The Shaw Festival has launched a new, free, limited-capacity outdoor festival series to try to bring music and dance to the community.

About 40 bespoke concerts will be held on several Niagara-on-the-Lake outdoor stages and venues with a line-up of three concert revues featuring the music of early 20th-century artists Duke Ellington, Dorothy Fields and Cole Porter and up to eight Shaw performers, the festival announced Wednesday.

A number of the concerts will happen in the Shaw’s Baillie Courtyard. Due to limited capacity, Friends of The Shaw will have first access to the concerts and tickets for the public will be offered as availability allows.

In addition to events on the festival’s grounds, the Shaw is working with local hotels, wineries and private residences with suitable outdoor space to host concerts.

The festival’s first partner is Jackson-Triggs Winery, which will  host concerts in its bandshell on Oct. 6 and 13. Admittance to off-site performances will be limited and access determined by each venue based on its safety protocols.

Tickets to the public will be made available through the Shaw’s mailing list. The festival encourages everyone to sign up for its e-newsletter.

All shows in the Shaw’s regular 2020 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only “A Christmas Carol” remains on the schedule.