Waterloo Region’s Largest Outdoor Dance Party
July 13–14, 2019 in Victoria Park, Kitchener
Each summer, Waterloo Region welcomes visitors from around the globe, as the Kultrún World Music Festival takes place in Kitchener’s Victoria Park.
Kultrún is dubbed the Region’s largest annual outdoor dance party and features prominent talent from around the world, while celebrating cultural diversity. Local, national and international acts perform throughout the weekend, and with two stages set up in Victoria Park the music is non-stop!
This year’s lineup features music from many amazing countries and cultures. Artists performing at this years’ Festival include: Systema Solar (Colombia), Lucho Quequezana and Banda Kuntur (Peru), Newen Afro Beat (Chile), Erroll Blackwood (K-W), Mélisande (Quebec), Ramon Chicharron (Quebec), Richard Garvey (K-W), Ekhaya (K-W), Wesli (Quebec), Cara Loft (First Nations), Who’s the Cuban? (France), Clarinet Factory (Czech), Bozá (Colombia), Ekhaya (local), and Diar (Syrian/Canadian). Times and locations of each performance can be found on the Kultrún website.
Kultrún World Music Festival kicks off with an opening concert featuring Newen Afro Beat on Friday, July 12th at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. Eat, drink, and meet some of the artists taking part in this year’s Festival as you dance the night away!
Several special interactive activities have been added to Kultrún this year, including Feel the Music, a concert designed for the hearing impaired using light and vibration. Arts in the Midst of Change is a conversation on the climate of political adversity to the arts; and Reggae Surprise is an interactive surprise Reggae workshop.
The name Kultrún comes from the Mapuche people of Chile, and is a type of ceremonial drum. And while the musical symbolism of a drum ties in to the festival, the name Kultrún was chosen because of a deeper symbolic meaning, as it also represents the spirit of a heartbeat. It’s that human spirit that Kultrun World Music Festival aspires to capture each year as the community comes together to celebrate.
The Festival is produced by Neruda Arts – a local non-profit organization that is dedicated to building bridges in communities through literary and visual arts, performance, dance, drama, and music.
Kultrun World Music Festival is a family-friendly event, and is free to attend.
Join Waterloo Region’s largest Outdoor Dance Party at Kultrún World Music Festival!