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Festivals & Events

Here, music and laughter are always on tap. You’ll find it in our pubs and restaurants across our Island, as our friendly cheer and sense of community often brings everyone together. Explore the Island this summer and take part in local festivals, cèilidhs and events.

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An Experience of Art & History

Embrace the opportunity to have a historical and artistic experience by staying for a night at the vintage Royal Hotel established since 1895. 

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Sunset Yoga

Meet us on the mat this summer for sunset yoga! Relax and unwind with us where water meets green space, cliffside and fireside. Yoga mats provided.

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Downtown Sydney Art Walk

Discover Downtown Sydney’s self-guided walking tour of locally curated art and cultural installations!

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North River Kayak Tours 4

Stay & Play at North River Kayak

Picture yourself gliding down the river in your kayak with eagles soaring high above. Picture a unique, hand crafted wilderness cabin with you sitting on the deck, coffee in hand gazing at the river.

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KitchenFest! Féis a’ Chidsin!

KitchenFest! Féis a’ Chidsin!

Concerts & céilidhs, pub nights & square dances, celebrate beautiful Unama’ki/Cape Breton’s scenery, music, food, & people with this perfect summer season kick-off – one big island-wide kitchen party.

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White Glove Tour

Get an exclusive look into the lives of Alexander Graham Bell and his wife, Mabel Hubbard Bell.

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Sunset to Starlight: Nighttime Wonders at Cape Breton Highlands


Experience Cape Breton Highlands at dusk! Hike the Skyline Sunset, marvel at Stars on Mica Hill, enjoy a Lantern Walk at Freshwater Lake, and explore Seeing in the Dark at Warren Lake.

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Baddeck Lobster Suppers

Offering wonderful stories to share, and fresh local seafood to savor! Try locally fished hard shelled lobster, fire planked salmon, local snow crab or AAA strip loin steak.

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Ride the Gondola for a New Perspective 1

Ride the Gondola for a New Perspective

Ride the Atlantic Gondola will take you to the summit of Cape Smokey Mountain, where you will find expansive views of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the Atlantic Ocean and the Keltic Lodge.

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Cape Breton's Most Popular ATV/UTV Trail Tour - Cape Clear

With up to 5 people, let us guide you to one of Cape Breton’s best views, Cape Clear. At over 1,500 ft in elevation, you’ll have an unparalleled view over the highlands and picturesque Margaree River.

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A View from the Other Side

Dining, with a view from the other side!

Come and enjoy some of Sydney's best seafood dishes while watching the sunset light up the downtown skyline from the other side of Sydney's picturesque harbour.

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Unama'ki Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design

Unama’ki Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design in Sydney offers artisan works, exhibitions, & workshops. Use the Artisan Trail Map for a cultural journey. Also visit Customs House in Port Hawkesbury.

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Upcoming Events

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Learn to Square Dance and Step Dance

Next Date: Jul 3, 2025

Region: Canada’s Musical Coast

Community: Mabou

Come learn the Inverness County Square Set and some basic Cape Breton Step Dancing from Mabou-based dancer, Melody Cameron!  This ...

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A man and woman playing the fiddle at Governors Pub

Live Music

Like the routes, trails and waterways that bisect our Island, music connects our communities and cultures. Internationally renowned festivals. Weekly jam sessions. Time-honoured traditions and ancient rituals. Hear our spirit in each fiddle reel, bagpipe Biri and drum beat.

Find Your Tune

We encourage you to explore the many types of festivals & events
that our Island has to offer.

  • A man and woman playing the fiddle at Governors Pub

    Cèilidhs & Kitchen Parties

    It simply means social visit, but here, the Cèilidh is a perennial way of life. It’s a weekly family square dance. A community gathering full of food and music. Indulge in a kitchen party and connect with our culture and heritage. Feel the rhythm of our Island through the pulse of music and the warmth of our communities.  Your trip to our Island would not be complete with taking in a Cape Breton ceilidh or a kitchen party! Experience Celtic music like never before with one of these events and understand why we’ve been coined as Canada’s Musical Coast.

  • Festivals & Events

    Performing Arts & Culture

    Arts and culture don’t have an off-season here. From winter jam sessions along Canada’s Musical Coast to sizzling summer festivals and Acadian celebrations along the Cabot Trail. Enjoy music and comedy productions live and experience the rich art and culture that exists across the Island.

  • A woman plays guitar onstage

    Festivals

    History, heritage, community—there’s always a reason to celebrate on our Island. You won’t have to travel far to find a fun festival, but with so many options why not explore the Island?

  • Two pints of beer and a bowl of mussels

    Food & Drink

    Foodie heaven? More like a culinary cloud nine. The culinary scene on Cape Breton Island is truly unlike anything you have experienced and luckily, tasting your way around our Island has never been easier. Follow the Nova Scotia Chowder Trail to a famous lunch cèilidh. Plan your trip around a Highland lobster supper. Experience world-class shellfish, locally grown ingredients, and award-winning sips that connect our heritage to our land. 

  • Girls and boys in blue dance in front of a lighthouse

    Heritage

    Pay ode to the Island’s coal mining history with food, fun and festivities. Discover the roots of our Acadian communities by guided hike. Run head-on into history through a 300-year-old fortress. Our heritage is easy to learn, but even more, fun to live with each event.

  • aerial view of a festival in a green valley

    Community Events

    Over 100 communities. Hundreds of days a year to celebrate. From seasonal festivals and annual sporting tournaments to weekly dances, discover each pocket of our Island with our unique selection of community events.

Illustrated map of Cape Breton Island

Easy to Find. Hard to Leave.

There are direct flights to Sydney from Halifax, Toronto and Montreal and from other North American and European cities via those cities. If traveling by ground, the Trans-Canada Highway 104 leads to Cape Breton Island.

Getting Here and Around

Take a Picture. Leave your heart. #VisitCapeBreton