Airing on August 1, 2022, FreeUp! 2022 is a one-hour (1 x 60) Emancipation Day variety special that celebrates freedom through performing arts and animated storytelling. Join us to honour the past, inspire the future, and experience the cutting edge now in a fresh, artist-driven format that features both emerging performers and established icons. This year, FreeUp! is putting the spotlight on community-based Emancipation Day celebrations across the country. From the Nova Scotia Mass Choir in Halifax to a flag-raising in St. Catharines, Ontario, we begin to see the Emancipation Day tradition gaining new traction after almost 200 years. Emancipation Day provides Canada an opportunity to catalyse continued social advancement through the influence of the arts. Our efforts have already created an impact: we helped influence the House of Commons to vote unanimously in favour of recognizing Emancipation Day in 2021. FreeUp! continues to celebrate Emancipation Day as an enduring reminder of how freedom is essential.