New Mini Festival on Saturday May 24, 2025!
Unplug to Connect
In 2025 we will offer a one-day Mini Contemplative Arts Festival, with some of our favourite artists returning to share a taste of their spiritual and artistic practices.
You’re invited! Please mark your calendar.
Here’s the Mini Festival program planned for Saturday May 24, 2025.
The contemplative arts invite us to open body, mind and spirit to a centering experience through creative expression. Over four days we make time to think deeply and connect more intentionally with one another, and our spiritual, creative selves. For some the festival is a restorative exercise for our times; for others it’s an opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of creation and contemplation. Join us for this series of exceptional events that, through the talents and wisdom of artists, will bring an extra-large dose of love, beauty and healing to our world.
2024 Workshops & Events
(archive)
After a tremendously successful inaugural Contemplative Arts Festival of Saskatoon in May 2019, the second Festival was held in June 2023. Once again, at the third Contemplative Arts Festival from May 23 to 26th, 2024, we were delighted to offer more exciting new presenters and experiences, and brought back a number of the workshops and events that were popular in past Festivals.
In 2024 our featured artists included Knowledge Keeper Lyndon J Linklater, singer-songwriter Coco Love Alcorn, the Prairie Sculptors Association, and Saskatchewan Poet-Laureate dee Hobsbawn-Smith. You can still read about them on this website.
These links take you to our wonderful 2024 Artists and Speakers, with 21 Workshops, 5 Special Events, 2 Discussion Panels, and many free Drop-in activities. We loved seeing everyone at the Festival in May, 2024.
Now in 2025, we are looking for a few more more Volunteers to help with hospitality, setup and take-down. We’re very grateful for any Sponsors or Donations, so that we can offset some costs and create the best possible event for everyone!
As much as possible, this is a free Festival open to all. Donations are welcomed at all events.
Explore a variety of visual arts from a contemplative perspective.
All generations welcome.
Body, mind and spirit come together in sessions that focus on movement and meditation.
Discover new ways to be at peace.
Enjoy music and other live performances curated with stillness in mind.
It’s a unique way to experience the performing arts.
Guest speakers and writers add to the mix when we converse about the contemplative arts.
Writing is yet another central discipline of the festival.
Located at
Grosvenor Park United Church
407 Cumberland Avenue South
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The Contemplative Arts Festival of Saskatoon (CAFS) is a community initiative of Grosvenor Park United Church, an Affirming Ministry and a congregation that’s served Saskatoon and the world for 70 years. The church is situated on sacred Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. With gratitude, we pay our respects to First Nations and Métis neighbours and all our living relatives in this land, and we strive to build good and equitable relationships with one another.
Accessibility
Grosvenor Park United Church was recently renovated to improve accessibility. There is a ramp entrance and a lift entrance on the northeast side, off 14th Street, with accessible parking in the alley. The upper floor of the church has comfortable movable chairs, a lift to the stage level, and an accessible single stall washroom. The sound system and lighting are upgraded to performance standards. The lower floor has an accessible single stall washroom as well as multi-stall gendered washrooms.
Hearing headsets, ear plugs and fidget toys are available. There is a quiet space to withdraw to for those who need to take a break. Face masks are recommended but not required.
Accessibility map
Parking map
Accessibility video showing the accessible entrances with ramp and lift.
Please contact the church office with any questions or requests.
Sponsorships
The Contemplative Arts Festival of Saskatoon is very grateful to have received a grant in 2024 from the City of Saskatoon, through the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund.
Gratitude
We’re very pleased to receive sponsorships from these organizations in 2024 and 2025:
Saskatoon Musicians’ Association, Local 553.
The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild
St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon
and Grosvenor Park United Church.
Their support allows the Festival to offer some wonderful free performers and drop-in activities, and inspiring workshops at a very low cost.
We’re also extremely grateful for many artists and speakers who have offered their time and gifts for free or for a modest honorarium.
And thanks to many participants and community members for your personal donations of money and time.
We could not put on this Festival without everyone’s generous support - thank you for sharing the vision of what the Contemplative Arts Festival of Saskatoon could become!
Workshops
A few of our workshops have a small cost of $10
to help cover the cost of materials.
Fees can be paid in cash on arrival.
Volunteer
Interested in helping out with the festival? We have a variety of ways you can be part of the joy! Click the button to sign up. We look forward to meeting you.
