PEI is an island of poets and politicians, oyster shuckers and lobster suppers.
Don’t miss these top 10 PEI2014 attractions.
1) Whoop it up: PEI is the hot ticket for Canada Day celebrations on July 1. Join the day-long concert featuring Canadian artists from across the country serenading crowds on the Charlottetown waterfront.
2) Country music on the beach: The Cavendish Beach Music Festival in mid July will bring 30 of the world’s hottest names in country music to the coastal community.
3) Love the lobster: Bibs are for feasting and fashion in PEI, where the wildly popular Summerside Lobster Carnival and St. Ann’s traditional church lobster suppers are the buttery rage in July.
4) Sweet jazz and blues music: Workshops, intimate performances and main-stage jazz, R&B, soul, pop, rock and funk,will make the August 2014 edition of the PEI Jazz & Blues Festival a tough act to follow.
5) Acadian culture: PEI Acadians have their roots in Francebut their hearts wide open during the rousing,four-day Evangeline Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival in August.
6) Magical musicals: The Charlottetown Festival (June 19-Sept. 27) will hit 50th-anniversary high notes with “Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™” and “Searching for Abegweit,” a musical celebrating island culture.
7) Art on the town: Charlottetown’s outdoor public art festival Art in the Open will inspire visitors Aug. 23, along with Oh, Canada, an exhibition of works from 62 contemporary Canadian artists never before seen in one place.
8) Go tip-to-tip: Walk, run or bike from one end of the island to another (stopping for a bite and swim in a coastal town) as you explore the picturesque Confederation Trail.
9) Oyster shucking (just pluck then grill, deep fry, or sauté): The PEI International Shellfish Festival in September is known as the biggest kitchen party in Atlantic Canada. Join celebrity chefs, champion oyster shuckers, fiddle players and your new best friends.
10) Sink your toes in white (and red) sand beaches: From the famous singing sands of Basin Head Provincial Park, to the white sands of Brackley Beach, to the island’s Red Sand Shores, embrace beach bliss and be kissed by the sea.