The Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, Cape Breton, seems to have lots of fiddling. Check the local entertainment listings for square dances, concerts, and festivals. Inverness Country, and Mabou in particular, is probably where you'll find most public fiddling. The Doryman Tavern in Cheticamp is another spot that might have fiddling.

If you're in Halifax on a Tuesday night, check out The Old Triangle, downtown - Dave MacIsaac will be fiddling, accompanied by Louis Benoit on guitar; then Dave will switch to guitar and Louis will show you how it's done on the mandolin. At least, that's what was going on for years pre-Covid ....

In PEI, pre-Covid, there were lots of fiddling events, somewhere every night. You'll probably be too late for the big Rollo Bay festival, but might catch something in the 'Evangeline' region. If you get a chance to see Richard Wood, take it. You might catch a 'Bluegrass & Old-Time' festival somewhere, if you want something you're more at home with.

If I think of or come across anything else, I'll let you know ... !

If you Google festivals on Print Edward Island, you will find several music events...music is a big thing there... to help you along here are two music sites that may help you

(Prince Edward Island)
bowingdownhome.ca

(Cape Breton)
downhomefiddle.com

Play Happy

Swing

Thanks!!

I also found this link. 
https://www.musiccapebreton.com/index.html

The site lists performers and venues, but not being familiar with the area, it's a crapshoot whether I find anything interesting. So, thanks for your suggestions. 

I found the Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling! We are trying to manipulate our schedule to attend at least a day. http://www.capebretonfiddlers.com/

Needless to say, I am so confused and overwhelmed!!  I will report back after our trip.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Swing

If you Google festivals on Print Edward Island, you will find several music events...music is a big thing there... to help you along here are two music sites that may help you

(Prince Edward Island)
bowingdownhome.ca

(Cape Breton)
downhomefiddle.com

Play Happy

Swing

---

Thanks for the links and suggestion! 

And, dang you! That PEI link sent me down a wonderful rabbit hole! I find that the fiddle style  is so very similar to Missouri/Ozark/Midwest fiddling.

Davide MacIsaac is currently playing on Monday nights in Halifax.

Kirk, I'm pretty sure that Southern Indiana is on the way to Canada.. Stop on the way and pick me up or stop to shake hands or HONK as you drive by.

Careful, you might stop in the Montreal area and be totally consumed by Irish, French Canadian, Gypsy Jazz, etc....the Fiddle is the Canadian national instrument...I am planning another trip up to Cape Breton this spring... also look up Frank Ferrel, he lives in Maine a terrific fiddler who has a great knowledge of Canadian music and where it is happening... there are others...

Play Happy

Swing

On PEI, think about staying at the Fiddle Farm B&B https://www.innsite.com/inns/A004513.html My wife and I went there on our honeymoon, a few years after they opened. I'm pleasantly surprised to see they're still in business. We timed our honeymoon for the Rollo Bay festival. 

I don't mind being a tourist. I pulled in to Cape Breton in a medium size cruise ship. Already had a musical itinerary laid out for me. It was great!
I always drag a fiddle with me. It keeps me from buying another. I love that style, but I can't keep up. Every fiddler up there is in really good shape.

Now you guys have done it: I dreamt last night I was at the Rollo Bay fiddle festival ... and then I couldn't find a hotel room - not having booked one in advance, of course - and had to keep driving and driving ... and then ran out of gas ... and then the sneering man at the gas station gave me a couple of cups of gas in a plastic yogurt container, but didn't ask for payment - fortunately, because I discovered I had no money ... got the gas in, but found I'd locked the keys in the car ... and then .......

Not so much a dream as a few recycled memories ... and that's why I no longer have a great appetite for extended road trips ...!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Scratch

Now you guys have done it: I dreamt last night I was at the Rollo Bay fiddle festival ... and then I couldn't find a hotel room - not having booked one in advance, of course - and had to keep driving and driving ... and then ran out of gas ... and then the sneering man at the gas station gave me a couple of cups of gas in a plastic yogurt container, but didn't ask for payment - fortunately, because I discovered I had no money ... got the gas in, but found I'd locked the keys in the car ... and then .......

Not so much a dream as a few recycled memories ... and that's why I no longer have a great appetite for extended road trips ...!

---

SO.. it was YOU.... Seems a guy was sitting on the sidewalk curb outside our local gas station.  He asked for a dollar for gas so he could 'get home'(probably on his way to Cape Breton).. Hey, I gave the guy a dollar and he put it in his pocket.. I asked him why he did that instead of buying gas with the dollar.. He said he was waiting to get enough for a full tank.. 

 Which reminds me of another guy outside that same local station.. He walked up to me with a cigarette between his lips, a hot dog in one hand and a 32 oz Big Gulp in the other.. and said, "Hey, Buddy, can you help me out? I need some money for baby diapers."......Now THAT was funny..

TuneWeaver That was a different dream ... I was trying to explain to everyone why I couldn't do anything until I had enough for a full tank, but no one understood .... And then there was the one where I had to get diapers for the baby, but I had no money ....

I pedaled my bike around Cape Breton with a fiddle in my trailer a few years ago. Mostly riding the Cabot Trail. Lots of music, although I am not a Cape Breton style fiddler. I spent many a night on a quiet beach fiddling to the ocean waves and lobster boats. Highlights to recommend. White Point...walk all the way to the end and plan to spend the afternoon out there. It is splendid. Also remend a at least one night at Meat Cove.

Enjoy the trip.

Support for what Old Scratch says.

The Red Shoe in Mabou.
The Doryman in Cheticamp
There's also a Celtic Music Interpretive Center in Judique that is interesting

I'm sure there's more and online searches and checking in with the folks in Cape Breton when you are there will help you find more music.

The Cabot Trail is great. We happened to go during the Celtic Colors Festival in the fall and encountered great music and wonderful scenery.

Can also second The Old Triangle in Halifax where we heard Dave MacIsaac and Louis Benoit.

Thanks all!! Great suggestions! We're still in the planning phase but will likely camp several days at Cape Breton Highlands NP before heading southward to Halifax area. Old Triangle is definitely on the list!

FWIW - we've been watching movies filmed in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton to get idea of the landscape. A couple of interesting movies so far. Oh, we had to use the closed captioning! However, the translations were sometime really funny. Unfortunately, the scenes were sometimes serious and emotional.

Johny Belinda - (Jane Wyman - 1948) - hardships of farming and raising deaf-mute child.

Margaret's Museum (2004) - about coal mining. Sometimes tough to watch. Great photography.

Marion Bridge (2002) - some nice fiddle music from David MacIsaac in the background. Some nice photography

Margaret's Museum was released in 1995.

FYI: the original 'Johnny Belinda' story, as a play, was set in Prince Edward Island. I have yet to see one of the movie versions, but I saw the stage play in PEI when I was young, and found it powerful.

Bay Boy is a coming of age movie set in Cape Breton - can't recall how much scenery there is in it ... ! It's not bad. Big Hollywood director whose name escapes me; he came from Glace Bay, CB. And Kiefer Sutherland in one of his early roles.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Scratch

FYI: the original 'Johnny Belinda' story, as a play, was set in Prince Edward Island. I have yet to see one of the movie versions, but I saw the stage play in PEI when I was young, and found it powerful.

Bay Boy is a coming of age movie set in Cape Breton - can't recall how much scenery there is in it ... ! It's not bad. Big Hollywood director whose name escapes me; he came from Glace Bay, CB. And Kiefer Sutherland in one of his early roles.

---

Bay Boy is on our list to watch.

Yes, the Johnny Belinda story is very powerful! I only know of the play and have never seen it. The story was set in PEI, but was filmed in CA!!! Jane Wyman had the shortest acceptance speech for the Oscar. She said "I won this award by keeping my mouth shut and I think I will do it again."

New Waterford Girl is another one that's not bad - and it's not too heavy.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!! We are reviewing campsites at National and Provincial Parks. Can't make reservations until March 18, though. We can dream, right?

For those interested, here are a few more films for the list of films made in Nova Scotia/Cape Breton.

Maudie
2016 - about Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis. Tough story! The setting was supposed to be Digby and Marshalltown, but it was filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador. Not Nova Scotia, but apparently the filming location closely resembled Digby/Marshalltown.

CloudBurst
2011 - touching, sometimes comedic story about two older women. Olympia Dukakas. Filmed around Halifax and Lunenburg, NS. (Our favorite so far!!)

Wierdos
2016 - troubled teen coming of age story. Filmed around Sydney NS.

I watched Maudie not long ago; great movie. One of her paintings recently sold for $400,000 ........

I'll have to keep an eye out for those others; I hadn't heard of them.

Keep us posted!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Scratch

I watched Maudie not long ago; great movie. One of her paintings recently sold for $400,000 ........

I'll have to keep an eye out for those others; I hadn't heard of them.

Keep us posted!

---

Maud Lewis was an interesting character.  We both wanted to slap some sense into her and wake up to the abusive relationship. We also wanted to take Ernest out to the woodshed and teach him some basic human decency. I was hard to watch at times. The movie led us to reading more about her life. The movie leads us to believe that Ernest changed and softened towards Maud and continued after her death. Nope! Apparantly, he was terribly abusive throughout their relationship. After her death, his disagreeability and abusiveness grew. He tried to imitate Maud's paintings and sold them. He essentially painted over the decorated door and walls in an attempt to remove any trace of her. The house was restored and moved to the museum in Halifax. A steel structure resembling the house was constructed on the original site at Marshalltown.

Just came across a couple of vids of Dave MacIsaac and Louis Benoit - I think these are the only vids of the two of them on youtube - edit:  the two of them where Dave is playing fiddle, that is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2W2m8FOFdE

Okay, I can't post the second one - I'll try it in another post.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jhZXCkuO8c