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Park Theatre: Dwayne Larson Toruk: The First Flight: Photo courtesy of True North Sports & Entertainment 40 2016 FALL/WINTER EVENTS & ITINERARIES GUIDE Winnipeg Arts & Culture Winnipeg isn't just the geographic centre of Canada; we're also the centre of its Arts & Culture scene. We're the home to internationally acclaimed institutions like Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB); we have arguably more live music per capita than any other Canadian city (how do you think folks like Neil Young, Burton Cummings and Chantal Kreviazuk earned their musical chops?); the city is brimming with art galleries and major festivals; and concerts are a monthly occurrence — especially in the winter. Let's start with the aforementioned RWB, who have a stellar season lined up. It starts with Dracula (October 26–30), then Nutcracker (December 22–31) — a holiday tradition here, and follows with some really interesting contemporary works, including Love Lies Bleeding (March 1–5), a rock and roll epic featuring the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The MTS Centre, one of North America's busiest arenas, also is getting in on the song and dance spectacle as Cirque de Soleil is coming to town (October 5–9) to bring their Avatar- themed production of Toruk: The First Flight. Another notable on the MTS Centre's winter calendar is the Heart and Soul Tour 3.0, which is a double bill featuring legends Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago on November 2. And speaking of live music, the most shows you can catch this winter in one setting is at Festival du Voyageur (FDV), Western Canada's largest winter festival. Amongst all the fun cultural events like gorging on French food, admiring giant snow sculptures, and eating everything that involves maple syrup at Fort Gibraltar and throughout St. Boniface, you can also catch numerous musical acts on both weekends, day and night. You can catch a live music performance almost every night at venues including the Park Theatre, The Burton Cummings Theatre, The Good Will Social Club, The West End Cultural Centre, Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club and so many others. It's such a busy scene that we've partnered with our friends from Manitoba Music to create a website dedicated solely to listing all the shows going on in Winnipeg (www.tourismwinnipeg.com/events/live-music#/ gallery/recent). Our indie music scene in particular is out in full force during the Big Fun Festival (January 25–29), where all manner of local and touring bands take over the smaller clubs and bars in the city. As far as arts events go, the end of summer and the start of fall is rung-in during Nuit Blanc (October 1), an all-night creativity extravaganza that is held downtown, in St. Boniface, and in the Exchange District. Art galleries invite people in for happenings, painting parties take place in the streets, and dance troupes and bike groups do their thing, providing a real showcase for the local creative scene. Winnipeg's Exchange District is this city's arts and culture hub, and starting with music you're not going to get any grander than the new season from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), who call the Centennial Concert Hall home. Highlights from the 2016/17 season includes Wagner Unmasked (November 4–5), Handel's Messiah (December 2–3), and Papa Haydn (January 13–14) — to name but a few performances on the classic side, while contemporary and pop performances include A Jann Arden Christmas (December 9–10, with Jann Arden, of course), and a live symphony score performance of E.T. (December 11).