Get ready to make a wish and blow out the candles, Canada — you’re turning 159.
The celebration of this country’s foundation is set for next week, on Wednesday, July 1, and it’s expected that downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake will be awash in a sea of red and white.
With NOTL being, in many ways, the breeding ground for the creation of Canada as a sovereign nation, the festivities are always aplenty, and this year is likely to be no exception.
Here’s what’s happening in town on Canada Day:
Free admission at Fort George
A significant landmark in NOTL’s military history, the Fort George National Historic Site will be free to enter on Canada Day, with activities taking place at the fort all day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitors can tour the buildings (until 5 p.m.), visit with costumed interpreters, enjoy a musket demonstration and more. From 2 to 4 p.m., there will be cold drinks and treats inside the fort, followed by food services starting at 4 p.m.
From there, evening entertainment will get underway at 6:30 p.m., with the kiddie militia and drill, followed by a presentation by the Fort George Infantry and Fife and Drump Corps. After that, the Howling Horns will take to the stage to put on a show featuring blues, dance, classic rock and more.
Finally, round off the evening with a spectacular fireworks display at 10 p.m., closing off the fort’s celebration of Canada Day.
BBQ at Simcoe Park
NOTL’s downtown park will play host to a party put on by the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At Simcoe Park, enjoy a barbecue lunch, including pulled pork on a bun, Canadian burgers, veggie burgers, jumbo hot dogs and corn on the cob, plus chips and something to drink.
The BBQ will include live music and kids entertainment, including face painters, a stilt walker and a special appearance from everyone’s friendly Australian canine friend, a mascot Bluey.
Alongside all this, there will be rows of antique cars set up at the park for display. And, for the history fans, expect an appearance of the NOTL Museum’s Tiny Museum, a mobile version of the town’s museum — hundreds of years of history in a seven-by-16-foot house.
Cake Parade on Queen
Sweet-toothed residents and visitors will no doubt be looking forward to a key feature of Canada Day in Niagara-on-the-Lake: the annual cake parade on Queen Street.
A giant cake will be touted through the downtown core in a large Canada Day parade, accompanied by the 41st Regiment Fire and Drum Corps.
The elaborately decorated cake, made each year by Willow Cakes, will tour through the streets before making its way to Simcoe Park, sliced up and served to everyone for free.
