Main Street
Arts Festival
Sept 19-21, 2025
Main Street Arts Festival
Main Street Arts Festival celebrates art and culture across Huron County on Sept. 19-21, 2025. This year’s festival expands to three exciting days with events at local libraries and galleries and a full day of festivities on Sunday, Sept. 21, when Bayfield closes Main Street to cars and opens it to an immersive celebration of creativity! Enjoy art in the street from local and regional artists including displays and exhibitions, artisan vendor booths, interactive art elements and hands on artmaking opportunities for all ages.
Friday, Sept. 19 & Saturday, Sept. 20 events
Between Trails & Tangled Veins - Artist Talk, Workshop & Gallery Tour
Date: Friday, Sept. 19, 6-8 p.m.
Location: Blyth Festival Art Gallery
Registration required: Contact the Blyth Festival Theatre Box Office during open hours.
Join artist Autumn Ducharme for an inspiring evening blending story, place, and creative expression.
Meet in front of the Blyth Festival Art Gallery for a tour of the current Amanda Baron Exhibition. Then take a short walk over to Phillips Studio where Autumn will present an artist talk sharing insights from her travels and how these experiences have influenced her art practice. Participants can then take part in a hands-on, collaborative art-making activity. Inspired by themes of connection, environment, and community, the group will create a visual art board through collage and drawing methods that brainstorm shared stories of past experiences, current environments, and future aspirations. Free to attend, all materials provided.
Draw Cartoon Characters with Mazie Lovie
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Huron County Library | Exeter Branch
Registration required: Contact the Exeter Branch at 519-235-1890 or exeterlibrary@huroncounty.ca
Learn how cartoon characters are designed and practice a process that will allow you to draw any character. Taught by Mazie Lovie, a local comic artist. Free to attend, all materials provided. Ages: 14+
Procession of the Species Costume & Prop Workshop with Trash Theatre
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2-4 p.m.
Location: Huron County Library | Exeter Branch
Registration required: Contact the Exeter Branch at 519-235-1890 or exeterlibrary@huroncounty.ca
Have you heard? Procession of the Species is coming to Main Street Arts Festival! Get ready for this great event by joining this workshop with Trash Theatre! Create costumes and props that give a voice to species from extinct to undiscovered, massive to microscopic. For the finale, participants will come together in Bayfield on Sunday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m., to make a procession that showcases their creations and the importance of preserving the natural world. See full procession details below. This workshop is for all ages. Children must be attended by an adult. Free to attend, all materials provided.
Sunday, Sept. 21, 12-5 p.m. – Main Street, Bayfield
Bayfield closes Main Street to cars and opens it to an immersive celebration of creativity! Enjoy art in the street from local and regional artists including displays and exhibitions, artisan vendor booths, interactive art elements and hands on artmaking opportunities for all ages. See full details of the day’s festivities below. All programs run from 12-5 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Art Making
Get creative and dive into hands-on art making for all ages!
Trash Theatre – Procession of the Species Workshop – Drop-in from 12-3:30 p.m.
Trash Theatre will create costumes and props with the community that give a voice to species from extinct to undiscovered, massive to microscopic. For the finale participants will come together to make a procession that showcases their creations and the importance of preserving the natural world. See full procession details below.
Josslyn Hagen – Community Mural – 12-4 p.m.
Hagen will bring a community art piece to life at the Main Street Arts Festival. Laser cut wood fish representing species native to Lake Huron will be painted by the artist and community members for a future installation.
Autumn Ducharme & Huron County Library – Block Print a Bookmark
Block print a custom bookmark with Autumn Ducharme and the Huron County Library!
Abigail Bos
Abigail will provide a drop-in botanical arts program for all ages.
Interactive Art & Music
From the rhythm of live street music to the energy of captivating art interactions, the Main Street Arts Festival brings creativity to every corner!
Animal Kinetic – Cesar Cordoba
Catch artist Cesar Cordoba driving his bike powered project Animal Kinetic along Main Street! This intricate kinetic fish sculpture and puppet constructed of recycled materials that features a mechanical system powered by pedals, gears, and other cycling elements to activate motion. The project emphasizes sustainability and environmental awareness, repurposing discarded objects into functional, moving art forms.
Jason & The Nomads – 12-2 p.m.
A captivating one-man band with over 30 years of experience in the rockabilly genre – Jason appeals to audiences of all ages, inviting everyone to join in the toe-tapping fun.
Dave Neigh – The Tuba Machine – 2-4 p.m.
A multi-instrumental one-man-band act that performs jazz and blues music using a unique home-made foot-operated tuba mechanism. His performances create wonder and curiosity in people of all ages.
Procession of the Species – Sunday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m.
It’s Coming…. Procession of the Species comes to Bayfield for Main Street Arts Festival! Meet in the green space beside the Pink Flamingo – 28 Main St. N, Bayfield, by 4 p.m. to participate in the procession.
Celebrate the natural world at this event that sees rhinos, snails, jellyfish, dolphins, tigers, turkeys and other walks of life big and small brought to life through creative costumes and props in a parade down Main Street. Connect with your community through art and create a greater awareness and appreciation of the natural world. Bring your imagination!
Want to take part in the fun? Come by yourself or with your family, club, class, musical or dance groups – all ages and abilities are welcome. Make a mask, costume or nature inspired prop at home OR attend a free workshop with Trash Theatre! (See more information above)
Procession Rules
The three rules inspire, nourish, and protect the Procession’s cultural evolution of imagination, creation, and sharing.
- No written words – no words or symbols in our art and we also avoid music with lyrics.
- No pets – no live pets in the procession unless it is a service animal
- No motorized vehicles, no motorized creations, a motorized wheelchair is certainly okay.
Art Activations at Local Organizations & Businesses
1851 Bayfield Landing
- Photography Club of Bayfield exhibition
- Village Bookshop presents: Author discussion with Linda McQuaig (2 p.m.)
Bayfield Historical Society
Visit the Bayfield Historical Society throughout the day to take part in a scavenger hunt featuring sites and items on Main Street. Kids will have the chance to win prizes!
The Village Bookshop & Bayfield Artist Guild
The Bayfield Artist Guild will collaborate with The Village Bookshop to deliver an art show and sale in the bookshop’s side garden. Join these groups as they present – Visual Arts & Literary Arts – A Magical Combination.
Photography Club of Bayfield
Take in an inspiring display of photographs by members of the Bayfield Photography Club.
Participating Galleries & Partners
Visit artist and vendor booths from Main Street galleries and businesses. More information about featured artists coming soon!
