The Cape Breton International Drum Festival was conceived in 2001 and has grown into one of the world's premier drumming and percussion events.

The Festival is the brain child of Bruce & Gloria Jean Aitken and is a non-profit organization firmly planted in the Festival's motto of "Education Through Performance". The educational value of the Festival is known worldwide and the Aitkens have worked hard to include all ages and all genders, as it showcases the many and varied facets of drum set and percussion performance.

The Festival has been nominated for the East Coast Music Awards Event of the Year and the Aitkens have also both been nominated as Industry Professionals of the Year by the same organization, as well as Music Nova Scotia. Bruce & Gloria Jean have also won the coveted Hype Award for International Excellence for the work and contribution to the local economy through the Drum Festival.

The Festival is proudly Cape Breton owned and operated and has showcased over 80 local drummers and percussionists on the world stage. The event also features a Trade Show, in which the world's leading drum companies exhibit new and exciting products. This is free to the public and is held in the lobby of the Savoy Theatre.

"When Cape Breton Rocks....THE WORLD ROCKS"  Quote Bruce Aitken c2005.