SUMMER ARTS FEST IS BACK... AND, IT’S COMING ‘HOME’ TO DOWNTOWN ORANGEVILLE AUGUST8-10!

Our favourite Summer-time festival is back, it’s growing and getting bigger than ever!

One of the best parts of our 2025 Summer Arts Fest, it’s happening in our own backyard, and will be held in and around our very own David Nairn Stage at the Opera House.

Returning favourites include: North(519) Best of The Toronto Fringe (Two great shows for ONE great price), KIDSFest and it’s BIGGER than ever, with indoor & outdoor activities at Alexandra Park and inside the Town Hall Atrium, MUSIC BINGO with Fluffy Souffle & TroyBoy Entertainment, AND, we’ve added more entertainment on Sunday back at the Opera House that you won’t want to miss!

Check out the detailed schedule and get your tickets NOW!

Friday, August 8th: North(519) Best of Toronto Fringe

EVENT OVERVIEW (6:00pm - 10:30pm)

Our Friday night opening event at Summer Arts Fest will once again feature not one, but TWO shows from The Toronto Fringe Festival. Held at our very own Opera House this year, with room for more theatre-lovers to enjoy and experience some of the BEST shows The Fringe has to offer. Our ‘Fringe Binge’ Team will be running around the streets of Toronto in early July, seeing as many shows as they can. They will then pick the BEST of the BEST to join us here at YOUR theatre

We will once again be offering our two-show ticket promotion, which gets you in to see BOTH productions, which will be hand-selected by our ‘Fringe-Binge’ Team.

 • 7:30pm - The Iron Mask

By Anibal Ortega

In the smoke-choked backrooms of 1920s Toronto, where jazz and bootleg liquor flow like an untamed river, ’The Man in the Iron Mask is reborn as a Prohibition-era musical. Twins—one, a ruthless crime lord draped in silk and sin; the other, a prisoner lost in the underbelly of King St —are bound by fate and a secret buried in blood. As speakeasy ballads and brass-fueled anthems drive the tale, a band of aging gangsters, once the city’s kings, unite for one last job: a coup against tyranny. Justice and jazz collide in a high-stakes battle where the mask must fall.

 • 9:15pm - Me and You and the Highland Coo

Buckle up because Jackie and Charlie have a plan: road trip across Scotland, find the perfect Highland coo, and definitely not think about their problems back home in Canada. With carpool karaoke, trivia, and too many snacks, what could go wrong? All that’s missing, is you!

Starring an award-winning Montreal cast, “Me and You and the Highland Coo” is a heartfelt and hilarious road trip adventure about hope, friendship, and change, with a hint of magic.

Tickets on sale NOW!! Call our Box Office to take advantage of our 2 for $40 deal and see BOTH awesome Fringe shows!!

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY TICKETS TO BOTH at the discounted rate, please call our box office directly at 519-938-7584

DON’T MISS FREE LIVE MUSIC WITH Stan Chang & Gary Taylor BEFORE the Friday night shows!!

EVENING - FREE Event

EVENT OVERVIEW (6:00pm - 7:20pm)

Join accomplished musicians Stan Chang and Gary Taylor for an evening of music. Found playing in clubs and venues both locally and throughout the GTA, their Jazz, Blues and Boogie Woogie will transport you from the Delta to New Orleans and Memphis. Don’t miss your chance to hear their unique sound!

Saturday, August 9th: KidsFEST

DAYTIME - FREE Events (Donate what you can in support of our KIDSFest FREE Event)

EVENT OVERVIEW (9:00am - 1:00pm)

KIDSFest is back, and... it’s growing!! So much so, you can find indoor + outdoor fun at this year’s KIDSFest. Start out playing with us outside at Alexandra Park (behind the Orangeville Farmer’s Market). Then, join us for special shows the whole family can enjoy! ‘Kids’ from ages 2-99 can take advantage of all KidsFEST activities for FREE - we want everyone to have a ball at KIDSFest!

We’re bringing back some of your KidsFEST favourite entertainers - Artsploration’s ‘fun-bus’ is back for all things arts & crafts, Buster Canfield’s Circus of Industrious Fleas will wow us with their death-defying stunts, Storytime with Fay & Fluffy returns once again to read stories and entertain kids of all ages AND is wouldn’t be KidsFEST without The Great Steverino to thrill us with his magical and mystical tricks and games.

NEW FOR 2025 - Don’t miss Peanut Butter and the JAMS as they bring us the ultimate family-friendly musical experience delivering catchy, danceable electro pop tunes that inspire fun for kids & adults alike for a kids-themed dance party.

WHAT’S THE SCHEDULE? (We’re so glad you asked!)

 • 9:30am - Buster Canfield’s Circus of Industrious Fleas

 • 10:45am - Storytime with Fay & Fluffy

 8 11:30am - The GREAT Steverino

 8 12:15pm - Peanut Butter and the Jams DANCE PARTY

ONGOING AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES:

Artsploration - Various activities + Art Bus

Arts n’ Crafts with Kait

Face Painting with The Painted Ladies

Wandering Magic with The Great Steverino!

Artist Vendors

AND MORE!!

NOTE - This event is being offered for free to all families. It would mean the world to us if you offered a small donation to help us keep the fun going!

WHO’S UP FOR SOME MUSIC, BINGO AND PRIZES??

Music Bingo with Fluffly Souffle featuring performances from Troy Boy Entertainment - RETURNS!

EVENING - Ticketed Event (19+ EVENT)

EVENT OVERVIEW (8:00pm - 10:30pm)

 • Music, Bingo and Drag, oh my!

Fluffy Souffle is back with their unique twist to bingo as our host and MC. Alongside local favourite Troy Boy Entertainment, who promises to bring the party (as always).

This event has SOLD OUT in previous years... Be sure to save the date, call your crew and get your tickets before they’re gone!

DON’T MISS (BEFORE) Music Bingo FREE LIVE MUSIC WITH Heather Katz!!

EVENING - FREE Event

EVENT OVERVIEW (6:30pm - 8:00pm)

Join us from 6:30 - 8:00pm to hear one of the newest additions to Summer Arts Fest, Heather Katz. “Heather’s performances are straight from her heart to yours. As a teacher, she inspires her students to find their own voice and creativity whether singing or playing.” Come early and see this amazing local talent before the evening’s main event.

WE ARE PLANNING A VERY SPECIAL LINEUP TO CLOSE OUT OUR 2025 SUMMER ARTS FEST

Details to be announced but keep Sunday open on your calendar for more fun with Fringe, a showcase of Theatre Orangeville talent (including new Artistic Director, Jennifer Stewart!) and so much more. We promise, the announcement will be well worth the wait!

NEW FOR 2025 - A THIRD SHOW HAS BEEN ADDED ON SUNDAY AUGUST 10TH!

 • 2:00pm - Apothecary

By Laura Piccinin and Allison Wither

In a world built for men, women create community. Within the magical walls of a living sanctuary, situated in neither time nor place, Lady and Tilly work tirelessly and secretly to support all women in need as they appear at their door. Imperfect themselves, our protagonists discover what it means to do good in a world of complicated nuance.Toronto Fringe veterans Laura Piccinin, Allison Wither and Cass Van Wyck, together with 14 artists, present the new Canadian musical, “Apothecary”; a magical and timeless sanctuary for all women in need, no matter when they’refrom.

For tickets visit: www.theatreorangeville.ca.