products |
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Other (including not-for-profit organizations) |
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As of April 2024, vendor spaces are currently full and there is a waitlist to attend the Cultural Night Market as a vendor.
We are actively seeking participants who identify as a member of an under-represented and/or marginalized community (as outlined below) and we encourage applicants to self-identify within their submission.
In addition to the support of the Town of Arnprior, we would like to extend gratitude to our sponsors who have contributed to bring this event to life.
Information updates will be provided on this webpage at www.arnprior.ca/nightmarket and through the Town's social media channels, including the dedicated Facebook event.
Contact Us
Manager of Culture / Curator
Arnprior District Museum
35 Madawaska Street,
Arnprior, ON K7S 2N7, Map this Location
T. 613-623-4902
E-mail the Museum Curator