Participate in this year’s Praise the Ward Festival!
Praise the Ward is preparing for its 4th annual festival, September 19th, 2026 - a celebration of Guelph’s funkiest neighbourhood!
Are you interested in...
- performing at the festival?
- volunteering at the festival?
- being a sponsor of the festival?
- donating to the festival?
We're urgently looking for a technical director. Please reach out to james@jamesgordon.ca if interested!
Please read on to learn about the many opportunities to get involved. We can't wait to hear from you! Thanks for thinking of joining us! Praise the Ward!
Performing at Praise The Ward
We are accepting music of all genres, dance, theatre, special talks or walks, or family activities. We ask that each applicant have a connection to the area. Musical acts will be compensated fairly (though we admittedly have a small budget), which would involve one concert performance and one appearance at a workshop or ‘song swap’.
If you’d like to be considered, email artistic director James Gordon at james@jamesgordon.ca. Include the name of the act, the connection to the Ward, a link to your music, your website if you have one, a bio, a photo, a list of where you’ve played (though experience is not necessary) - and anything else that might help promote you.
Volunteering at Praise The Ward
We’re an entirely volunteer-based, non-profit organization. We could use your help, both on our steering committee - we meet once per month and more often in the weeks leading up to the festival - or at the event itself. It’s fun and you get to collaborate with a fine group community-minded people. You don’t need to live in the Ward to help with this. Volunteer hours count towards high school community involvement hours. Complete our volunteer application form and we'll be in touch!
We're urgently looking for a food coordinator, a family activity coordinator and a technical director. Please reach out to james@jamesgordon.ca if interested!
Sponsoring Praise The Ward
If you are a business or organization, or a generous individual (no Ward connection necessary) - we’d love your support. As a sponsor you get your logo on our website and promotional material, you get thanked from the festival stages by our MCs, and you get brownie points in heaven. We rely on sponsors to stay sustainable. Contact our Sponsorship co-ordinator Vanessa Hyland at kathleenvhyland@gmail.com.
Are you a visual artist or craft creator? Contact artistic director James Gordon at james@jamesgordon.ca and we’ll see how we can showcase your talents.
Donating to Praise The Ward
We gratefully accept tax-deductible donations, designated to the Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group, through the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition's CanadaHelps account: Make a donation to Praise The Ward!
We also accept donations in kind: Do you have a pop-up tent? Chairs or tables? A truck to lend? A venue to offer? Contact artistic director James Gordon at james@jamesgordon.ca.