Cambridge Celebration of the Arts takes place each year, for one evening in June. 
For more than 20 years, the event has showcased local artists and their visual, literary, and performing arts talent. The event attracts approximately 5,000 people to City Hall and surrounding area. 

The Cambridge Fire Hall Museum will be open! Enjoy local restaurants and market vendors on site. You will not want to miss Art Attic happening inside Cambridge Centre for the Arts, be sure to drop in. 

Thank you for joining us at the 2024 event!

Mark your calendars & join us on Friday, June 13 2025 from 5-10 p.m. at Cambridge City Hall, 50 Dickson Street. Stay alert to our website come January 2025 for the call for artist entries. 

For any related inquiries email: cca@cambridge.ca 

 In 2024, we had 40 professional artists on display with three separate stages. 

Congratulations to our 2024 winners!

Juror's Choice Award - John Richer

People's Choice Award - Adult Visual Arts Competition - Maria Antoniv 

People's Choice Award - Junior Visual Arts Competition - Preston High School - Madison Sellers

2024 Visual Artists - City Hall Atrium & Bowman Room

ArtistMedium
Steve Delahunty Drawing
Jim Bloomfield Photography
Les Holdway Photography
Jill Summerhayes  Watercolours
Gordy Ess Mixed Media
Peter Zantinge Painting
Mary Mitchell Painting 
Brenda Hunniford Acrylic Painting & Mixed Media
Lloyd Dell  Acrylic Painting
Tara Markov Photography
Christie Lippa Painting watercolour, acrylic and pastels 
Angeline Garnham   Watercolour and Acrylic 
Kim Conway  Painting
Valerie Thomson Mono print & acrylic painting
Laura Cook Digital Photography
Deb Mowatt Acrylic Painting
Maria Antoniv Painting
John Richer Oil Painting
Ginny Carnevale Print making
Rachel Azzopardi Acrylic Painting

Jacob Hespeler Secondary School

 

 
Preston High School  

Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School

 

Galt Collegiate Institute

 

Glenview Park Secondary School

 

Stage Schedules

2024 Main Stage - Civic Square

TimeArtist
5:15 PM Mattie Leon
6:00 PM Yvonne & The Riffs 
6:45 PM Kroka 
7:15 PM Mayor Jan Liggett - Greetings 
7:30 PM Dan Walsh
8:15 PM Fresh Water Funk
9:00 PM Listen to the Music - The Ultimate Tribute to The Doobie Brothers


2024 Market Stage - McIntyre Place

TimeArtist
5:00 PM Fiddlesticks Girls Choir
5:30 PM Cambridge Symphony Orchestra 
6:15 PM Rebekah Stevens
7:00 PM Sing Me A River 
7:45 PM Elements Dance 
8:30 PM Cambridge Concert Band 
9:15 PM Big Dan Jeffares 

2024 Literary Arts & Performing Arts Stage - City Hall- Atrium 

TimeArtist
5:30 PM Emi-lee Small - Performing
6:00 PM Graham Miles - Literary
6:30 PM Valerie Thomson - Literary
7:00 PM Sharon Frayne - Literary
7:30 PM Nicole Lao - Literary
8:00 PM Barb Day - Literary

 

Art Market Vendors
Henna 4 U
Debbie Ellis Watercolours
The Tiny Paint Company-Brooke Burnet-Brown
Idle & Wood Candle Co.
Unbroken Bunny
Sensity
Cambridge Scottish Festival
Preston Arts Collective
Azadeh Pourashraf
Vetements Deslandes

 


 What to expect at the celebration

  • Come hungry! Food vendors and restaurants will be on-site. The event is also liquor licensed. 
  • Two free parking lots are available - Beverly/Wellington Street Parking Lot & Cambridge City Hall Parking Lot
Food Vendors & Restaurants

Bombay Sizzler

Ernie's Roadhouse

EVO Kitchen & Bar

Greek Street Gyro

Heavenly Dreams Ice Cream

Cyprianna's Pizzeria

Joey Doggs

I Heart Boba 

Cambridge Farmers Market

Beverage Partner

Thirteen Food and Beverage

13 Food and beverage

 

 

Event accessibility

  • If you require accessible accommodations, please contact event staff prior to the event
  • Washrooms are accessible
  • Accessible drop off area will be available off of Cambridge Street
  • Bus routes are nearby.  Use the Grand River Transit website to plan your route. 

Volunteer

Are you interested in volunteering at the event? Email the Recreation Coordinator or call 519-623-1340 ext 4277 for more information.

Thank you to our sponsors and media partners for their generous support!

Sponsors
     

TD Bank Group

  toyota manufacturing logo

 

 

   

 

 

Racolta, Jensen Chartered Accountants

 

 

  Exit Integrity Realty

     

   

 

Media Partners

   

Cambridge Today Logo

Rogers TV

LITE 92.1 FMHot Country Radio Logo

2024 Jurors

The jurors provide their expertise to support the selection of the artists who are featured in the the event as well as the winner of the Juror’s Choice Award. 

Performing Arts Juror - Vanessa De Freitas

 

 

Performing Arts Juror

Vanessa is a graduate from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music from 2008. She also holds a Diploma of Applied Arts in Vocal Music from Mohawk College from 2006. Vanessa is classically trained in both voice and piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music along with college and university. She also has vocal training in jazz, pop/rock and musical theater styles.  

Vanessa has performed KW Philharmonic Youth choir and Symphony 2001 – 2002 as well with The Roanoke Symphony Choir, The Roanoke Opera 2009 – 2011 in Virginia, USA. A former member of Brantford based Vanessa was choral scholar with St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waterloo from 2013 - 2018. She is a former member of Brantford based choir Arcady Ensemble, and was one of their 2016/2017 Emerging Young Artists.

Vanessa has starred in several local musicals including The Secret Garden, Grease with Believe Musical Theater, and more recently Kitchener Waterloo Musical Production’s (KWMP) Titanic, Lost and Found Theater’s Hello Dolly, JM Drama’s Evita and KWMP’s Jesus Christ Superstar. 

Vanessa holds several Kiwanis Festival Awards in both Voice & Piano. Vanessa takes much pride and joy in teaching music to a variety of age groups for over 19 years. She has been teaching voice and piano at Sherwood since 2012 and is now the lessons manager/coordinator. She lives by the quote “Music is not what I do, it’s who I am.”

 

Literary Arts Juror - Patricia Helen Oliver

 

Literary Arts Juror

Patricia Helen Oliver was born in Abercraf, Wales. She has a Master’s degree in Health with a minor in English from the University of Western Ontario. She lives in Cambridge, Ontario. 

Recipient of The Bernice Adams Legacy Award (2023)

Literary Arts Juror - Cambridge Celebration of the Arts (2018 - Present)

Contributing writer and story editor - CBC Gem series, "I Hate People, People Hate Me" (2023)

Two Pearls (short story) - published in Dark Winter Literary Magazine (2023)

The Gynesaurs (novel) Longlisted for the 2018 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour (top 10 in Canada) (2018) Longlisted for the 2018 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour (top ten in Canada)

Columnist:  Patricia Delicia's Titbits and Tattles - Cassmates Alumni Newsletter (2016 - present)

Life in a Nutshell - personal essay, published in the Globe and Mail (2018)

Eden Mills Festival - member of the opening night reading panel (2019)

Never a Dull Moment - column, Leacock Matters Newsletter, Gala Edition (2018)

Writer’s Undercover Anthology - Cambridge Writers Collective – prize winner and contributor(1994 - 2000).

A Grand Gift of Laughter Anthology – contributor, Musings of a Frog Prince, Ground Zero, Bacchanalia (2000).

Visual Arts Juror - Tania Hanscom

Visual Arts Juror

A painting is not only a tribute and a remembrance; It is a testament to how we loved and lived.  The Figure was my first love - The human landscape.  My goal is to connect with the subject and show the many aspects of them. I will often paint the same model (human or other), multiple times, in a series.

I work mainly with acrylic paints but also love to draw in ink.  When travelling, I bring my pen and watercolour travel kit and always come away with some great little pieces; memories, painted en plein air.

I enjoy developing new pieces from my own ideas and observations.  It is truly a beautiful world.

Tania has studied studio art and art history at The University of Waterloo and continues to learn through workshops, courses, experimentation and one on one with fine artists.

Tania was Nominated for the Beatrice Adams Award in 2017.

2013 Cambridge Celebration of the Arts, Juried show

2013 Grand Cafe, Solo Show

2013 The Many Faces of Cambridge Project

2014 - 2018 Visual Arts Coordinator for CMCA

2014 Installer, It Starts Here: Art Fair "Delightfully Diverse", Clay and Glass Museum, Kitchener

2014 Artline Salon, Waterloo Belmont Village, Solo Show

2014 & 2016  Gallery M, Group Show

2016 Robertson Gallery, Group Show

2016 Cambridge Centre of the Arts, Juried Show

2017 Live painting and auction, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Best Bites Event

2017 A Day in the District Event, Cambridge Gas Light District Pop up Gallery

2017 & 2018 Cambridge Studio Tour

2018 Solo Show Monogram Cafe

2018 Button Factory Juried Show

2021 9 Alone Show, The Chapel Studio, Roseville

2019 Best Media Magazine Profile Story

Committee Members

We are currently seeking committee members for the positions of Vendor Coordinator, Food & Beverage Coordinator, Literary Arts Coordinator. If interested please email the Recreation Coordinator or call 519-623-1340 ext 4277.

ResponsibilityName
Chair Les Kadar 
Staff Liaison/Recreation Coordinator Megan Hooper
Performing Arts Coordinators Dennis Napper & Kristine Dearlove
Promotions/Social Media Coordinators Greg Wilson & Deanna Wells
Visual Arts Coordinator Ingrid Talpak
Volunteer Coordinators Bill Ashwell, Robert Pham & Darlene Radu
Literary Arts Coordinator Actively Recruiting
Vendor Coordinator Actively Recruiting
Food & Beverage Coordinator Actively Recruiting 
Youth Visual Arts Coordinator

Jessica Penney

Marketing Coordinator Margie McLean