4-5:30pm: Festival North: opening celebration! Featuring: artists from the 2026 festival, Fireweed Drummers, Alessandra Delaporte and Metis dancers

The 2026 festival kicks off with a one-of-a-kind outdoor celebration of classical and traditional music: it will be a celebration complete with food trucks and an all-season skating rink! So come with your lawnchairs, your skates, a healthy appetite and a spirit of celebration as we welcome our 2026 musicians. Sponsored by Tourism Prince George.

4:00: Meet the Artists Kick off the festival with us and get a sneak preview of what awaits you over the week with a musical introduction of each of the 2026 festival artists.

4:30: Welcome across the territories: Khast'an Ult'oneh (Fireweed Drummers), Alessandra Delaporte and Metis Dancers

5:15- The Skater’s Waltz A musical offering to inspire our summertime skaters. Lace up your skates (or come with danceable shoes) and enjoy Waltzes from around the world. What could be better than skating to live classical music!

6:00pm- Pelletier Boys The incredible musicianship of Guitar legend Clint Pelletier and his 8-year old son Oscar offer an exciting and fun wrap for our festival opening day! This talented duo will play and sing traditional tunes and songs with their own arrangements, and also share their own compositions. Through their music and their light-hearted approach, they offer a heartwarming and encouraging reminder of the power of music to overcome barriers and simply bring people together.