Web: https://www.scwes.ca/art-words

The Arts & Words Festival in Gibsons, BC, is a creative collaboration celebrated over four days. It’s an annual event organized by the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society. The festival includes literary and open mic readings, an art exhibition, live music, writing and art workshops, a public art project, the publication of an anthology, an art and literary contest, and more. A unique aspect of the festival is a matchmaking ritual where writers and artists are paired at random. These duos collaborate to create complementary works in their own mediums. The results are displayed side-by-side during the festival week at the Gibsons Public Market and published in a printed anthology.