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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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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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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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Camp Where Mountains Meet The Sea

Camp where mountains meet the sea

Visit Cape Breton Highland National Park’s newest walk-in campground, Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge. This cliff-side retreat is the perfect spot to launch your adventure, where the mountains meet the sea.

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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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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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Lighthouse Cottages

Experience stunning ocean views, sunsets and tranquility at our cozy cottages. Enjoy private access to a gorgeous, sandy beach, views of Port Hood Island, and opportunities for bird watching.

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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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Daily Ceilidhs!

Proudly known as North America's 1st single malt whisky distillery, Glenora Inn & Distillery is located in a picturesque glen. Enjoy Daily Ceilidhs with no charge when dining or drinking.

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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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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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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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Upcoming Events

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Cam Hollohan at the French Club

Next Date: Jan 24, 2025

Region: Sydney and Area / Marconi Trail

Community: Sydney

Cam Hollohan has been writing songs and performing since he was in his early teens, more than half of his life, and in the last decade or so...

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Happy Hour at the Creig with The J-Walkers

Next Date: Jan 24, 2025

Region: Canada’s Musical Coast

Community: Creignish

Creignish Recreation Center is a full-service community hall that hosts a variety of events in beautiful Creignish. Friday nights are for li...

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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