Arts & Culture

Established in 1976, the on-campus StFX Art Gallery offers exhibitions and programs featuring artists and arts organizations in northeastern Nova Scotia. It serves as a public art gallery and a vital cultural resource for students, staff, faculty, and the local and surrounding communities. 

Antigonish Culture Alive (ACA) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that strives to foster the creation and appreciation of the arts in the community of Antigonish.  

The ACA’s most popular and recognizable event, Antigonight: Art After Dark is an after-dark public art festival held every September. The event gives the community the chance to interact with contemporary art spanning multiple mediums, such as dance, theatre, music, sound art, and installation art.

Theatre Antigonish is a non-profit community theatre under the supervision of professional staff and based in the Bauer Theatre building on the StFX campus. Its productions typically occur during the fall and spring terms, and feature university and high school students and residents of the local community. 

Ranked one of the top five summer theatres in Canada, Festival Antigonish brings together the best artists from across Nova Scotia and beyond to create an award-winning Main Stage series, a Family Stage show, and other innovative artistic presentations.

Billed as “a space to create”, The Arts House offers classes in pottery, painting, and a variety of crafts for both youth and adults. 

Join the local community choir, Antigonish Choral Ensemble, or one of the many church choirs at the Antigonish Performing Arts Series, which brings an extensive list of world-renowned touring artists to Antigonish. 

Held each July, the Antigonish Highland Games is the world's oldest continuing Highland Games outside of Scotland. Enjoy a celebration of the Gaelic language, piping and drumming, Highland dancing, fiddle music and step-dancing, athletics, and the Ancient Scottish Heavy Events. 

A great place to learn about this history of Antigonish, the Antigonish Heritage Museum features lectures, ceilidhs, and knowledgeable staff.

There are a number of exciting venues in town that feature live music, of all types, throughout the year. 

A well-respected quarterly literary journal, The Antigonish Review publishes new and established contemporary literary fiction, reviews, non-fiction essays, and poetry.