Do you want to see your artwork exhibited at Barrie City Hall’s First Floor Gallery? Submissions are now being accepted for two-month exhibitions in the gallery in late 2025 and throughout 2026. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of artist volunteers from the Barrie Arts Advisory Committee to select which exhibitions can be accommodated.

The First Floor Gallery is a public space visited by residents, staff, and visitors to the city, and as such, all exhibitions must be appropriate for viewing by all audiences, including families.

Applicants are asked to submit the following as one PDF:

• A letter of interest,
• A previous work summary or resume,
• Images of all artwork that will be exhibited,
• A list of the artworks that includes title, year of completion, media, and the dimensions for each artwork.
• The name of the exhibit and a brief artist or exhibition statement (2–3 paragraphs) that can be used in promotional materials.

The deadline for applying is Monday, August 25, at 11:59 PM.

The Barrie Arts Awards honour individuals and organizations for their contributions to the arts sector. The gala takes place on November 18 at the MacLaren Art Centre and will feature performances and celebrate the arts sector and award winners. Recipients work, live, attend school, exhibit, or perform within Barrie.

Nominate someone in the following categories:

• Artist Beyond Barriers
• Business Champion
• Contribution to the Community
• Emerging Artist
• Excellence in the Arts
• Most Promising Youth

Nominations from third parties with basic details are submitted, and then nominees are notified to provide further details to complete their nominations.

Nominations deadline: Monday, August 25, 2025, at 11:59 P.M. 

• Contact information 
• Information on the performance type 
• Certificate of insurance. If you do not already have insurance, you can purchase it through one of the City’s third-party providers.

Each year, the City of Barrie is proud to celebrate Culture Days, a nationwide celebration designed to catalyze and inspire public participation in arts and culture. 

This year Culture Days takes place from Friday, September 19 until Sunday, October 12. 

Are you hosting free or pay-what-you-can arts, culture, or heritage programming during that timeframe and want to participate in our promotions?

You are encouraged to register your event on the National Culture Days website to be featured in the Barrie hub and across national promotions. The national website also includes free marketing templates, programming ideas, event registration guides, and more.

We also encourage you to register your event on the City of Barrie website, and note that it is "in partnership with Culture Days Barrie", so we can link your listing to our festival page.

Please email Amanda.Dyke@barrie.ca if you have any questions about participating.

Doors Open Barrie showcases the history and architecture of our city and celebrates some of the places that make our city special. 

Save the date for Doors Open Barrie, taking place on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. 

Visit 20 sites, including those that are artistic, heritage, unique, and usually not open for visitors to go behind the scenes and learn. New this year, Doors Open is partnering with Culture Days to offer free, hands-on arts and culture experiences at Doors Open sites! Site listing and map coming soon.

Barrie's Emerging Artist Program is a music industry incubator initiative, operated by the Canadian Musicians Cooperative each summer and supported by the City of Barrie. The program employs youth in the music industry and provides training, mentorship, and performance opportunities from June to September. 

Keep an eye out around downtown Barrie and in waterfront parks in August for free street-level performances by this year’s roster of Emerging Artists! Hours may change based on artist availability. Performances are set to take place: 

• Wednesdays/Thursdays, 6–9 PM
• Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays, 12–9 PM
• Holiday weekends, as scheduled 

The Barrie Theatre Festival is almost here, and Theatre by the Bay is looking for volunteers to help make this year’s festival unforgettable. 

Volunteer Opportunity:

Festival Ushers (August 7–17) - Volunteer at the Five Points Theatre to welcome guests and assist with seating. 
Shifts: 10:30 am – 2:30 pm or 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Email glenn@theatrebythebay.com or sarah@theatrebythebay.com to sign up or learn more.