The Lightfoot Days Festival is dedicated to honoring the life and music of iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Born and raised in Orillia, Lightfoot first performed at the age of 12 in local venues before achieving national and international fame in the early 60’s. Through dozens of albums and hundreds of songs, Lightfoot left an indelible mark on the music industry. Though he sadly passed away in 2023, his legacy lives on through the Lightfoot Band and events like the Lightfoot Days Festival, which celebrates his timeless contributions to the arts.

The festival was first held in 2013 as a small gathering to honor the musical contribution to the fabric of Canada by Gordon and was held in the auditorium of St. Paul’s Church in Orillia. Due to the Covid Pandemic the Festival took a hiatus for a few years from 2020 until 2023 when it was resurrected through the vision of Karen Hilfman Millson. Sadly, Karen passed away in 2024, but was able to see the fruits of her efforts with the return of the Festival in 2023.

The resurrected Festival now involves numerous establishments around the Orillia area, including restaurants, pubs, auditoriums, and walking tours of significant related landmarks. We are fortunate to have many artists, friends and Lightfoot family involved in the festival who come to not only perform Gord’s songs, but participate in informal talks about his music and life.

This site is home of the Lightfoot Days Festival, where we have four days of fun and music, and nothing but fun and music! (per Max Yasger of Woodstock fame)