Small Town Vibes. Big Time Shows. Your Ultimate Guide to the 2026 Huntsville Festival of the Arts
Every summer, Huntsville becomes one of the most culturally rich destinations in Ontario. The Huntsville Festival of the Arts — now in its 34th summer season — transforms this beautiful Muskoka town into a hub of live music, comedy, visual art, and community celebration from late June through August. Under the theme The Arts Are In Our Nature, the festival runs from late June through August with an extraordinary range of programming, spread across some of the most charming venues imaginable: the Algonquin Theatre, Deerhurst Resort, Canvas Brewery, Hillside Farm, and the downtown waterfront parks. Here’s what to look forward to:
Live Music – the backbone of the festival
Adam Baldwin July 2
Rheostatics July 3
Holy Cole July 10
William Prince July 17
Kaia Kater July 22
Steven Page July 25
The Jim Cuddy Band July 28 & 29
Lowest of the Low July 30
The Good Brothers August 6
Ashley McIsaac August 15
The Huntsville Art Crawl — June 1 to August 30 Running all summer long, the Art Crawl is Huntsville’s beloved free, self-guided tour of local businesses, galleries, and studios showcasing works by local artists. Pick up a map and wander at your own pace — it’s one of those experiences that turns a trip to town into something genuinely memorable.
National Indigenous Peoples Day — June 21, River Mill Park Each year the Huntsville Festival of the Arts marks National Indigenous Peoples Day with a meaningful celebration at River Mill Park, featuring performances and activities that honour Indigenous culture and heritage. It’s a genuine and important part of the festival’s community programming — an opportunity to learn, listen, and celebrate the rich traditions and contributions of Indigenous peoples to Canadian culture. Free to attend and open to everyone.
Yuk Yuk’s On Tour — June 27 and July 31 The summer kicks off with laughs. Canada’s most beloved stand-up comedy brand brings its touring show to Canvas Brewery for the first of several appearances throughout the season. If you’ve had a week that needs fixing, this is the cure.
Movie on the Docks — June 28 & August 4 One of the most delightful events on the festival calendar. Settle in on the waterfront and watch a film under the open sky — the perfect Muskoka summer evening. Two screenings this year, in late June and early August. Check huntsvillefestival.ca for film titles.
2026 Canoe Mural Project: Street Art Edition — July 1, River Mill Park A Canada Day tradition with a creative twist. This year, the beloved Canoe Mural Project takes a bold new direction as graffiti and street artists reinterpret the iconic landscape paintings of Tom Thomson directly onto real canoes in River Mill Park. Watch the art being created live throughout the day — it’s public, it’s free, and it’s a genuinely unique celebration of Canadian art, culture, and the canoe itself. Once completed, the canoes will be displayed as part of the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery Tour throughout the summer.
Group of Seven Outdoor Mural Tours — Every Tuesday & Sunday in July and August Downtown Huntsville is home to an extraordinary outdoor gallery of 103 recreations of iconic works by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. This summer, guided tours run every Tuesday at 6pm and Sunday at 1pm — 30 to 45 minutes that illuminate the stories behind the murals, the artists who created them, and their deep connection to the Muskoka landscape. Stay afterwards for a painting class with a local artist.
Dancing on the Docks — Every Thursday, July 2 to August 13, Town Docks, 7pm One of summer’s finest free offerings. Every Thursday evening through July and August, the Town Docks come alive with live music and dance instruction, as skilled instructors lead audiences through a variety of social dance styles before opening the floor to everyone. All levels are warmly welcome — from absolute beginners to seasoned dancers looking for a fun evening out on the water. Bring a friend, bring the family, and bring comfortable shoes.
Dogs Do Magic — July 4 The perfect Canada Day long weekend family outing. Dogs Do Magic is a one-of-a-kind live show starring magician Aaron Matthews — as seen on Disney Plus, YTV, and at the Calgary Stampede — alongside a troupe of mind-reading, acrobatic dogs trained entirely through positive reinforcement. It’s genuinely astonishing, very funny, and the kind of show that has kids and adults equally wide-eyed. A summer highlight for families.
The Elmer Iseler Singers with the Bergmann Piano Duo — July 9 Canada’s premier professional choral ensemble, conducted by Lydia Adams, returns to Huntsville joined by Vancouver’s acclaimed Bergmann Piano Duo for a dynamic programme including selections from West Side Story. An unmissable night for lovers of choral music.
Tom Thomson’s Wake — July 11 History, mystery, and music combine in this powerful theatrical production exploring the life and deeply mysterious death of Canada’s most beloved landscape painter. Tom Thomson drowned in Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park in 1917 under circumstances that have never been fully explained, and this musical brings that story to vivid, haunting life — a fitting tribute in a region that Thomson himself once painted with such passion.
Oh So Sweet — The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot — July 12 Gordon Lightfoot gave Canada its musical soul — The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Sundown, Carefree Highway, If You Could Read My Mind — and this tribute show brings his extraordinary catalogue to life with the warmth, craft, and reverence it deserves. An evening of songs that feel like old friends.
The Last Waltz — July 16 One of the greatest concert films ever made gets the live tribute treatment. The Band’s legendary 1976 farewell concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco featured a who’s who of rock royalty, and this faithful recreation brings that epic night back to the Algonquin Theatre stage. For fans of The Band, The Last Waltz is as close to a pilgrimage as live music gets.
Nuit Blanche North — July 18 One of the most unique events in the entire region. For one night only, from 8pm to 2am, downtown Huntsville is transformed into a bold, immersive multi-arts street festival — contemporary art installations, performances, and unexpected experiences in public and private spaces throughout the core. This year’s theme, Into the Wild, explores wilderness as both landscape and state of being. Free to attend and utterly unlike anything else.
MORE BARN! — The Music of Neil Young — July 20 and 21 Spearheaded by Muskoka local favourite Tobin Spring, MORE BARN! heads to Hillside Farm for two nights of Neil Young’s legendary catalogue performed in one of the most appropriate venues imaginable — a working farm beneath the stars. Heart of Gold, Old Man, Rockin’ in the Free World — the songs feel completely at home out here.
Ron James — July 23 One of Canada’s most beloved comedians comes to Huntsville for what promises to be a night of sharp, warm, and brilliantly observed comedy. Ron James has built a career on finding the poetry in everyday Canadian life — equal parts storytelling, wordplay, and the kind of material that feels like it was written specifically about you. A Muskoka summer night and Ron James is a combination that simply works.
Cottage Country Drag Festival — July 24 Get ready to experience the glitz, glamour, and sheer fabulousness at Algonquin Theatre! Join us for an unforgettable evening featuring captivating performances by Drag Queens. The evening features The Spice Queens, a hilarious send-up of the 90’s super group. Joining them is the award-winning slay baddy Karamilk (Canada’s Drag Race Season 6) and talented local performers from the Muskoka Drag Royalty Collective. From dazzling costumes to jaw-dropping performances, this drag extravaganza promises to be an unforgettable spectacle
Whiskey Jack & Seán Cullen — The Songs of Stompin’ Tom Connors — Since 1990, Whiskey Jack have been the band most closely associated with Stompin’ Tom Connors’ legacy, having worked directly with the man himself. Joined by the irrepressible comedian Seán Cullen, this show is equal parts tribute, celebration, and stomping good time — featuring the songs, stories, and defiant Canadian spirit of The Hockey Song, Bud the Spud, and Big Joe Mufferaw. Come with your stomping foot warmed up.
Delhi 2 Dublin — August 1 Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2026, Vancouver’s Delhi 2 Dublin are one of the most thrillingly original bands Canada has ever produced. Hour Magazine once called them “the United Nations of rock ‘n’ roll” — a description that still holds. Their music is a high-energy, genre-defying fusion of Bhangra, Celtic fiddle, dub reggae, electronica, and hip-hop that fills dance floors at festivals from Glastonbury to Burning Man. Come ready to move.
Classic Albums Live The Eagles Hotel California — August 7 Classic Albums Live takes a revered record and performs it live, in its entirety, note for note, cut for cut. No gimmicks, no nostalgia trip — just world-class musicianship bringing iconic albums back to life in a way that is consistently astonishing.
Kyung-A Lee — August 8 This unforgettable evening invites audiences on a journey through music and memory—where the magic of film meets the timeless beauty of live performance. Step into the golden age of cinema with a Cinematic Piano Gala: an enchanting candlelight concert celebrating the lush, romantic film scores of the 1930s and ’40s. Renowned pianist Kyung-A Lee leads this evocative evening, bringing extraordinary artistry and emotional depth to a program that bridges classical elegance and cinematic nostalgia.
Choir! Choir! Choir! — August 9 matinée and evening performance The most joyful concept in live music — the audience IS the choir. Choir! Choir! Choir! transforms every show into a massive communal singalong, with the crowd learning and performing iconic songs on the spot. With two editions covering the 80s and 90s separately, pick your decade or go to both.
An Evening with Alan Cross — August 13 Held at the intimate and perfectly suited Canvas Brewery, this is one of the most distinctive evenings of the entire season. Alan Cross — broadcaster, music historian, and host of Canada’s longest-running music documentary The Ongoing History of New Music — brings his decades of insight, storytelling, and behind-the-scenes knowledge to the stage in a multimedia show blending rare audio clips, fascinating anecdotes, and sharp analysis of the songs, artists, and cultural moments that shaped modern music. From legendary icons to surprising industry secrets, it’s smart, entertaining, and completely one of a kind.
Practical Details All venues are wheelchair accessible and parking is free. Become a Friend of the Festival for advance access to tickets and 15% off. Tickets and the full schedule are available at huntsvillefestival.ca or by calling 705-788-2787.