CBC Open Houses, Local “Culture Secrets” broadcasts and other special events help Canadians embrace our rich and vibrant culture
CBC is throwing open its doors and inviting Canadians to come on in and celebrate CULTURE DAYS 2011. This weekend, Canada’s national public broadcaster will join in the country’s signature annual cultural event - and celebrate its 75th anniversary bringing the art of broadcasting to Canadians - with special events and unique, once-in-a-lifetime programming.
“For 75 years, our role as the national public broadcaster has been to bring Canadians together,” said Kirstine Stewart, CBC’s Executive Vice President of English Services. “I can think of no better way to do that than to hold a national open house to celebrate CULTURE DAYS 2011 - and everyone is invited. Come and see your CBC!”
The national celebrations officially got underway in Vancouver earlier today with a special kick-off event headlined by country music sensation Johnny Reid, and culminates tonight with a live concert broadcast hosted by CBC Q host Jian Ghomeshi. Featuring top Canadian acts like Stars, The Midway State and The New Pornographers, the concert will air across the country on CBC TV as Midnight Music: A Concert for Culture Days at 12 midnight/12:30 a.m. NT. (See complete schedule here.)
Bookending the national celebration is a suite of special programs and local events that will engage and entertain Canadians across the country. Regional CBC stations will highlight this national, interactive celebration of our vibrant culture with special CULTURE DAYS 2011 broadcasts. The special 30-minute programs reveal the cultural secrets of communities across Canada - from Vancouver to Winnipeg to Newfoundland and Labrador, visiting peoples like the Woodland Cree, and getting to know the six Alberta communities vying for the coveted title of “Cultureville 2011.”
Tomorrow (October 1), CBC stations across Canada will host Open House events - a unique opportunity presented in celebration of CBC’s 75 years as Canada’s public broadcaster. In 32 cities, CBC/Radio-Canada will open its doors to give Canadians a glimpse from the other side of the camera, and behind the scenes on the sets of their favourite programs. This national open house is the high point of the CBC’s 75th anniversary celebrations, which have been going strong since late August. Festivities will continue through November 2, the day the public broadcaster was established in 1936. Families can take advantage of a wide range of rare experiences, like appearing on camera, recording radio messages, going inside a satellite truck or learning how to produce a news story from start to finish.
CBC/Radio-Canada will be hosting Open House activities in the following locations:
Calgary, Alberta; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Edmonton, Alberta; Fredericton, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Iqaluit, Nunavut; Kelowna, British Columbia; Matane, Quebec; Moncton, New Brunswick; Montreal, Quebec; Ottawa, Ontario; Prince George, British Columbia; Quebec City, Quebec; Regina, Saskatchewan; Rimouski, Quebec; Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec; Saguenay, Quebec; Saint John, New Brunswick; Sept-Îles, Quebec; Sherbrooke, Quebec; St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador; Sudbury, Ontario; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Thunder Bay, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; Trois-Rivières, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; Victoria, British Columbia; Whitehorse, Yukon; Windsor, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Canadians can follow the festivities with ongoing coverage from CBC NEWS and online with CBC LIVE!, which will be posting updates, information and photos from CULTURE DAYS 2011 throughout the weekend.
Click here for full details on open house activities and visiting hours in your community.
Please note that St. Boniface, Manitoba, will be holding its Open House event on September 30, and that Montreal’s will continue for a second day on Sunday, October 2.
You can also find more information about our 75th anniversary activities and special programming at www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/75th
About CULTURE DAYS 2011
Running from September 30 to October 2, Culture Days is a free, interactive celebration of arts and culture from coast to coast to coast. This fall, for a second year, Canadians everywhere will participate in thousands of free events that bring creators and the public together to celebrate the creative vitality of our communities. The cross-Canada celebration represents the largest-ever collective public participation campaign undertaken by the arts and cultural community in this country.
About CBC/Radio Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating 75 years of serving Canadians and being central to Canada’s social, cultural and democratic life.
For further information, contact:
Betsy Cooper, b*co communications
778-229-4947
cooper@b-co.ca
Melissa Branco, Veritas Communications
P) 416-955-4574
C) 647-205-4744
branco@veritascanada.com
