2026 Stratford events
In 2026, the Provocation Ideas Festival once again brings together a remarkable constellation of voices—community members, artists, performers, musicians, journalists, storytellers, scholars, urban planners, and culinary innovators—to explore urgent questions of our time under the unifying theme: City of Dreamers.
Flavours of Home: Stories and Meal that Connect Us
An intimate series celebrating Stratford’s newest voices
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Foster’s Inn
111 Downie St, Stratford, ON
Doors open: 5:30 pm • Dinner: 6:30–8:30 pm
Food carries memory, meaning, and the unmistakable flavour of home. At Flavours of Home, each dish becomes an invitation—an opening into the lived experiences of Stratford’s newcomers. This intimate culinary storytelling series celebrates the cultures and journeys that now enrich our community, offering a shared table where flavours meet stories of courage, hope, and belonging.
Each event features a local newcomer who works with Stratford chefs to create a meal rooted in their region of origin. As guests enjoy the menu, they hear the deeply personal account of the individual or family who inspired it—how they arrived here, what they carried with them, and what “home” means today. Held in welcoming venues across the city, Flavours of Home offers a warm, communal space to gather across cultures, honour lived experience, and connect through the universal language of food.
March 19 • Featuring a Traditional Congolese Menu with Esperance Nyantungane
For this edition, Esperance Nyantungane has curated a traditional Congolese meal interpreted by the chefs at Foster’s Inn. Born in South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Esperance and her husband, Shinga Buregeya, fled escalating violence and persecution in 2012, spending four years in a refugee camp in Burundi before being accepted to Canada. They eventually made their home in Stratford in 2019, where they are now raising their seven children.
Throughout the evening, Esperance will share the cultural meaning of each dish and the remarkable journey that brought her family from the DRC to Stratford—an offering of both nourishment and story.
Co-presented with Foster's Inn.
👉 Click here to purchase tickets. Seating is limited.
More Flavours of Home events will be announced soon.
Northern Wit: Comedy as the Canadian Shield
A live comedy event followed by CBC IDEAS · Hosted by Nahlah Ayed
Northern Wit has been rescheduled for May 1, 2026
Existing tickets remain valid; refunds available for those unable to attend.
Stratford City Hall Auditorium
1 Wellington St. Stratford, ON
7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
What happens when some of Canada’s sharpest comedic minds take on the myths, contradictions, and quirks of Canadian life—live?
The gloves come off and the laughs roll as a celebrated and award winning comedian Martha Chaves hits the stage for a no-holds-barred performance of comedy, satire, and gut-busting honesty. From clichés to the complexities of cultural identity, she’ll riff, react, and reinvent what it means to be Canadian.
Expect razor-sharp wit, fearless storytelling, and wildly unexpected turns in this one-night-only performance. This is Canada as you’ve never laughed at it before. Hosted by Stratford's own satirist Brittlestar.
Following the performance, join CBC IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed, and comedians Martha Chaves, Deb McGrath and Brittlestar for a sharp, hilarious, and thought-provoking evening exploring the role of comedy in shaping Canada’s national identity. From political satire to everyday absurdities, comedy has long served as a kind of Canadian shield—deflecting, reflecting, and revealing who we are.
In this live panel event, some of the country’s funniest minds delve into how humour and satire can expose national truths, challenge cultural myths, and unite us through laughter. Together, they’ll explore questions at the heart of our comedic culture:
- What can satire reveal about who we are as a nation?
- How do comedians complicate the stories we tell about ourselves?
- And why is laughing at ourselves such a quintessentially Canadian act?
Presented in partnership with CBC IDEAS and Destination Stratford as part of the Provocation Ideas Festival, this is an evening of insight, irreverence, and maybe even identity redefinition—served with a punchline. .
Click Here to reserve your tickets - Seating is limited!
Illuminating Passion
A Provocation Ideas Festival Benefit
Monday June 22, 2026
Revival House
70 Brunswick St, Stratford, ON
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Join us for an unforgettable, high octane evening to raise awareness and financial support for the Provocation Ideas Festival in a celebration of creativity and community.
Illuminating Passion is a unique benefit gala where celebrated Canadians unveil their hidden and surprising talents beyond their public personas. This is guaranteed to be an engaging event about the challenges and joys of pursuing creative passions alongside more traditional careers.
Renowned performers, actors, musicians, artists, and creatives step out of the shadows and beyond their usual roles to share remarkable unknown talents in a collaborative and spectacular fashion.
Illuminating Passion promises to be an engaging evening of unique artistic reinvention and discovery, showcasing creative expression in an intimate, vibrant and supportive environment. Guests will enjoy live performances that defy expectations as well as a live auction of unique creations.
Come for the talent you know. Stay for the talent you’ve never seen.
Reserve your seat, place your bids, and help keep Provocation bold, curious, and creative.
Click here to reserve your tickets. Seating is limited.
All proceeds support the Provocation Ideas Festival, helping us bring bold, accessible programming to the public.
Hosts for the evening are Sheila McCarthy and Chris Blake..
