.png)
We are so stoked to share with you our experience at Creatives Weekend because this is the place where we first met and how our story started.
So, what is Creatives Weekend?
It's a 3-day experience including 40 hand-selected content creators, photographers and videographers who come together from around Canada to highlight the incredible and underrated Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
This event was created last year by Lee Fraser, the founder of Live Life in Tents, a camping/glamping experience in Cape Breton. Lee partnered with companies around the island and it started to gain traction.
This past summer we attended the 4th Creatives Weekend which was in partnership with Visit Cape Breton, Parks Canada, Images of Canada and Halifax Social Network.
Mike had attended Creatives Weekend 3.0 this past winter and Cierra had never heard of it until she saw an Instagram sponsored ad to apply a few weeks before the event.
We both got accepted to attend and little did we know our fate would bring us together when carpooling from Moncton on the way to the coolest place in Canada.
Cierra was starting a two month Cross Canada trip on the train and Cape Breton happened to be the first stop. Because the train doesn't go all the way to CB (Cape Breton) she posted in the group message of the other accepted creatives to see if she could carpool with anyone. A few minutes later, she got a message from a guy named Marc (@marcp506) who said he had a spot in his car and would also be driving Mike and Jodie. Perfect.
" I had no idea who these people were but I had a good feeling to trust my instincts and just go with it. I ended up staying at Marc's house the night before heading up. Probably a rookie mistake staying with a stranger but I'm glad I did because Marc has such a big heart and is now a forever friend. The next morning we packed up the car, waited for Jodie to arrive and then went and picked up Mike."
The drive was great and we all got to know each other right away. Once we arrived in Cape Breton, we unpacked the car and settled into our Otenik at the Highlands National Park. Parks Canada has these cool tent-like structures called Otentiks in some of their parks which are perfect for people who want to camp and be outside but also enjoy the luxury of electricity and heat.
After we got settled in, we met up with the rest of the creative crew and had dinner at the Coastal Restaurant..
Following dinner, we all went back to our Otentiks, hung out and got to know everyone.
The next morning we woke up at 4 AM to catch the sunrise and take some photos of a beautiful waterfall by a beach. It was extremely foggy so we didn't see the sun but the scenery was stunning. There is something so magical about Cape Breton, even when it's foggy and raining.
Next on the itinerary was to eat breakfast and then head out to our assigned activities. Cierra went for a hike to a waterfall off the Cabot Trail and then had the opportunity to go sea kayaking with a company called Cape Breton Adventure. Mike ended up staying back because he wasn't feeling well.
At dinner time, we got treated to falafel wraps with homemade fries from the Mermaid Food Truck, which was so yummy scrumptious. After dinner, we went paddle boarding and square dancing at the beach during the sunset.
The next morning we had breakfast, caught up with everyone and then got ready to pack up and go home. A group of us decided to continue exploring and go visit a few more spots on the Cabot Trail including Egypt Falls, The Gypsum Mines and Acadian Trail.
The Creatives Weekend was an absolute blast and we hope we can participate again. We met so many incredible and creative people that weekend, some who are now our good friends.
We got to experience Cape Breton which is now one our favourite places, we got to hike and see so many beautiful spots and lastly, it brought us together which makes Cape Breton even more magical.
Peace, Love and carrots,
Cierra and Mike