Top Five Things to See and Do in January 2018
Don’t let the polar vortex and sub-zero temperatures keep you from enjoying the best events in Kingston this month. We’ve scoured the local scene to curate our original top five things to see and do in January 2018. Bundle up, get out there and enjoy all that YGK has to offer!
Lumina Borealis, all month long: in it’s second year of seasonal operation, Kingston’s premier winter attraction is one of your best bets for excitement this month. The historic surroundings of Fort Henry have been transformed with artful and luminous installations that serve as the foundation for Lumina Borealis. Explorers will encounter an enchanted land, encapsulated by a cold winter spell, which conceal secrets yearning to be unlocked. As you navigate the frozen landscape, your imagination will be ignited as you uncover the untold wonders left behind by mystical beings. Admission time and dates vary, so book your journey in advance, and prices range from $12 to $16.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 10-21 January 2018: Blue Canoe presents the Tony Award and Drama Desk Winning Musical Comedy about six awkward spelling champions who learn that winning (and losing) isn’t everything. The eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Be sure to catch The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Baby Grand. Admission ranges from $8.85 $17.50.
Audible Songs From Rockwood, 12 January 2018: Simone Schmidt, formerly of 100 Dollars and now of Fiver, brings her new project “Audible Songs From Rockwood” to town. The record has a special significance to Kingston, as it’s a series of 11 fictional field recordings Schmidt wrote based on the case files of women incarcerated at the Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane in Kingston between 1856 and 1881. Fiver will perform these songs live in concert at Cavalry United Church. This event is a co-presentation with the Elizabeth Fry Society. Admission is a $10 to $20 sliding scale at the door.
Ritualia, 13 January- 24 February 2018: through installations and digital interventions, this exhibition will explore ingrained customs and everyday rituals. Each work questions how and why these distinct societal routines exist, while simultaneously bringing attention to the complex frameworks that structure these unconscious exercises in everyday life. When organized together, each artist identifies and questions the extra-ordinary context involved within many practiced human rituals. Curated by Matthew Kyba, featuring work by Lumir Hladik, Dagmara Genda, Anna Eyler, and Nicolas Lapointe. Check out Ritualia at Modern Fuel in the Tett Centre.
4th Annual Diversity Dinner, 20 January 2018: a unique gathering of Kingstonians from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, who get together to mingle, share sustenance and be entertained. This year’s dinner also marks the official launch of the Canadian Colours Kingston Foundation (CCKF), a new organization setting out to promote multiculturalism within the city. All tickets for this event have already been scooped up, so if you were planning on attending, hopefully you know someone who has a spare ticket.
Photo credit to Kingstonist, Blue Canoe, Fiver, Thomas Hawk and onetallchef.