Much of the most profound work across arts and culture in Airdrie happens quietly — in classrooms, rehearsal spaces, studios, kitchens, garages, and long hours at desks. An entire ecosystem powers the city’s vibrant creative identity, from volunteers working backstage and mentors guiding young performers to local businesses providing sponsorship and educators developing fresh talent.
The Airdrie Mayor’s Night of the Arts, presented by the Airdrie Arts & Culture Council, exists to bring those contributions into the spotlight. First held in 2015, the flagship annual celebration returned following a pause from 2020 to 2022 and welcomed more than 300 people at its 2026 event. The celebration returns on February 6, 2027, but the moment to champion local creators, performers, and supporters is right now.
“If there is an artist, performer, educator, volunteer, mentor, business or community arts and culture advocate whose work has made you proud, inspired you or made Airdrie a more connected, creative place to live, take a few minutes and tell us about them,” says Amanda Hiebert, executive director of the Airdrie Arts & Culture Council.
She points out that many people making a difference are too busy doing the work to realize how much others notice. A nomination for one of the nine Airdrie Mayor’s Night of the Arts Awards serves as a powerful way to let them know their work matters.
Hiebert says becoming a finalist puts an artist’s name in front of a wider audience, offers valuable additions to a professional biography, and reinforces their local impact.
“Recognition creates visibility, and visibility creates opportunity,” says Hiebert.
“One of my favourite things about this work is continually discovering someone new and thinking, ‘How did I not know this person was doing this monumental work here?’ That’s one of many reasons why events like the Airdrie Mayor’s Night of the Arts matter. They help make an arts and culture community that already exists much more visible.”
For young and rising creatives, categories like the Youth Artist Award, Youth Emerging Artist Award, and Youth Arts Champion Award send a strong message early in their journey. Beyond building confidence, the Youth Artist Award provides a $1,000 scholarship to aid continued artistic development. Hiebert notes that being recognized by one’s hometown demonstrates that local work is taken seriously, showing young people they do not have to leave home to grow, perform, or collaborate.
The lineup also honours the foundation supporting local creators through categories like Champion of the Arts, Patron of the Arts, and the Cultural Ambassador Award. Hiebert says she has a soft spot for the Cultural Ambassador Award, which celebrates boots-on-the-ground community leaders giving countless volunteer hours to foster belonging and connection across Airdrie.
“If we only recognized the person standing on the stage or whose work is hanging on the wall, we would be telling only part of the story,” she says.
“(These awards) allow us to celebrate the people who create the conditions for artists to succeed.”
Other award categories include: Professional Artist Award, Emerging Artist Award and Arts Educator Award.
Submitting a nomination does not require expert knowledge or perfect writing. Residents simply need to share who the person is, what they do, and why their contribution matters.
Nominations for the 2027 Airdrie Mayor’s Night of the Arts can be made at airdriemayorsnightofthearts.com. The nominations close on October 9.
