Confederation Centre of the Arts, known as “Confed” or “The Centre” to locals, is an impressive structure in the heart of Charlottetown’s downtown historical district. It houses over 17,000 works of art in its permanent collection as well as three bustling theatres, Mavor’s Restaurant—with its tucked-away courtyard patio and one of Charlottetown’s best-kept secrets for an intimate pre- or post-show drink—and a gift shop, which features local artisan wares and a hearty offering of East Coast music.

The Centre is the traditional go-to for a history lesson on Canada’s Confederation. It is also home to the popular, long-running Anne of Green Gables—The Musical, a wonderful production reworked every few years to keep it fresh. However, The Centre is most known in the summertime for its 55-year-old Charlottetown Festival, the largest theatre festival in Atlantic Canada, which showcases up to seven award-winning productions every June to September.

This summer, the 1,100-seat Homburg Theatre is continuing a three-year re-imagining of Anne of Green Gables—The Musical that is funny, heartfelt, acrobatic and scored to a full orchestra. The theatre’s new revolving stage promises to make the musical even more spectacular. A reworked Kronborg—The Hamlet Rock Musical, a rock-operatic rendition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that debuted at the Festival in the 1970s, is new and the first festival show ever produced to go on to Broadway. And the award-winning Mamma Mia! returns in August.

The Mack theatre features cabaret shows; Atlantic Blue, a Maritime love letter by Canadian songstress, Tara MacLean; and a hilarious, thoughtful one-man show by Stephen Guy-McGrath called Spinning Yarns: Tales and Tunes from a Homesick Newfoundlander. In addition, in The Centre’s outdoor amphitheatre, the emerging triple-threat talent of the Young Company stages the daily, free performance Aqsarnit, the Inuktitut word for the northern lights. This high-energy musical re-examines Canada’s past through the varied lenses of today’s youth and shares some of the stories they hope will be told in the future.

It’s easy to spend a whole day at “Confed.” Interesting and informative walking tours led by costumed Victorian tour guides and provocative, contemporary and historical Canadian visual art always delight guests out of doors and inside the Gallery. Visiting exhibitions this season include Mapping Worlds from Canadian artist Shuvinai Ashoona (Toronto) and recent works from Philippa Jones. The original manuscript of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s masterpiece Anne of Green Gables will also be on display—a must-see.

Travel Planner:

For more information on tours and the Summer 2019 schedule, visit confederationcentre.com.