For the team behind Cultivate, music has never been the end goal.
It’s been one of the ways to bring people together.
As the organization celebrates its 10th anniversary season, Cultivate Community has announced that every one of its programs, including The Road to Cultivate, Hibernate Festival and Cultivate Festival, will now operate under a free or pay-what-you-can model, removing financial barriers while inviting those who are able to help support the organization’s future.
Executive Director Jeff Bray says the decision grew out of conversations that followed Cultivate becoming a registered charity last year.
For Bray, the announcement is about much more than ticket prices.
He says Cultivate is not just a concert. It has always tried to create spaces where people can slow down, spend time together and reconnect with one another.
That philosophy has shaped the organization since its early days, but Bray says becoming a charity allowed Cultivate to fully embrace its guiding principles of Access, Belonging and Connection.
This year’s programming includes the fifth season of The Road to Cultivate, a free nine-week Thursday evening concert series in Port Hope’s Memorial Park, and the 10th annual Cultivate Festival, September 25th through 27th at Haute Goat Farm. The festival will feature dozens of Canadian artists, workshops, Indigenous programming, camping, family activities and local food.
Looking back over the past decade, Bray says what makes him proudest isn’t the lineup-it’s the community that has grown around it.
Bray says the hope is simple: that everyone who wants to experience live music, arts and community will feel welcome regardless of their age, background or financial circumstances.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
