The beaming lights, the ecstatic energy of the fans, and the pounding of the drums in your chest are only some of the sensations you can expect at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on January 17, when Thunder Bay’s own Lockyer Boys—brothers Will and Charlie Lockyer—return home for their first headlining show, Locals Only.

A new year does not always have to mean new beginnings. The adage about not fixing what’s not broken is not always popular in politics, where leaving your mark means making change.  The passing of Bill 68 last November has created this scenario of breaking, not fixing, the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority (LRCA).

Irish author, poet, and playwright Oscar Wilde says, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” This is something Cambrian Players will explore with their upcoming Green Room reading of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.

Enter Ciorbă Rădăuțeană (say: “CHOR-buh ruh-dah-oo-TSEH-ah-nah”). A creamy chicken (or turkey) soup made with shredded meat, blended veggies, and a splash of white wine vinegar, it’s perfect for being snowed in during Alberta clippers, polar vortexes, and other ridiculous January weather.

If Christmas music isn’t your thing, the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium lined up just the concert for you. Concert-goers filled the open pit and got ready to mosh as Toronto-based punk rock band PUP and British Columbia hip hop duo Snotty Nose Rez kids took the stage for a night of hard-hitting musical catharsis.

As the simple matchbox is physically enlarged through Remus’ work, its new scale evokes wonder in all these little details that might otherwise be missed. And, seeing their wear alongside design techniques of days past brings forth a sense of longing for a cultural point in time that no longer exists.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Santa Claus is coming to town and the Thunder Bay 50/50 grand prize is expected to surpass last year’s total and change lives.

Once a roadside gem on Highway 61, Eatery 61 has traded the highway hustle for downtown charm, and Thunder Bay’s food scene is better for it.

Fifty years ago, in late 1975, what we now know as the Thunder Bay Art Gallery opened its doors, welcoming the community to see exhibits that included works by Picasso, Norval Morrisseau, the Group of Seven, Ray Thomas, William Kurelek, Daphne Odjig, Benjamin Chee Chee, and Jackson Beardy. Visitors and residents alike now had a chance to be inspired by art, take classes, and to be part of nurturing and showcasing local, regional, and Canadian artists. 

Just before a group of actors are set to perform A Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time, one actor just cannot do that story any more. So then the troupe comes up with the idea to just tell, well, every Christmas story ever told. From The Gift of the Magi and A Charlie Brown Christmas to The Grinch and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the stories overlap into a play-within-a-play.

With the busy holiday season about to clobber us, it’s the perfect time to treat yourself to some new appie recipes, whether you’re toting them to a friend’s or staying in for a cosy night. These two are easy, tasty, and tick all the aforementioned boxes.

Thunder Bay/Toronto-based artist Nadjiwan has released his latest album, Now Is the Right Time of Year, an eight-track, boundary-pushing collection of Indigenous rock music.

In winter I get up at night, 

to look upon the weary sky 

to stare out at that single, lidless eye

as it gazes through the flakes of white 

Buying stuff isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it injects money into the economy, keeps stores open, and keeps people employed. If we see it that way, maybe Christmas is all about gifts, including the gift of continued economic growth if we spend our money in the right direction.

November 19 marked the start of Delta’s Winter Wonderland, a festival running through February 28 that promises to paint the Waterfront in happy colours during the darkest months of the year. At the centre of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree standing across from the Sleeping Giant.

High school friends Jarret Schilke, Derek DeSa, and Bryan Johnston share a powerful bond and love of hip hop. With Johnston’s beats and Schilke and DeSa’s MC skills, the trio decided to put on a show at the Apollo in December of 2000. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Today marks a grand slam for Thunder Bay blues lovers; the blues will be coming back to the city on a major scale next summer. After a seven year hiatus, the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium (TBCA) announced that a summer blues festival will return in 2026 as they unveiled the lineup for the newly rebranded festival, now known as Blues in the Ballpark, which will now take place at Port Arthur Stadium next August 21 and 22, featuring a lineup of acclaimed international blues talent.

The aroma of freshly baked pizza and simmering tomato sauce now fills a familiar Westfort corner, one that has found new life through the love and determination of Brandy Pulice and her partner, Tom Woycheshin.

Walking through the doors of the market, there’s a homey, eclectic vibe that pulls you in to explore—the warm glow of string lights, patterned rugs, and each corner taking you to different moments in time with their curated inventory. Co-owners Allison Modin and Marley Guinta say their intention with the business is to create a Thunder Bay spin on Kensington Market in Toronto. 

Definitely Superior Art Gallery’s annual Halloween extravaganza The Hunger returned this past weekend for a party unlike any other, where the audience was as much a part of the art as the artists were.