Club Listings & other Venues
(Listed Alphabetically)
(updated: December 2011)
jump to Concert Venues
(coffee houses & concert halls)
The Folk Clubs (& open stage venues):
The Acoustic
Harvest Folk Club
Toronto's East End, Beaches and Bluffs folk club.
at the St. Nicholas Anglican Church
(corner of Kingston Rd. and Manderley Rd)
note: this is a new location (as of September
2006), 1 block east of the old one
Concert series: all start at 8pm (doors open at 7:30)
schedule available at the Acoustic
Harvest Website
Admission: (usually)$12. Students are half price..
For further information email Lillian Wauthier (lillianw@interlog.com).
(see also Fiddles & Frets Concert Series)

at the Brant Park Inn/Best Western Hotel
19 Holiday Dr., Brantford. N3T 5W5
(at the Hwy 403 and Wayne Gretzky Parkway interchange)
Every other Friday at 8:30 PM, September through June.
Run by Don & Brenda McGeoch. (519) 759-7676.
Website: http://www.Brantford.folk.on.ca/index.htm
Email: brantfordfolk@execulink.com
Open stage format (2-song sets). Some concerts.
Adm: $3 (performers free)
(wheelchair
accessible & smoke-free)
map
Go here for a
newspaper article about the club, published September 18, 2002
|
November, 2005. The
Brantford Folk Club is undergoing a major change. At the end of 2005,
the club will cease to be an open stage venue. Don & Brenda
McGeoch
started the club 23 years ago, and through their committment and
devotion have made it perhaps the most successful club around, with a
significant audience component and an international reputation.
The final open stage session will take place on Friday, December 2, 2005. Beginning in 2006, the Brantford Folk Club name will be associated with a series of "Artists On Stage" concerts in conjunction with Brantford's Sanderson Centre. Many of the regular participants have expressed the hope that someone will carry on the open stage tradition, and Dave Jensen has stepped in to organize a new club, to be known as the Brantford Open Stage. It has been arranged that the new club will be able to carry on in the same place and with the same schedule. The first session took place on Friday, January 6, 2006. (see below) |

at the Brant Park Inn/Best Western Hotel
19 Holiday Dr., Brantford. N3T 5W5
(at the Hwy 403 and Wayne Gretzky Parkway interchange)
Every other Friday at 8:30 PM, September through June.
Run by Dave Jensen. 519-752-0453
Website is here
Email: dave4446@rogers.com
or: jeremiah@bfree.on.ca
Open stage format (2-song sets).
Adm: $4 (performers free)
(wheelchair accessible
& smoke-free)
British Isles Traditional Folk Music Pub Sessionsat the Golden Kiwi, 47 Dickson St, Cambridge.
Hosted by Tethera on the first & third Sunday of each month from September until June, from 3 - 5 pm.Informal gatherings of like minded musicians, playing together in a pub setting for fun!
The repertoire consists of mainly - though not exclusively - English music, with a focus on tune playing.
This is group playing, not a singaround format.
Inquiries: Brad McEwen
Cuckoo's Nest Folk Club usually a (non-smoking) concert series beginning at 7:30 (doors open at 6:45)
usually on Sundays at Chaucer's Pub, 122 Carling St., London, Ontario Website: http://www.cuckoosnest.folk.on.ca E-mail: folk@iandavies.com Reserving in advance is recommended as Chaucer's Pub has limited seating.
Reservations can be made by calling 473-2099 or e-mail folk@iandavies.com
map
Fat Albert's Coffee House*
at the United Steelworkers Of America
Union Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto
open stage on Wednesday evenings
7 pm - set-up and open stage sign up 8 - 11:30
pm or so - performances w/ afeature set around 9 pm
a donation of $2 is requested
non-smoking venue info:
Tony at (416) 531-9730
& at last a website: http://www.angelfire.com/folk/fatalberts/
First
Friday Fiddle Jams - Orangeville
in the Friendship Room at Westminster United Church
247 Broadway
first Friday of the month from 7 pm to 11 pm.
All instruments are welcome. Bring a pop or a coffee if you wish, and be prepared to enjoy some great music.
For more information contact Eleanor: fiddlee@hotmail.com
Flying Cloud
Folk Club
at the TRANZAC (292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto)
(between Bathurst and Spadina, just south of Bloor)
Sunday evenings, usually a concert venue
E-mail: flyingcloudfolk@gmail.com
or phone: 416 410 FOLK (aka 3655)
Website: www.flyingcloudfolk.ca/
Folkway Music
163 Suffolk Street West, Guelph, Ontario,
Canada
Folkway Music is a small (35 people max.)
performing space
that masquerades as an instrument repair shop
during the day.
Check the website for concert schedule, workshops and jams
Call 519-763-5524 to reserve a seat.
website: www.folkwaymusic.com
Fonthill Coffee
House
at the Pelham Old Town Hall on Canboro Road (near Centre Street), Fonthill,
Ontario
2nd Friday of the month at 7:30 PM, September through June.
Open stage format (2-song sets), with a feature set.
Admission is $3 (children free).
It's non-alcoholic and smoke free.
Information: Graeme: 905-563-1226 or Jim: 905-892-0732
website
map
Free Times Cafe*
320 College Street, Toronto, Ontario. 416-967-1078
open stage Monday evenings, all year long
Sign-up time is 6:45 pm & Start
time is 7:00 pm
Recommended that you get there early
to sign up & play. Guest Host every week
The Great
Claude Fiddle and Folk Jam
Claude Church, 15175 Hurontario Street, Caledon, 3.5 km north of
Held on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 pm
All musicians, folk & fiddle afficionados most welcome! No
admission fee.
Occasional concerts will also be scheduled
Telephone: Claude Presbyterian
Church: 905-838-3512
or Elizabeth Szekeres: 905-843-2749 email:
wjeg@3web.net
Greenbank Folk
Music Society
In Uxbridge
1st Sunday of each month
The Greenbank Folk Music Society is a volunteer, non-profit group that has been dedicated to bringing the best Canadian roots and traditional folk and blues music to small town Ontario since 1993. The season consists of monthly concerts October to May, held in the Greenbank Centennial Hall. The Hall is located 30 minutes north of Whitby on Highway 12. (See map) The location is small, only 95 tickets available per concert and usually sold out, so calling ahead for tickets is important. Over the years the Society has gained a solid reputation and the support of both the general public and performing musicians.
For information, 905-985-8351 or 905-852-7578
E-mail Tony Burns:
ynot@globalserve.net
Website: http://www.globalserve.net/~ynot/grnbnk.htm
at the Pheasant Plucker, 2rd floor, 20 Augusta St., Hamilton.
Every other Tuesday at 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, from September to June.
Website: www.hamiltonfolkclub.ca
E-mail: info@hamiltonfolkclub.ca
Phone: Don Middleton: 905-628-5945; Al Lindsay: 905-529-8896
Open stage format (2-song sets), + regular feature set.
Adm: $3 (performers free)
map
Hamilton
Guitar Association
(formerly the Southern Ontario Fingerstyle Guiar Association)
at the Pheasant Plucker, 2rd floor, 20 Augusta
St., Hamilton.
every 2nd Monday at
8 pm. 905-529-9000
There will be a $3 admisssion fee,
performers free
There will be the usual open stage and guest performers of the
highest quality
Hosted by Mark Vanderheyden.
Further information: HGA website
Email: hamiltonguitarassociation@gmail.com
Hamilton-Wentworth Old-Tyme Fiddlers' Association
at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 58, 1180
Barton Street East, Hamilton. (across from Centre Mall)
Year 'round, third Wednesday of the month, 7pm, in
the banquet room, upstairs.
"The Hamilton Wentworth Old-Tyme Fiddlers'
Association is a collection of people whe enjoy fiddle music.
We are made up of fiddlers, other
musicians, and people who enjoy listening or dancing.
We are dedicated to enjoying
ourselves, the music, and each other.
We have a monthly meeting, typically
with 20 to 30 fiddlers,
and upwards of 100 people who come to listen, dance, and join in the
fun.
Non-alcoholic refreshments are
available, such as coffee, tea, and sometimes soft drinks,
as are complementary baked goods, which our members bring to share.
There is no entry fee into our meetings. There is a donation box, for
those who wish to make a contribution.
By 7pm, there is a full scale jam session taking place around the piano.
There is a small PA system set up for
use by the fiddlers. Accompaniament is unamplified,
and chairs are provided for those who bring guitars, banjos, etc.
Those fiddlers who wish to play at the microphone, sign up on a play
list at the front table upon arrival."
for more information, email: fiddlekrazy@gmail.com
Headwaters
Acoustic Music Society
concert series titled : "Live!
At the Opera House"
Orangeville Opera House, 87 Broadway, Orangeville
website: http://www.laurabird.com/HAMS.htm e-mail:
h.a.m.s@sympatico.ca
The Mill Race Folk Club
at the Royal Cdn Legion, Br 121, 4 Veteran's
Way, Cambridge (Galt) - 519-621-5850
1st & 3rd Saturday of the month
at 8 PM, September through June.
(exemptions in 2008 are September 20th and November 1st)
Run by Brad McEwen (519) 621-7135.
Acoustic sing-around format. Adm: $3
e-mail: mill_race@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.millracefolksociety.com/
map
Old Chestnuts
Song Circle
in Kitchener/Waterloo
4th Saturday of the month, from September to May. 8 PM
For information, call Jack Cole. (519) 578-6298
E-mail: jhcole@mgl.ca
Web Page: http://www.mgl.ca/~jhcole/
acoustic singaround/singalong
Port Colborne Folk Arts Council Coffee House
4th Friday of the month at St. Patrick's
Catholic Church Parish Hall located in downtown Port Colborne
at the northeast corner of King and Victoria Streets.
"Join us for an evening of music and
entertainment as the Port Colborne Folk Arts Council
hosts their Coffee House. Sure to please, this night of many musical styles,
poetry
and story telling is an open mic forum.
Admission is only $2.00 with proceeds going towards Folk Arts events held throughout
the year.
Doors open at 7:30pm and the fun begins at 8pm.
Refreshments are available throughout the evening.
So come out, bring your instrument and be a part of the evening's list of entertainers
or just enjoy it as part of the audience.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all!!.....We'll see you Friday Night!"
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT - DEREK 905-835-9889 or MONIQUE 905-835-0661
South Coast Folk Club
Not local to us by any means, but they do seem to
have a thriving club. Worth a look, methinks.
Adelaide,
Australia
Vital Spark Folk Society
in Whitby, Ontario
Concert series - variable venues
E-mail: vitlsprk@icomm.ca
Website: www.icomm.ca/vitlsprk
or call: Karen
at 905 430 8692
or:
Vicky at 905 432 3237
Waterford Old Town Hall 'First Sunday Musical Gathering'*
at the Old Town Hall on Main Street in Waterford, Ontario
(about 25 min. south of brantford)
1st Sunday of the month, October to May, from 2 pm til 5
open stage w/ feature set to end the afternoon
admission: $5 (performers free). Coffee, tea, pop & snacks are available
hosts: Luanne Ashe & Mike Hogg
see also the Old Town Hall Association
(OTHA) site about information
on the restoration project, which
includes a superlative old-fashion music hall.
note: restoration is complete, the hall is one of the best-sounding concert venues anywhere.
The White Oak Folk Club*
has more or less melded into the activities of
The Moonshine Café
137 Kerr Street Oakville, Ontario
Windsor Folk
Music & Arts Society*
Concerts and Acoustic Stage events are held at Mackenzie Hall
3277 Sandwich Street Windsor, Ontario
Telephone: 519-978-3274 Email: cibor@server.uwindsor.ca
Website: www.windsorfolk.org
Membership fees: $15 per individual/ $25 per family
Members receive a discount on concerts, newsletters (approximately 4
times a year), and notices about special events.
Acoustic Evenings from 8 to 11, & limited to 8 performers.
If you wish to perform, contact Jan Ciborowski (Tel. 519-978-3274), only during the week before the scheduled evenin.g
Admission for the Acoustic Evenings is free, but donations are
invited. Refreshments are
available.
Acoustic Stages are scheduled for the following dates:
.
Notes: * - denotes sound system. Others are acoustic singarounds.
Each club has different arrangements regarding the price of admission. Some clubs are able to admit performers free. Others simply can't if they are to meet their expenses. Please be understanding of this.
If you know of any other clubs, particularly west of Toronto,
to add to this list, please e-mail
Jeremiah.
Arkell Schoolhouse Gallery
August 16, 2006: This lovely wee venue has been
sold.
There will be no more music here.
at 2261 Dundas Street West (Near Roncesvalles), Toronto M6R1X6
200 seat folk venue and restaurant, mostly concerts
operated by Richard Carson & named for & dedicated to his
brother, the late Hugh Carson
web site: http://www.hughsroom.com/
phone: (416) 531-6604
Lighthouse Festival Theatre
in Port Dover, Ontario
Main & Market
Street P.O. Box
1208 N0A 1N0
Box Office: (519)
583-2221 Box Office Email: lftboxoffice@execulink.com
Administration Email: lft@execulink.com
Web: www.lighthousetheatre.com
Live from St. Jacobs
at The Church
Theatre
1376 King Street, St. Jacobs, Ontario
concert series
(no apparent website) phone:
(519) 664-1134
London Music Club
470 Colborne Street, London, Ontario.
from the website:
"The London Music Club is a unique new facility dedicated to the advancement
of live music in London. It features two licensed rooms providing
many existing and exciting options to performers and listeners.
The Acoustic Room is an intimate "folk club" style room primarily for solo
or duo acts. The Big Hall is a great big "banquet hall" style room
for larger groups and special musical events. Thursday's "New Music
Night" showcases mainly original-material solo and duo performers. Friday's
feature is the very popular "Acoustyle Open Mic", so come out and show us
what you've got (and bring your friends too!!!) Saturday features
an evening of regional solo and duo performers, with some special exceptions
from time to time!!! As you can see, the London Music Club provides
performers with these great and varied entertainment opportunities along with
the availability for recitals, lessons, rehearsals, workshops, etc. All
for the advancement of live music in London."
website: http://www.londonmusicclub.150m.com/
phone: (519) 640-6996
The Old Copper Kettle(as of October 2008) sessions in Fergus
are now being held at
The Shepherd's Pub
at 8 Mill Street West, Elora, Ontario
Phone: 519-846-5775
open jam session every Tuesday evening from 8 to 11
hosted by Terry Golletz
The Ground Floor Concert Series
(formerly Paris Plains Church Concert Series)
Paris Ontario Canada
tickets: Ground Floor Music
31 Grand River Street North
phone: 519-442-0040 email: Charlie
Cares <charlie@groundfloormusic.ca>
Directions
Map
The Moonshine Café
137 Kerr Street Oakville
Ontario Canada
phone: 905 844 2655
email: John Marlatt
website: http://www.themoonshinecafe.com/
Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts
88 Dalhousie Street
Brantford Ontario
Canada N3T 5V7
phone:
519-758-8090 or toll free:
800-265-0710 fax: 519-752-1866
website: www.sandersoncentre.on.ca
Waterloo Community Arts Centre
aka:
The Button Factory
25 Regina Street South, Waterloo, Ontario. N2J 1R8
phone 519 886 4577; fax 519 886 4599
e-mail: wcac@sentex.net
website: www.sentex.net/~wcac
Zooma Zooma Coffee Lounge
in Jordan, Ontario
(new location as of July 23,
2004 - across form the old) 3839 Main Street
operated by Stephen Del Col call:
905 562-6280
Website: http://www.jordanvillage.com/zooma.shtml
Email: tintern@niagara.com