Events at Parks Canada
Find Parks Canada events throughout the year, whether you’re looking for winter and holiday events or summer fun. Check back periodically to learn more about workshops, festivals, concerts, markets, holiday-themed events, and more!
You can also view the full list of activities and events at your favourite destination. Use the search tool to find a location.
Learn-to Camp
Learn essential camping skills during one of our overnight events.
Events by region
Parks Day
Location: Terra Nova National Park, Glovertown
Head to the Visitor Center and pick up a hiking trail passport and enter to win a Parks Day prize pack featuring a headlamp, a park mug, and a backpack.
Dates: July 20, 2024
Times: 9 am to 5 pm
Canada Day
Location: Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Louisbourg
Enjoy free admission and a variety of special activities to celebrate Canada Day in a place that helped shape the Canada we know today.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 9:30 pm to 5 pm
Canada Day
Location: Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Maitland Bridge
Enjoy free entry and celebrate Canada’s birthday by participating in the official launch of the Friends of Keji photo contest and various interpretation programs.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Canada Day
Location: Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, Halifax
Celebrate Canada’s birthday with free entry, new exhibits, and the iconic firing of the noon gun, followed by a 21-gun salute at the front entrance.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 9 am to 5 pm
Canada Day
Location: Fort Anne and Port-Royal National Historic Sites, Annapolis Royal
Sing “O Canada” as you watch the flag rise at Town Hall, join Parka the beaver in the procession to the fort, take pictures in a photo booth, enjoy local music, and savour cake at Port-Royal in the afternoon. Free admission.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: Fort Anne: 11:25 am to 3 pm
Port-Royal: 1 pm to 3 pm
Traditional music Thursdays
Location: Port-Royal National Historic Site, Port Royal
Enjoy talented entertainers in a series of traditional music featuring local musicians.
Dates: July 4
July 18
August 1
August 15
August 29
September 12
Times: 1 pm to 3 pm
Massed band concert
Location: Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal
As part of Annapolis Royal’s Band Fest, bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an afternoon of fine music! Weather permitting.
Dates: July 21, 2024
Times: 2 pm to 4 pm
Emancipation Day
Location: Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Louisbourg
Commemorate Emancipation Day and learn about Black History with a noontime procession, a special cannon firing, commemorative flag raising, and a special tour that shares the history of enslavement at the site.
Dates: August 1, 2024
Times: 12 pm to 1 pm
Encampment Days
Location: Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal
Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of black powder musketry, outdoor cooking, and life in an 18th century military camp.
Dates: August 2 to 4, 2024
Times: Time TBD
Natal Day
Location: Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal
Visit Annapolis Royal for the annual Natal Day Parade, then take a closer look at the intricate floats before the winner is named.
Dates: August 4, 2024
Times: 1 to 3 pm (parade starts at 3 pm)
Fireworks
Location: Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal
Take in the wondrous open sky and watch Annapolis Royal’s magical fireworks display.
Dates: August 4, 2024
Times: 9:30 pm to 10 pm
15th annual dark-sky weekend
Location: Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Maitland Bridge
Join the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and Parks Canada and enjoy a weekend learning about stars, planets, and constellations with special programming.
Dates: August 2 to 3, 2024
Times: Time TBD
Parka’s great sleepover
Location: Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Louisbourg
Get settled into your campsite and then enjoy an evening of family-friendly games, marshmallow roasting, and stargazing at the site of the first observatory in Canada.
Dates: August 24, 2024
Times: 5:30 pm to 12:00 am
Triathlon and multisport festival
Location: Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Maitland Bridge
Participate in or cheer on the racers: experience the magic of sport within lush forests, meandering waterways, and a rich cultural landscape. All abilities welcomed.
Dates: September 8, 2024
Times: 8 am to 2 pm
Canoe-building workshop
Location: Obadjiwan–Fort Témiscamingue National Historic Site, Duhamel-Ouest
Learn the basics of making a birchbark canoe in a workshop led by Karl Chevrier, a Timiskaming First Nation Anishinaabe artist and master of living traditions.
Dates: June 21 to July 31, 2024
Times: Time varies by day
Stand-up paddle board (SUP) camping workshop
Location: La Mauricie National Park, Shawinigan
Perfect your stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and camping techniques with a workshop in collaboration with Do Sport and learn tips and tricks from the experts in a stunning location!
Dates: June 29 to June 30, 2024
Times: 9 am to 3 pm the following day
Lock and paddle at historic canals
Location: Lachine Canal National Historic Site, Lock 3, Montreal
Join Parks Canada and hundreds of fellow paddlers across Ontario and Quebec for a free mass paddling event in these historic canals. All skill levels and backgrounds are welcome.
Dates: July 20, 2024 (Parks Day)
Times: 5 pm
Tales from the shadow
Location: Manoir Papineau National Historic Site, Montebello
Reveal the secrets of the Papineau family with a lively evening as you tour down the seigneurial alley and the manor’s main floor with your lantern in hand.
Dates: August 30, 31, and September 1, 2024
Times: 7 pm to 11 pm
Self-guided dark sky nights
Location: Point Pelee National Park, Leamington
Explore the park after dark with this special opportunity to stay late and admire the wonders of the protected night sky.
Dates: June 29, 2024
July 6, 2024
September 7, 2024
Times: 7:30 pm to 11:59 pm
Canada Day
Location: Fort George National Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Enjoy a day of festivities including period music, captivating musket demonstrations, cannon firings, and a concert in the evening.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 10 am to 10 pm
Lock and paddle at historic canals
Location: Rideau Canal National Historic Site, Hartwells Lock, Ottawa
Location: Trent—Severn Waterway National Historic Site, Peterborough Lift Lock, Peterborough
Join Parks Canada and hundreds of fellow paddlers across Ontario and Quebec for a free mass paddling event in these historic canals. All skill levels and backgrounds are welcome.
Dates: July 20, 2024 (Parks Day)
Times: Time varies by site
Late nights aboard HMCS Haida
Location: HMCS Haida National Historic Site, Hamilton
Tour the legendary HCMS Haida, a Tribal class destroyer that served in the Second World War, the Korean Conflict and the Cold War, and enjoy later hours as you take in the sunset.
Dates: July 27 to August 29, 2024 on Thursdays
Times: 10 am to 8 pm
Women of war
Location: HMCS Haida National Historic Site, Hamilton
Commemorate and celebrate the many ways that women contributed to Canada's war effort during the Second World War with special programming.
Dates: July 27 and 28, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Living history festival
Location: Fort Malden National Historic Site, Amherstburg
Experience live cooking demonstrations, musical performances, period encampments and historic weapons demonstrations that will blow you away!
Dates: August 3, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Fife and drum muster and soldiers’ field day
Location: Fort George National Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Watch as fife and drum corps and infantry units showcase the military music and drills of the early 19th century. Enjoy the annual tradition of firing demonstrations, music, and entertainment.
Dates: August 17 and 18, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Napoleonic weekend and re-enactment
Location: Fort George National Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Discover a weekend of muskets and majesty and watch battle re-enactments as Napoleon’s army descends on Fort George.
Dates: September 14 and 15, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Canada Day
Location: Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, St. Andrews
Head to Lower Fort Garry to celebrate Canada’s 157th birthday by enjoying free admission and cake coupled with the singing of “O Canada” at the Big House.
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 10 am to 4 pm
Parks Day
Location: Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site, Churchill
Bring the family to Cape Merry Battery! Enjoy children’s games, cotton candy, fire and bannock, bird and whale watching, and a floor map of the national parks and information about research in Wapusk.
Dates: July 20, 2024 (Parks Day)
Times: All day: Free shuttle service starts at 10:30 am
Knowledge sharing series
Location: Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, St.
Immerse yourself in First Nations cultural perspectives by hearing from guests who speak and share their experiences and knowledge.
Dates: July 6, 2024
July 20, 2024 (Parks Day)
August 3, 2024
August 17, 2024
Times: 1 pm to 3 pm
Beyond the Big Dipper
Location: Grasslands National Park, Val Marie
Enjoy an evening of telescopes, presentations, and stargazing walks in one of the darkest Dark-Sky Preserves in Canada.
Dates: July 12 and 13, 2024
Times: 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm
Fossil fever
Location: Grasslands National Park, Val Marie
Participate in a real fossil dig in the East Block with palaeontologists from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum! Ages 6 and up.
Dates: August 13 to 17, 2024
Times: 8:45 am to 5:00 pm daily
Métis festival
Location: Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site, Abernethy
Celebrate the rich and vibrant Métis culture during a day filled with traditional demonstrations, activities, and teachings.
Dates: August 17, 2024
Times: 11 am to 4 pm
Wildlife rules!
Location: Banff National Park, Banff
Join the Friday night nature party with Parks Canada’s theatre troupe, Mountain WIT, who will be singing new songs from their award-winning recording, Wildlife Rules.
Dates: June 28, 2024
July 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2024
Times: 7:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Canada Day
Location: Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview
Take advantage of free admission and come find the perfect spot for a picnic, take in a mini wagon tour, visit the tipi encampment of the Stoney Nakoda, or visit with the animals!
Dates: July 1, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Native plant seed collection
Location: Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park
Join Parks Canada staff and collect wildflower and native grass seeds and help restore places in the park.
Dates: Wednesdays in July and Thursdays in August, 2024
Times: 8:30 am to 12 pm
Tracks through time
Location: Banff Park Museum National Historic Site
Journey through time from the Victorian era to present day and learn the story of the museum’s renowned citizen scientist, Norman Sanson, by participating in crafts and museum tours.
Dates: July 13, 2024
Times: 9:30 am to 5 pm
Parks Day
Location: Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park
Celebrate Parks Day by giving back to Waterton Lakes National Park and help pull invasive weeds from Cameron Creek.
Dates: July 20, 2024 (Parks Day)
Times: 9 am to 1 pm
Alberta open farm day
Location: Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview
Enjoy free admission and get a backstage pass to the “belly of Bar U'' as a part of Alberta Open Farm Days. See where cowboys ate, slept and relaxed, connect with the livestock, go for a wagon ride, and meet historic interpreters!
Dates: August 17, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Old time ranch rodeo
Location: Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview
Cheer on your favorite ranch and watch broke horse racing, team sorting, branding, and doctoring as teams of working cowboys compete for silver Bar U buckles and bragging rights!
Dates: August 18, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Chore horse competition
Location: Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview
Watch heavy horse teams be guided around a skill-testing course and help keep horsepower history alive!
Dates: September 15, 2024
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Revelstoke wildflower festival
Location: Mount Revelstoke National Park, Revelstoke
Celebrate the beautiful blooms around the park with a free shuttle to the summit, guide walks, and self-led flower activities at the fourth annual Revelstoke Wildflower Festival.
Dates: July 25 to 28, 2024
Times: 9 am to 5 pm
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