2025 Festivals & Events Ontario Achievement Awards Announced

2025 FESTIVALS & EVENTS IN ONTARIO ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Provincial organization recognizes Ontario's Best Festival Achievements

Kitchener, Ontario (February 26, 2025) Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) is proud to announce the 2025 FEO Achievement Award winners. These awards, showcase various elements of festivals or events that those submitting believe stood out in the previous festival year. The Achievement Awards were handed out on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025, during FEO’s annual conference “SYNERGY” in Kitchener, Ontario.

Submissions from FEO members were received for consideration in the fall of 2024 and were judged by an independent panel of judges. Festivals and events of all kinds from every corner of Ontario were represented in the submissions – from community festivals to internationally recognized events.

FEO would like to congratulate the 2025 Achievement Award Winners.

Best New Festival or Event

Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Oshawa Indigenous Cultural Celebration

Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Easter Fun Fest Markham

Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Norfolk County Fairgrounds Festival

Best Promotional Campaign

Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Discovery Harbour Pumpkinferno

Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Toronto Waterfront Festival

Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Port Colborne Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival

Best Social Media Campaign

Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show

FEO Impact Award

Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Oshawa Indigenous Cultural Celebration

Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Markham Little Native Hockey League Tournament

Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Sunfest London

FEO Innovation Award

Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest

Sponsor of the Year

Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Brantford Scare in the Square sponsored by: Millard Rouse & Rosebrugh LLP

Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Waterloo Busker Carinal sponsored by: Sunlife

Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Port Colborne Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival sponsored by: GIO Railways

Best Volunteer Program

Airshow London Skydrive

The “SYNERGY” 2025 Festivals & Events Ontario Conference was held in Kitchener, Ontario from February 24-26, 2025.

Media Contact:

Jay Nijhuis
Marketing & Communications Manager
Festivals and Events Ontario
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.festivalsandeventsontario.com
519-742-2226

About Festivals & Events Ontario Festivals & Events Ontario

(FEO) was established in 1987 as an association devoted to the growth and stability of the festival and event industry in Ontario. FEO supports a lively, engaged and dedicated festival and events industry by sharing knowledge, enabling networking and providing leadership on education, advocacy and promotion. FEO operates Canada’s largest dedicated festival and event Conference, publishes and distributes an annual consumer guide, promotes its industry festival supplier goods and services and oversees an industry-leading awards recognition program. The festivals and events industry in Ontario is estimated to generate in excess of $2.3 billion annually in contribution to regional GDP, create/sustain approximately 50,000 full-year-equivalent jobs and foster approximately $1 billion dollars in taxes at all levels of government.