Creative City Summit: Call for Host City Bids | Message from Kingston 2025

Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning will be featured in the Kingston Creative City Summit Study Tour(s). Details coming soon!

2025 Kingston Creative City Summit

October 7 – 9, 2025
Kingston, ON

A word from the host of the 2025 Creative City Summit, Kingston, ON. Plus, is your city ready to host a summit? Keep reading to learn more about the bidding process!

A special message from Danika Lochhead, Director of Arts & Culture Services at the City of Kingston:

We are so excited to welcome delegates to Kingston, which is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat. The team here in Kingston can’t wait to show you the city, and the dynamic, diverse, and growing arts, culture, heritage, and creative communities here!

Kingston is one of Canada’s oldest communities, often referred to as the “Limestone City,” and is located where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence and Cataraqui Rivers. Today, Kingston is home to a remarkable range of artists, writers, filmmakers, theatre artists, musicians, storytellers, museums, and arts and culture organizations and spaces.

Did you know? In the Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk) language, the name Katarokwi means a place where there is clay or where the limestone is. The Anishinabemowin (Algonquian language family) term Cataracoui means ‘great meeting place’.

It is in the spirit of these meanings of the place called Kingston that we come together for the 2025 Creative City Summit.

Looking forward to seeing you all in October!

– Danika Lochhead

Is your municipality ready to take centre stage in Canada’s cultural landscape?

The Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC) is thrilled to invite municipalities across the country to apply to host the Creative City Summit in 2027, 2028, 2029, or 2030. This is your community’s opportunity to shine nationally, to celebrate your distinct creative identity, and to help shape the future of arts and culture in Canada.

What is the Creative City Summit?

Held annually in the fall, the Creative City Summit is Canada’s only national gathering for municipal culture workers, as well as artists, planners, policymakers, and cultural innovators. Over three dynamic days, delegates engage in peer-to-peer learning, curated tours, keynote presentations, roundtables, and workshops that explore critical issues in cultural policy, planning, and practice.

In 2027, the Summit celebrates its 25th anniversary, making it a landmark year to host!

Why Host?

Hosting the Creative City Summit offers municipalities the chance to:

• Gain national recognition as a cultural leader
• Showcase your community’s creative sector through study tours, artistic programming, and local events
• Build connections and investment in your local arts and culture scene
• Boost cultural tourism and civic pride

Each Summit is tailored to the host municipality’s unique story while maintaining a national scope, leaving behind a meaningful and lasting impact.

Who Can Apply?

Municipalities of all sizes are encouraged to apply. To be eligible, you must:

• Be a current member of the Creative City Network of Canada (or become one by October 31, 2025)
• Demonstrate municipal support via a letter from your City Council or Mayor’s Office
• Be accessible within 60 minutes of a commercial airport—or provide a compelling transportation plan

How to Apply

Step 1: Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
Deadline: May 16, 2025, at 5:00pm ET
Your EOI should include your contact information, confirmation of eligibility, and a short statement on why your municipality would make an excellent host.

Step 2: Full Application (by invitation only)
Deadline: October 31, 2025

Email all application materials to:
Kathleen Darby, Executive Director, kathleendarby@creativecity.ca

A Legacy of Cultural Leadership

Past hosts include cities like Vancouver, Halifax, Saskatoon, Whitehorse, Ottawa, and Mississauga—each helping to shape a national conversation around arts and culture.

Will your community be next? Join us in celebrating 25 years of CCNC by applying to host the Creative City Summit!

For more information, visit: www.creativecity.ca

Spread the word to your networks—let’s find the next great host city!

Creative City Network of Canada
135 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P 5J2
www.creativecity.ca
info@creativecity.ca
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Akimbo is a media partner of the Creative City Summit 2025.