Culture Days
Culture Days 2021
Join us for a month long national celebration where arts, culture, and creativity intersect. From September 24 - October 24, discover the incredible world of arts and culture across Canada, explore Barrie Public Library programs, and celebrate the diversity of Simcoe County with our Community Voices series, Multilingual Book Club, English Conversation Circle, and more.
Book Chats
Looking for your next great read? Check out BPL staff book recommendations!
Watch: Book Chats
Brain Builders with Special Guest, EarlyON Indigenous Coordinator Angelia
Join us online for songs, rhymes, activities, and lots of early literacy fun! Angelia will do a smudge and teach us some traditional drumming songs and stories.
Coffee Chat
Listen and learn as BPL staff chat with artists throughout the month to celebrate local talent.
Watch: Coffee Chats
DIY and Maker: Cooking with Holly
Join Holly for this special edition of DIY & Maker as she shares a Mexican-Peruvian take on soft tacos.
Watch: DIY & Maker
DIY and Maker: Watercolour Fun with Holly
Learn the basics of watercolour painting with Holly, and find out about the many watercolour resources available to you at the library.
Watch: DIY & Maker
Drag Queen Storytime
Celebrate Culture Days with Drag Queen Storytime! Justine is back, and will be entertaining us with stories and songs - it's sure to be an entertaining morning!
Register for Dragon Queen Storytime.
English Conversation Circle
Practice English, meet new friends, and learn more about life and culture in Canada. Challenge yourself to build your speaking confidence! Held every Tuesday evening at our Downtown branch at 6:00 pm, facilitated by BPL staff.
Register for English Conversation Circle.
In Focus: Culture Days
Join us every Monday for a new National Film Board selection, and celebrate arts and culture across Canada.
Watch NFB Selections on our Event Calendar
Learn Spanish
Learn the basics of Spanish in this free, ten-week course with the Barrie Latin Resource Centre.
Multilingual Book Club
Broaden your reading horizons! Through book talks, share which corner of the world you are reading from, your favourite authors and your culture.
Register for Multilingual Book Club.
Music for Autism: Candace Chien and Friends
Join Music for Autism for this free, sensory friendly concert! We welcome all individuals with autism and their families across the nation to attend interactive concerts from their homes.
Register for Music for Autism.
Open Mic Night with the Barrie Folk Society
Listen to the sound of live folk music or take the mic and perform your favourite folk tune.
Join us for this special presentation on Wednesday, October 20 at 7pm as we chat with Dr. Linda Rui Feng, author of the acclaimed novel Swimming Back to Trout River.
Register on our Event Calendar
About Dr. Linda Rui Feng:
Born in Shanghai, Linda Rui Feng has lived in San Francisco, New York, and Toronto. She is a graduate of Harvard and Columbia Universities and is currently a professor of Chinese cultural history at the University of Toronto. She has been twice awarded a MacDowell Fellowship for her fiction, and her prose and poetry have appeared in journals such as The Fiddlehead, The Kenyon Review, Santa Monica Review, and Washington Square Review. Swimming Back to Trout River is her first novel.
Join us for this special Culture Days series as we learn more about our neighbours, listen to their stories, and celebrate the diversity of Simcoe County.
Community Voices with Vanessa from Quilts for Survivors Project
Watch: Quilts for Survivors
Community Voices with Melina Mellé
Watch: Melina Mellé
Community Voices with Scott Hurst
Watch: Scott Hurst
Community Voices with Drag Artist DeëDeë Ventii
Watch: DeëDeë Ventii
Community Voices with Nikki from the Hate Has No Home Here Campaign
Watch: Hate Has No Home Here Campaign
In collaboration with community contributors.
The Stories of Us aims to share the stories of Canadian newcomers and turn them into empowering educational tools for English Language Learners. Join us as BPL staff listen to local newcomer experiences after arriving in Canada.
Watch: The Stories of Us with Manuel and Zorica
In collaboration with The Department of Imaginary Affairs.
