The Festival of Literary Diversity Festival events designed for students in grades 9-12
The Festival of Literary Diversity features a series of events specifically designed for high school students, accompanied by an Educator Guide which includes pre- and post-event activities designed by an educator (available early April).
All virtual events designed for school groups will be presented live on our virtual platform April 29 – 30, 2025 at 9:45am ET and 1:15pm ET. They’ll be made available for on-demand viewing on the festival platform within a few hours of their live presentation. On-demand events will be available to watch and re-watch until June 30, 2025.
A virtual pass can be purchased for $30 and allows teachers to access the entire virtual festival for use in their classrooms starting April 27. Teachers can also choose to receive Student Access Logins (SALs) which allows students to view events on their own devices – including through our new festival app – until the platform closes on June 30. For information on School Board Passes, head over to the Educator Information page.
While the School Group events are specifically designed for classroom viewing and discussion, teachers are welcome to watch other events in the classroom or for their own professional development. Registration for virtual school group events will open March 19.
There will also be two in-person events on Thursday, May 1 at 10:00am ET and 12:30pm ET taking place at the Rose Theatre. Authors will be available following the event for book-signings. A recording of the panel conversation will be made available on the festival platform soon after the festival ends.
In-person tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators.
Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca.
Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
See below for the School Group events schedule.
School Group events at the Festival of Literary Diversity are ideally suited for students grade 9-12 due to mature themes and subject matter. School group events in November, for the FOLD Kids Book Fest will be tailored to elementary, middle grade, and secondary students.
Another Story Bookshop, the FOLD’s official festival bookseller, will be onsite for the May 1 – 4 for in-person events. ASB also offers online sales of FOLD titles every year in the month leading up to the festival.
Cree author David A. Robertson and Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga dive into their family histories to understand more about themselves and where they come from. This in-person event, geared toward high school students, will explore the importance of identity, origin stories, and generational knowledge. This event is sponsored by Penguin Random House.
This event is held at the Rose Theatre at 1 Theatre Ln in downtown Brampton.
Tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators. Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca. Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
In our annual spoken word showcase, three poets – Patrick de Belen, Wali Shah and Lisa Shen – take the mic and perform incredible poetry. This event is hosted by rapper Spitty and is geared towards high school students. A Q&A with the poets will follow!
This event is held at the Rose Theatre at 1 Theatre Ln in downtown Brampton.
Tickets are available through the Rose Theatre Box Office for $7 per student for a single event and free for educators. Educators can book tickets online by heading to the Arts Adventure page and entering the code TEACH into the promo code box. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (905 874 2844 Ext. 62803 or 62804) or by email boxofficeEDU@brampton.ca. Educators who want to attend both events can take advantage of the bundle price of $10. This can be redeemed ONLY by calling or emailing the Box Office.
Registration for all festival events* opens on March 19. Details will be shared closer to the date.
*In-person school group events are now open
The virtual festival takes place on an innovative, customized virtual platform called vFairs. All virtual events take place in the platform using Zoom. Events can also be viewed on the vFairs mobile app.
The FOLD is taking every precaution to keep all guests safe. SAL’s give students restricted access on the platform. They will never appear on video. While they can pose questions in Zoom, they cannot participate in the chat or on the leaderboard. All questions will be monitored by a designated FOLD team member. Any concerns with student use will result in the suspension of that code and a follow up with the teacher associated with the account.
Our Virtual Safe Space Policy will be posted on the platform. In the unfortunate event that inappropriate behaviour does occur, FOLD staff will act swiftly, in consultation with the teacher and school board.
All FOLD virtual events will be made available within a few hours of being presented live. A recording of the panel conversation will be made available on the festival platform soon after the festival ends. All videos will be available until June 30.
All virtual passes and Student Access Logins (SALs) provide full access to all virtual events. In-person event passes, and specialty tickets must be purchased separately.
Other than our in-person school group events at the Rose Theatre, access to individual virtual events is not available. However, virtual passes are set at a reasonable rate, providing access to more than 25 incredible literary events. We’re confident that educators we be able to find a number of events for you and/or your class to enjoy.
As of January 1, 2025, Peel District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Waterloo Region District School Board, and Durham District School Board purchased passes for all of their educators. Please contact your board representative and/or check your board message board to see if there are any updates after March 19. Email us if you have any questions.
When registering, educators will be given the option to receive Student Access Logins (SALs). Get the number of SALs you MIGHT need and adjust the amount once you know your class numbers. SALs cannot be added once your registration has been completed.
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