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Ultimate Burger Battle
Sidney Ulakovic
Ultimate Burger Battle
Sidney Ulakovic

Thunder Bay’s beloved burger-eating fundraiser for the local United Way, Novemburger, will be getting a brand new name ahead of this year’s campaign. On May 30, Brulé, alongside the fundraiser’s chef de mission Erika Mikkola, unveiled that the fundraiser will now be known as the Ultimate Burger Battle. 

Sidney Ulakovic

CITY SCENE

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Say Bonjour!
Say Bonjour!

Say “hello”—or rather, say “bonjour”—to the new and improved Festival BONJOUR, formally known as Franco Festival. Since its inception almost 20 years ago, the event has evolved greatly, from a one-day gathering every two years to an annual three-day extravaganza. What could top that? This year, from June 5 to 7, Festival BONJOUR is inviting you to experience even more than ever, proving their name change represents more than meets the eye.

Honouring Literary Excellence
Honouring Literary Excellence

This past weekend, the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW) hosted its 27th annual LitFest at Goods & Co. The two-day event concluded with the NOWW Awards Gala on May 17, where Marianne Jones and Michael Sobota, two influential local writers, were celebrated for their significant contributions and support to literature in the region.

More International Talent Than Ever
More International Talent Than Ever

What started as a sidewalk sale in 2013 has grown into a neighbourhood-wide festival attracting thousands of attendees over the years. This summer, the Bay & Algoma Buskers Festival will celebrate a milestone tenth anniversary with more international acts than ever before. 
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Monty’s Joint
Susan Pretty
Monty’s Joint
Susan Pretty

The gastropub’s menu is centred around the fictitious Monty and his preference for mildly spicy cuisine. And what a menu. Using local products is a priority, with a concentrated effort on creating every dish in-house.

Susan Pretty
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The Art of the Sandwich
The Art of the Sandwich

Nothing hits quite like a homemade sammy with fresh bread. But where to go when the craving hits? Check out Bread & Butter, one of the newer vendors at Goods & Co. Founded by chef Fred Sorrell, the brainchild behind The Neighbours Cooking, the kiosk offers a tantalizing selection of made-from-scratch sandwiches, soups, and sides. The question is, what to try first?

Off the Menu: Madhouse
Off the Menu: Madhouse

There are some establishments that emanate classic Thunder Bay comfort and revelry. One such place is Madhouse, which has been serving single malts, good eats, and Kerouac quotes since 2001. But just because you’re entrenched in the local pantheon of restaurants doesn’t mean you can’t keep it interesting and delicious. This brings us to the carne asada tacos, available every Tuesday at Madhouse.

Off the Menu: Station 22
Off the Menu: Station 22

Take a moment and imagine this: a horrifying world where the birds cease to sing, and artists refuse to create new works for lack of a muse. That’s the dimension where hot dogs were never invented. Thankfully for all of us, Station 22, located inside Dawson Trail Brewery, is making all of our dreams come true with their Chicago Hot Dog.
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Night and Day
Bonnie Schiedel
Night and Day
Bonnie Schiedel

Cody Angus’s love of photography and love of live music means that there are plenty of sweaty, colourful, high-energy shots on his website and social media pages.

Bonnie Schiedel

ART

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Derelicte 15: A Fashion Odyssey - Photo Gallery
Derelicte 15: A Fashion Odyssey - Photo Gallery

At this year’s edition of Derelicte, the annual fundraiser in support of Definitely Superior Art Gallery and LU Radio, 32 performing acts including wearable art, musical artists, performance art, and local fashion houses graced the stage at Black Pirates Pub to celebrate a fabulous 15 years of immersive art.

More Than a Fashion Show
More Than a Fashion Show

In 1987, acclaimed contemporary artist Rebecca Belmore wore a sculpture-like dress in a public performance entitled Twelve Angry Crinolines, which satirized the celebrations going on at Fort William Historical Park to welcome the Duke and Duchess of York to Thunder Bay while calling attention to the effects of colonization on Indigenous women. “I went back to Belmore,” says David Karasiewicz, Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s executive and artistic director. “Which is really what kind of sparked that interest later on when we started doing Derelicte.” 

Adventures in Photography
Adventures in Photography

“During the pandemic, I really wanted to take my still photography to another level,” says local photographer and videographer Damien Bouchard. Bouchard, who studied television broadcasting at Confederation College and Indigenous independent filmmaking at Capilano University in Vancouver, began following photography accounts on Instagram and learned more about astrophotography when he became friends with Thunder Bay photographer Kay Lee.

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The Edge of the Earth
Deanne Gagnon
The Edge of the Earth
Deanne Gagnon

After dedicating his first album, Watin, to his grandfather, and calling his second a “Taylor Swift break-up album,” Juno Award-winning Aysanabee is back with his third release, Edge of the Earth. This time, he’s drawing on his own experiences—who he has been, and the pivotal moments that shaped him.

Deanne Gagnon
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Song of the Summer
Song of the Summer

The Lockyer Boys have an exciting summer ahead of them. The musical duo of brothers Will and Charlie Lockyer hit the local pop music scene in 2021 and quickly gained traction. Now, after two years of working on a batch of songs, their new single “306” releases today.

L’omelette
L’omelette

It’ll be a high-energy affair when Calgary band L’omelette makes their first visit to Thunder Bay this month. “We love to rock out and play live rock shows. We’re kind of like a festival dance band, and so live you can expect lots of dancing, lots of jumping around, and lots of energy,” lead singer Meg Thompson says.

A Wild Ride
A Wild Ride

“It’s just been such a wild ride,” says Thunder Bay-born musical artist Megan Nadin, who is no stranger to boldly venturing into the unfamiliar. It was a fortuitous encounter that would lead her to open for country legends Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan on their Grits and Glamour tour this Sunday April 13 at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, which will be Nadin’s largest show to date. 


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Crazy, Sexy, Fun
Kat Lyzun
Crazy, Sexy, Fun
Kat Lyzun

At Le Cabaret Noir’s sold-out shows last year, the audience was thrilled, titillated, and at times moved to tears by the performances of Thunder Bay’s only burlesque-inspired group. It was sexy, it was fun, and it was powerful to see women embracing their sensuality on stage. This month, from June 11 to 14, the baddies are back at Cambrian Players Theatre with another bold, unapologetic celebration of self-love and female empowerment.

Kat Lyzun
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Drag Shows 101
Drag Shows 101

Okay, so you’ve made the big step in your life and decided to finally check out a drag show for the first time. Condragulations! Now, you might be wondering where to start. You’ve heard great things, but it’s your first time attending this kind of event and you have tonnes of questions. Don’t worry, we got you. It should be noted that while there are several options for drag events in Thunder Bay, here we’ll be talking exclusively about Wiggins Productions (WP) drag shows at Black Pirates Pub. It’s our home turf and where we tend to shine the brightest with the most performers.

Cupid Takes a Back Seat
Cupid Takes a Back Seat

It's now February, and the big day on a lot of people’s calendars is the 14th—Valentine’s Day. It’s a day of red roses, chocolates, love letters, candlelit dinners, and heart-shaped everything. But what if none of that speaks to you? What if the person you thought was “the one” cheated on you? Or what if the person of your dreams turned out to be a complete nightmare in real life? Or what if you just don’t buy into any Valentine’s Day hype? Well, my friend, do we have one hell of a show for you!

Between the Lines
Between the Lines

Sometimes, a good book allows us to escape the real world for just a minute. A musical does, too. But what happens when these two things collide? All the Daze’s latest musical Between the Lines will answer just that.

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At Peace: Propagandhi
Justin Allec
At Peace: Propagandhi
Justin Allec

It’s been seven years since Propagandhi’s last full length and things (gestures to genocidal conflicts, the environment, surveillance technology, billionaires, on and on) have continued on their downward spiral.

Justin Allec
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is: My Morning Jacket
is: My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket have come a long way since their debut album, The Tennessee Fire, which was partly recorded in an improvised studio above vocalist/guitarist Jim James’s cousin’s garage. For the Kentucky-bred rock band’s milestone tenth release, they enlisted Grammy Award-winning producer Brendan O’Brien (known for working with Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam).

Lonely Mountain Town: Charles Wesley Godwin
Lonely Mountain Town: Charles Wesley Godwin

Charles Wesley Godwin’s new EP, Lonely Mountain Town, explores themes of love—be it loving someone, or loving the simplicity of life.

Off With Her Head: BANKS
Off With Her Head: BANKS

Since the early 2010s, BANKS has been making moody alternative pop hits to wide acclaim; now, she has released her fifth studio album, Off With Her Head, reuniting with longtime collaborators and producers Lil Silva and Sampha.

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Art for the People
Art for the People

We experience, create, and appreciate art and making in our own ways. There’s no insider secret code to “getting” public art. Even if you think you don’t know anything about art, even if you’re in no mood to learn, it doesn’t lessen your experience.

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For the Love of the Pets and Their People
For the Love of the Pets and Their People

The hours are long, the responsibility is huge, and the number of cases in NWO far outnumbers the veterinarians. It’s hard to hold boundaries, but it’s so important to be off the clock. It’s a huge toll on mental health, and people in this profession have a three times higher risk of suicide. To put the stats in perspective; I moved back to Thunder Bay 15 years ago. We have lost three veterinarians here to suicide in that time. 

Threats to One of Northwest Ontario’s Greatest Assets
Threats to One of Northwest Ontario’s Greatest Assets

North American conservative politicians continue their ongoing antagonism toward the environment with their “axe the tax” and “drill baby drill” slogans and policies.

To Die by the Sword
To Die by the Sword

Two days before the 2015 federal election, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau marched into a pit of pandemonium at the Thunder Bay airport that looked less like local partisans and more like The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Hundreds of screaming people clamoured for selfies with this dreamboat who would rescue Canada from Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s stuffy preference to play by himself.

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United Way Lighthouse Rescue
LFTR June 2025
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