Small Halls brings big music to South Eastern Ontario

Rosanne Lake

There’s a certain magic to an Ontario Festival of Small Halls show. As soon as you walk in the door, it’s evident from the warm hello that melts into smiles and handshakes, the intimate setting and the stage set with simple mics and instruments - something special is about to happen in this space that lives and breathes community.

The Ontario Festival of Small Halls is embarking on its biggest and best schedule this year – 49 halls and 60 shows total from October 4 to December 2, 2024. The festival will feature a wealth of artists at a wide array of intimate sites in communities across South Eastern Ontario, during the months of October, November, and December.

Cat Côté, Programming & General Manager, Ontario Festival of Small Halls, said it’s by far the biggest schedule to date both in terms of the time frame and in volume of shows. “We’re not only producing more shows but we have gone much deeper into the province,” Côté said.

Many of those shows are within South Eastern Ontario, from Kingston to Morrisburg, Picton to Seeley’s Bay, Elgin to Cornwall. Beloved rural halls and urban community spaces are throwing open their doors to welcome internationally renowned musicians for remarkable shows in special places.

Côté said there’s a certain beauty of a Small Halls show that’s hard to beat. She noted that the uniqueness stems from three areas: the community’s involvement in bringing world-class talent into their historic space; the chance to watch an amazing act perform in an intimate space, as well as a warm welcome, friendly crowd and personal experience overall.

This year, the festival is particularly exciting due to the calibre of the artists. “Never have we had so many Canadian greats coming together in one series,” Côté said. Think Tom Cochrane, Chantal Kreviazuk, Glass Tiger, The Barra MacNeils, Fred Eaglesmith, Kathleen Edwards, Sarah Harmer, The Trews and more.

It’s the incredible music combined with the unique characteristics found in each unique venue that push these shows to the next level. From wooden stages to pews and from beckoning archways to barn board, the halls expertly roll out the red carpet for the Festival doing what they do best – enhancing the experience just by playing host.

The Team Behind Bluesfest first launched the Ontario Festival of Small Halls in August of 2014. In recent years, Small Halls has seen continued success, with notable growth throughout the province, due to the exceptional programming and boundless community enthusiasm that has become standard for the event.

See who’s playing across the South Eastern Ontario region:

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4:

November 2024

Skydiggers / 2:30 p.m. Sunday, November 17 / The Regent Theatre / 224 Picton Main St, Picton
Glass Tiger / 7 p.m. Thursday, November 21 / The Spire / 82 Sydenham St, Kingston
MonkeyJunk / 7 p.m. Friday, November 29 / Joshua Bates Centre / 1 Main St E, Athens
Fortunate Ones / 7 p.m. Friday, November 29 / Spencerville United Church / 16 Centre St, Spencerville
MonkeyJunk / Saturday, November 30 / Bob Richardson Legion Branch 496 / 4361 Amelia St, Sydenham
 

December 2024

The Redhill Valleys (w/ Opener) Teilhard Frost / 7 p.m. Friday, December 6 / Delta Old Town Hall / 8 Lower Beverley Lake Park Road, Delta
The East Pointers / 7 p.m. Saturday, December 7 / St. James Anglican Church / Morrisburg  20 High St, Morrisburg

For the full schedule including shows further afield, as well as info on tickets, visit ontariosmallhalls.com or follow along on Facebook @FestivalofSmallHallsOntario and on Instagram @smallhallsfest.