Pumpkin Day is a free family event at Bissel Park that coincides with the Elora Farmers Market. We celebrate the fall harvest, featuring all things pumpkin. Scheduled the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, this event is aimed toward children of all ages. Pumpkin Day features a professional pumpkin carver, a bouncy castle, face painting, reptile show, great music, dancers, and pumpkins for carving.
We ask attendees to please bring cash or food donations for the Food Bank.
The Monsters take over Elora every October. Keep your eyes sharp and find them before they find you! Monster Month transforms the village into a spooky sight filled with creatures of all kinds just in time for Halloween.
For nearly two decades, Tim Murton’s Twilight Zoo has been decorating the streets of Elora with a unique collection of lantern sculptures. During the month of October, visitors started coming to Elora from all over Southern Ontario to see the display. Local artists, community groups, businesses and other organizations started adding themed events as popularity grew, leading to the name “Monster Month in Elora.”
Spooky-themed events and haunted offerings throughout Centre Wellington include a Self-Guided Tour, Spirit and Ghost Walks, Spooky Stables, Lantern Tours, Magicians and a non-motorized parade called “Monster March”.
We ask participants and viewers to please bring cash or donations for the Food Bank.
We’re renowned for our artist collectives. Creativity thrives here. The Elora Fergus Studio Tour is free of charge and is your chance to get inside the creative spaces of our local artists, in a self-guided tour that takes place annually over two weekends. Meet the makers and see what inspires them. Start at the Elora Centre for the Arts, with their exhibit featuring the artists on tour, and then head off to get inspired.
Here’s your chance to get a look behind the scenes. Take a self-guided tour and meet artists where they live and work. Many artists and craftspeople will open their studios for two consecutive fall weekends.
The Studio Tour is completely free of charge. You’ll get a chance to meet directly with the artists, and often see work not shown in gallery settings. You’ll visit the working spaces of both established and emerging artists, from basements to self contained studios.
We’re as pretty as a picture. Watch the inspiration unfold right on the canvass during the Elora en Plein Air. You’ll find artists at beautiful locales around town and scattered around our beautiful landscapes.
At our annual festival, artists are invited to capture the charm and warmth of our region. Discover heritage buildings and historic villages; dramatic gorges, lazy rivers, and hidden streams; rolling hillsides and picturesque farms.
As the longest running regional juried art show remaining in Ontario, this exhibit will amaze and inspire. Don’t miss what is sure to be another amazing show, hosted by the Wellington County Museum.
The 42nd Insights Juried Exhibition of Fine Art runs from March 30, 2023 – June 11, 2023.
Insights encourages and honours excellence, high levels of accomplishment, and innovative approaches to artistic expression in the work of local artists. Jurors are drawn from the ranks of top art professionals, educators and curators. Collaboration with the Wellington County Museum and Archives makes it possible to present the show in beautiful surroundings and in a wonderful gallery.
We renowned for our artist collectives. Creativity thrives here. The Elora Fergus Studio Tour is your chance to get inside the creative spaces of our local artists, in a self-guided tour that takes place annually over two weekends. Meet the makers and see what inspires them. Start at the Elora Centre for the Arts, with their exhibit featuring the artists on tour, and then head off to get inspired.
We renowned for our artist collectives. Creativity thrives here. The Elora Fergus Studio Tour is your chance to get inside the creative spaces of our local artists, in a self-guided tour that takes place annually over two weekends. Meet the makers and see what inspires them. Start at the Elora Centre for the Arts, with their exhibit featuring the artists on tour, and then head off to get inspired.
As you wander throughout the downtown streets and riverside views of Fergus and Elora, you’ll discover that art is at the heart of our communities.
Not only do we have a thriving arts community here, where creativity is inspired daily by our natural environment, but we also believe in making art accessible, attainable and a part of the landscape. If you look around, you’ll find artistic expression everywhere in the hearts of our historic towns.
‘Before Knowing’ is a sculpture about the desire and fear of being known by another. Two tentative and curious creatures, vastly different, discover a friend. These objects serve as a reminder of what was, what is and what could be. ‘Before Knowing’ explores emotions and feelings (which come and go). While being made of robust materials, they speak of impermanence.
Sculpture artist Erin Perry.
Photo by Lianne Carter
The Elora Sculpture Project has added character and beauty to downtown streets and walkways. Take a tour around either town and you’ll find inspired pieces of intriguing sculptures.
If you’re in Fergus, walk riverside along the manicured pathways alongside the Grand River and you’ll see sculptures set in amongst the gardens and natural beauty that overlook the waterfalls.
In Elora, sculpture pieces can be found in interesting places throughout the downtown core, encouraging art lovers to tour beyond the main streets.
And of course, there is perhaps the most famous sculpture in town, known to the locals as Tall Man. Located in the Elora Greenspace, in the heart of the village, stands a giant sculpture of a finger pointing figure by artist Scott McNicol. The piece is titled “Who’s in Charge,” and it has become a central fixture to the gardens and greenspace. Get your phones out and snap a photo of you and your friends with this grand landmark. And if you post a photo with the big fella, tag us in on Instagram @visitelorafergus.
Tall Man
Photo by Bill Longshaw
Be sure to seek out the artisan shops too, featuring hand-crafted pieces of pottery, jewellery, blown and designed glass creations, fine art paintings, wood working, quilts, photography and more. Best of all, most times you’ll get you’ll meet the maker and talk about their inspiration. Living here is inspiration enough.
You’ll find even more art in the heart of Elora at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Located just a few blocks from downtown, at the cross of Melville and Mill Streets, sits a historic landmark that has been lovingly restored as a celebration of the local arts community. The old walls are alive and thriving with creative energy. Take in a free art exhibit in the Minarovich Gallery and browse local wares in the Artisan Shop. The grounds include the Outdoor Pathways Project outdoor art pieces and sculpture, a beautiful spot to picnic and appreciate that art is everywhere here.
This delightfully whimsical section of the Pathways project was created by Supportive Arts participants.
Photo by Lianne Carter
Take the day. Take the weekend. Hey, take two! Because exploring the Elora Fergus Studio is a true highlight to the fall season around here. It’s like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” for grown-ups! So grab your map, mark your route and head out to explore some of the finest artists in and around Fergus and Elora.
The Elora Fergus Studio Tour is a free self-guided tour that welcomes you into the workshops of local artisans. See art in various stages of creation, including pieces that are not always shown in gallery settings. Meet the makers. See unique creations. Ask questions. Get inspired.
Here’s just a few of the fine art mediums you’ll find on the tour:
Watercolours
Photography
Sculpture
Stained Glass
Jewelry
Pottery
Weaving
Encaustic
Glass
Mixed media
Blown glass
Painting
Collage
Wood turning
Let’s face it, we’re all curious about creative spaces where artists make their art, because we are all curious about the process, the tools and the inspiration. Now’s your chance to find out about it all.
Start your tour at the Elora Centre for the Arts, a heritage building lovingly restored as a creative arts hub in the community. Here you’ll find:
The Elora Centre for the Arts will host an opening reception for the Elora Fergus Studio Tour on Thursday, Sept. 13 from 7pm to 9pm in the Minarovich Gallery. This free exhibit will be on display through to Sept. 30, 2018.
So many artists. So much time. Two weekends. 40 stops. Choose your inspiration.
Studios are open from 10am to 5pm – September 22 & 23/ September 29 & 30.
