2023 Mummers Festival St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Canada

The 2023 Mummers Festival in St. John’s NL Canada celebrates the East Coast islands culture and tradition of mummering during the holidays. There are many events to attend during the popular Christmas festival including mummer lantern and ugly stick workshops, jam sessions, kitchen parties, storytelling, printmaking and the one and only Mummers parade. The parade takes place in beautiful Bowring park and is a super fun and popular local festival event each December.

Mummering in Newfoundland and Labrador has been around for over 300 years and is one of my personal favourite Christmas traditions. According to the Mummers Festival, “the mummer is a symbol of the Province’s fun-loving spirit and is deeply tied to a sense of who we are”. I couldn’t agree more! Mummering can best be described as the practice of dressing up in a foolish disguise and going around the community visiting neighbours. Mummers often change voice, shape, size, gender - whatever it takes to remain unrecognizeable. Once the host guesses the identity of the mysterious visitors they have drinks and party before moving on to another home, hopefully with the last host joining in on the fun!

Local Newfoundland and Labrador folk band, Simani, released the mummers song which perfectly describes the cultural activity. “Humps on their back and mitts on their feet, my blessed they’ll die with the heat”! During the mummers parade be prepared to see a variety of colourful and unique characters wearing stuffed bras, long underwear, cloths over their heads, rubber boots on the wrong feet waving traditional ugly sticks in the air! Be sure to check out the St. John’s Mummer Festival when visiting Newfoundland and Labrador Canada this November/December.