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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.

Festivals & Events 7

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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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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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Granville Green 30th Anniversary

2024 marks the 30th year of the Granville Green concert series in Port Hawkesbury! This free, family-friendly, alcohol-free event runs Sundays at 7pm from July 7 to August 11, showcasing local and Can

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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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Lantern Hill & Hollow

Steps away from the Atlantic Ocean stands Lantern Hill & Hollow, an enchanting beach house on a hill overlooking its own charming seaside village of beachfront cottages nestled in the hollow below.

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Doug Fraser's Sleeping Painting

Doug Fraser's Art Studio 'It's like Sleeping In A Painting'

Surrounded by my sculpture garden, enjoy sunsets & ocean views from your hot tub or deck in this unique creative space. Stay includes a private artist led tour of the sculpture garden and gallery.

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Cape Breton Miners Museum – A day in the life of a Cape Breton coal miner

Take an immersive virtual mine tour through the last century of coal mining in Cape Breton. Then journey into the depths of the Ocean Deeps Colliery, a coal mine
located beneath the Museum building.

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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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Orient Yourself to traditional Cape Breton Music Heritage


Join our Musical Walking Tour to explore Cape Breton's culture, music, and history. End with a live performance in our main room. Discover hidden gems and enjoy talented musicians!

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Experience the Art of Slow Living at The Clairestone Inn

Set your own pace on a self-guided tour along our peaceful shores, through quaint fishing villages and picturesque Acadian communities.

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Woodroad - A Cape Breton Culinary Experience

An intimate fine dining restaurant located in Margaree Harbour along the western coast of Cape Breton Island. Offering a set, 7-course menu that features seasonal and locally inspired dishes.

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Capt. Mark Zodiac Adventures

Capt. Mark's Zodiac Adventures

Capt. Mark’s is Pleasant Bay’s most experienced whale watching company. Operating for 30 years, Capt. Mark takes you along Cape Breton’s coastlines in search of Pilot, Minke, Finback and Humpbacks.

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Upcoming Events

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Adult Square Dance in Brook Village

Next Date: Jul 7, 2025

Region: Canada’s Musical Coast

Community: Brook Village

The Adult Square Dance in Brook Village is a very popular attraction through the summer and fall in Cape Breton. Come swing! Come dance! Mon...

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Mabou Tuesday Night Ceilidhs

Next Date: Jul 8, 2025

Region: Canada’s Musical Coast

Community: Mabou

These ceilidhs will feature some of Cape Breton’s finest traditional musicians and step dancers. There will also be a guided Square Se...

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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