‘Jo, can you represent Highlights at the Music NL Festival in October?’ ‘I’d be proud to’.
So started my Canadian Newfoundland adventure.
Highlights has a long history of programming some amazing Canadian artists, so I knew that I would get to see some old friends and make new contacts. With 27 artist meetings and nearly 50 live showcase events, I knew it was going to be a busy Festival with five full-on days in St John’s, but what an opportunity of visiting a part of the world new to me.
Pack layers, I was told, it’s always cold and foggy in Newfoundland in October…How wrong this was. I arrived in glorious sunshine, and temperature in the high teens. That one short sleeved t-shirt saw a lot of wear, wash, repeats.
The first official event was the MusicNL 2026 Awards ceremony and red-carpet. An honour to see the musicians being celebrated and great to witness Duane Andrews and the Hot Club of Conception Bay receive the Best Jazz Artist award.
Duane, Erin and Noel are performing as part of our Autumn season and kick off their run at Murton Village Institute on 15th November. Their blend of traditional Newfoundland music with swing jazz are legendary and award winning, and we know will delight our audiences.
Live showcases were hosted at four venues across St John’s, so lots of walking through the delightfully colourful streets to see as many artists perform as possible. My daily step count reached 20,000 most days, and boy, does St John’s have some hills.
Amongst the artists, I caught up with Highlights favourites, Rube and Rake who were part of our Autumn 25 and Spring 26 seasons and delighted audiences with their superb harmonies and stories of Newfoundland.
During my time, I made connections with intriguing and talented artists who could well be joining us in future seasons, so keep checking our website to see what we have in store for you.
Enjoy your own taste of Newfoundland by booking tickets for Duane Andrews & the Hot Club of Conception Bay. Performing at Murton Parish Institute, Newbrough Town Hall, Scarth Memorial Hall, Staindrop, Middleton & Todridge Village Hall and Ireleth Temperance Hall.
Book here
