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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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Mi’kmaw Interpretive Centre

Mi’kmaw Interpretive Centre

Share stories, celebrate traditions, and explore cultural connections.

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Trailside Starry Sky Bonfire

Relax and unwind in one of our four season, pet friendly cottages or glamping tents. Nestled among the trees between the rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the stunning mountain range.

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Tasting experience at Island Folk Cider House

Tasting experience at Island Folk Cider House

Join us for a tasting and learn about the cider-making process or soak up the sunshine while sipping a pint in our outdoor space.

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Private Cape Breton Sail Charters

Cape Breton Sailing Charters

Enjoy a private sailing tour for your party up to 6 people. Sail the boat yourself, have a lesson, or just kick back and relax. Half day, full day, sunset and multi-day cruises with captain and crew.

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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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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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Theatre Baddeck 5

Theatre Baddeck

Audiences say "do not miss Theatre Baddeck on your Cape Breton trip!" Our 9th season features comedies THE FLY FISHER'S COMPANION and THE COMPANY STORE from June 27-August 28.

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Mira Bay Vacation Getaway

Take it easy in this unique and tranquil three bedroom vacation home that is wheelchair accessible. Ideal location, offering a beautiful view of Mira Bay.

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Acoustic Roots Festival 5

Acoustic Roots Festival

The Acoustic Roots Festival offers a variety of music including country, folk, celtic, blues and bluegrass. The event features some of the best in East Coast music, August 30th-September 1st.

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Lakeside Luxury Domes

Lakeside Luxury Domes

Situated on stunning Bras d’Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, we offer our guests striking views from every dome.

Experience comfort and extensive amenities, with a luxury glamping getaway experience.

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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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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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Upcoming Events

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Amigos at the Ashby Legion

Next Date: Jul 4, 2025

Region: Sydney and Area / Marconi Trail

Community: Sydney

Amigos is an acoustic/electric duo featuring Gerald Aucoin and Kenny MacLeod that plays a great selection of tunes from the 1960s and ‘70s...

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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