The 3rd annual Canadiana Festival will bring Canadian culture to downtown Kalamazoo this Saturday, Sep 20. In an interview with Cara Lieurance, founder/organizer Channon Mondoux says the website has seen nearly 1,000 advance ticket registrations. While admission is free, tickets are required and available at canadianafest.fun.
The festival opens at 3:30 p.m. with a parade beginning at 4 p.m., led by the Kalamazoo Pipe Band performing Canadian-Scottish music. The six-hour celebration continues until 10 p.m. at the Arcadia Festival site downtown.
Musical performances span diverse Canadian genres, from indigenous music to folk and rock. Woodland Stream, led by Ojibwe member Owyn Zapata of the Nottawaseppi Huron band of the Potawatomi, will perform alongside indigenous artists MoniFaith and Deanna Bush, who will open the festival with traditional welcome songs.
Folk musician John Louis Good from Jackson, Michigan, brings his tribute to legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Stompin' Tom Connors. "I always like to describe him to folks as he is Canada's Woody Guthrie or Johnny Cash," Good explains, describing Connors' influence on his music.
Good's connection to Canadian music runs deep through family heritage. "My great, great grandfather, he came from Canada from Kitchener, Ontario," he shares, adding that discovering Connors' music gave him "pride in having the ancestry there."
The festival also showcases Quebec-based trio Cécilia, featuring traditional Acadian music and step dancing workshops, while local cover band RockRx performs Canadian rock classics including Rush and Alanis Morissette.
Beyond music, the festival offers cultural depth rarely found at typical heritage celebrations. "We do this sort of deep cultural sharing," Mondoux explains, highlighting a French-Canadian village, genealogy services, and educational presentations including a talk by Western Michigan University professor Dr. Danielle McFarland on how the U.S. and Canada shaped Niagara Falls.
Family activities include sports workshops for hockey, lacrosse, basketball and curling, plus games like the "log rolling game of DOOM" and the "Sasquatch Challenge." Food competitions feature poutine vendors competing for the "Golden Gravy Ladle" trophy and a butter tart contest supporting local food banks.
The festival is seeing growing support from Canadian organizations, according to Mondoux. Canadian National Railway returns as a major sponsor for the second year, while Heritage Canada provides 2,000 hand flags and temporary tattoos. Pelee Island Winery serves as the official winery partner and Clearly Canadian has donated products for the festival’s use since 2023.
The festival also maintains its charitable focus, having contributed over $22,000 to food banks and nonprofit organizations over its first two years.
For more information on the festival and continuing events, visit the Canadiana Festival website.
This interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
