Each summer thousands of people come to Peterborough to see famous country, jazz, rock
and other performers - free – in outdoor concerts beside Little Lake. Performers have included
Ronnie Hawkins, John McDermott, Tom Cochrane, Harlem Gospel Choir, Natalie McMaster,
Murray McLauchlan and Liona Boyd.
     Peterborough’s Festival of Lights, a showcase of top performers, held Wednesdays and
Saturdays through the summer, is just one of many arts and cultural activities regularly held in
the city.
     Canada Day at Crary Park is a festival of food and culture that follows the annual parade.
The Downtown Business Improvement Area annual Downtown Jazz Festival brings in award-
winning performers and the annual fall Folk Festival is another free event held on the banks of
the Otonabee River.
     Through the year programs are sponsored by Folk Under the Clock, Peterborough Jazz
Society, Peterborough New Dance, and Peterborough Community Concerts in top venues like
Showplace and the Market Hall. Live music also spills from downtown nightclubs and
restaurants, featuring blues, country and contemporary performers.
     Peterborough also supports several theatre companies, art galleries and a symphony
orchestra. The Peterborough Theatre Guild began in 1965 and performs in the Guildhall, a
former church which was gutted by fire. The Art Gallery of Peterborough presently numbers
1,004 pieces, mostly of living Canadian artists. Artspace is a member-run gallery, founded in
1974. The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1967 and the current music
director is Michael Newnham.
     Centennial Museum and Archives collection consists of19th and 20th century textiles,
furniture, military artifacts, recreational artifacts, metal toys, clocks, locally built canoes,
an extensive fossil and mineral collection, tools and architectural fragments.
     Hutchison House was built by the townspeople in 1837 for Dr. John Hutchison, his wife and
children. Sanford Fleming, a cousin, stayed with the family during the 1840s. The house
owned and operated by the Peterborough Historical Society, depicts life in Ontario during the
1800s.
     The Peterborough Lift Lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world - it can lift and lower
boats 19.8 m (about the height of a seven-storey building). The Lift Lock Visitor Centre has a
working model of the lift lock, exhibits and a film. The Canadian Canoe Museum houses more
than 600 canoes and kayaks and 1,000 related artifacts.
     For film lovers, highlights of the Toronto Film Festival are offered annually through the
museum. Cinema 379 brings in a diverse collective of alternative films from around the world.
Peterborough also has a Galaxy movie theatre complex downtown.
     The Memorial Centre, operated as part of the municipal community services department,
hosts hockey and figure skating events, live concerts and circuses, and the Festival of Trees
Christmas fundraiser for health care.
     Kawartha Slots at Fraserville has 380 slot machines and other games at Kawartha Downs
Race Track. The shuttlebus drives around Peterborough, every day, picking up and dropping
off customers.
     Area towns and villages also offer a host of annual activities. These include Lakefield
Literary Festival, Havelock Country Jamboree, Buckhorn Art Festival, the Whetung Ojibwa
Crafts and Art Gallery, the 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, The Douro Fiddle and Step Dance
Contest, Academy Theatre in Lindsay. Nearby Lang Pioneer Village features over 20 restored
19th century buildings with demonstrations by costumed interpreters who provide a glimpse
into pioneer life. There is also a wealth of fall fairs, jazz festivals, craft shows, studio tours,
garden and home tours, agricultural expositions and Native heritage celebrations in the area.