The dawn of a new season is almost here.

Summer officially begins on June 21, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

That evening, Niagara-on-the-Lake residents will gather at Ryerson Park to watch the sun set and welcome the arrival of summer.

The public is invited to join Niagara Nature Tours for Drumming Down the Sun & Yoga in the Park, an annual event celebrating its 10th year.

Organizer Loretta Pietrobon has been marking the summer solstice in Niagara-on-the-Lake since 2014. The event was cancelled twice — once because of the COVID-19 pandemic and once due to weather.

“It’s a way to bring people in the community together and, perhaps more importantly, to acknowledge the role nature, in all its grandeur, plays in our lives every day,” she said.

“Living where we do, I think we sometimes forget how much we have and take it for granted.”

Pietrobon said one of her favourite parts of the event is watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon.

“It’s breathtaking,” she said. “You get a real sense of the grandeur of the surroundings — the lake, the sun, the sky, the breeze — and how everything comes together to make it memorable.”

The evening begins at 7 p.m. with yoga led by Rianna Reid, followed by drumming with handpan musician Jeff Seed through sunset.

“It’s more calming and tranquil than high-energy,” Pietrobon said.

Participants are encouraged to bring drums, rattles, tambourines or other instruments, along with chairs or blankets to make themselves comfortable.