City set to Rock the Square for Culture Days King Neptune & His Tridents headline this year’s concert

Guelph, ON, September 21, 2015 – On Friday, September 25, the City will launch annual Culture Days celebrations with a live concert and dance party in Market Square.

Culture Days—a national initiative taking place coast-to-coast from September 25 to 27—features free, hands-on, interactive activities and opportunities to create, participate and share in arts and culture. Locally, there are close to 50 activities, events, and exhibitions taking place over the three days.

“This is the second year the City will host Rock the Square to launch Culture Days weekend in Guelph,” says Danna Evans, manager of Theatres and Civic Events for the City of Guelph. “Having a big bash like this to kick-start a weekend full of free activities, is the perfect way to set the tone for a city-wide celebration.”

This free family-friendly concert—open to all ages—begins at 7:30 p.m. with three local opening acts. The headliners, King Neptune & His Tridents, are a Guelph-based, multi-headed band that has mastered musical genres for every occasion. Current band members are Jessy Bell Smith, Andrew Collins, Lisa Conway, Thomas Hammerton, Chris Hierlihy, Jordan Howard, Vish Khanna, Kerry Mullen, Jeff Munro, Tristan O’Malley, Carey West, Bill Whitehead, and Dave Withers.

Carden Street will remain open during this event, but the water feature will be drained to facilitate stage setup and dancing. Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets and/or lawn chairs, but shouldn’t expect to be sitting for long! More details about Rock the Square can be found on guelph.ca.

Culture Days in Guelph

In addition to Rock the Square, the City is hosting events at Guelph Museums, Guelph Public Library, Guelph Farmers’ Market, and River Run Centre, and has worked in partnership with Guelph Arts Council to coordinate with individual artists, cultural groups, businesses, and organizations to offer a weekend full of free arts and culture happenings.

“Culture Days is an opportunity to recognize the artists and groups who contribute to our city, but also for everyone to get involved,” says Patti Broughton, executive director of Guelph Arts Council. “During this one weekend, all of Guelph can come together in an inspiring celebration of our talent and spirit.”

Ella Pauls, the City’s manager of Cultural Affairs and Tourism recognizes, “It takes the support of many organizations and individuals to mobilize a community, and we’re very pleased to have such a variety of activities planned over the weekend that highlight our city and raise the public profile of arts, culture and heritage.”

Culture Days will be celebrated in Guelph through a variety of disciplines—visual arts, music, dance, theatre, architecture, heritage, film and video, literature, craft, culinary arts and new media are all represented.

For more information about Culture Days and a complete listing of events, visit guelph.ca/culturedays. Join the conversation on Twitter @CultureDays #GuelphCulture.