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Events
Outdoor Festivals and Events are always in season across Ontario.
May
- 27th Annual Orillia Perch Festival - April 19-May 10 Fun, family fishing derby! Great prizes. Adult & children's categories. Special OPP Kids Day! Live release program. Lakes Simcoe & Couchiching. Just fish to win!
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Spring Kite Fly - May 1
Kite flying for all ages, crafts, games, scavenger hunt and more!
(800) 265-0316 - Georgian Bay Kayak & Canoe & Film Festival - May 2 A Fun Paddling Event for the Whole Family & the Best Instructors in Ontario. Paddle Hundreds of Boats, Participate in Demos, Workshops, Slide Shows, Cardboard Kayak Race, Film Festival & Concert.
- Spring Toad Festival - May 3-4 Lots of activities: touch tables, "Toady" the mascot, lessons on tracking wildlife, becoming a FrogWatcher, or Turtle Detective.
- Festival of Birds - May 3-19 Come and join the Migration Celebration! View the jewels of the birding world. Call (519)322-2365 for schedule of events.
- Ghost Tours of Fort George - May 4-June 29 Join us on a candlelit guided walking tour through haunted Fort George. Thrill to accounts of real-life experiences with spirits. Dress for the weather. Call to confirm dates.
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Bird Banding Event - May 10
Witness spring bird migration in action! Bird bander, Rinchen Boardman, will teach you about bird research in Canada with live bird banding demonstrations. Contact us for full details.
(613) 923-5261 - Trillium Festival - May 10-11 Showtime in the forest! Woodland wildflower walks, garden tours, bird-watching, plant sales in the nursery. Bring your camera!
- Hillman Marsh Conservation Area Shore & Songbird Celebration - May 10-11 Celebrate shore and songbirds as they migrate through the internationally renowned shorebird habitat and see them up close and personal as they are banded by experts.
- Mother's Day Wildflower Walk - May 11 Head outside to view the variety of spring wildflowers blooming in Backus Woods. Learn some fascinating nature lore about these plants.
- Mother's Day Spring Celebrations - May 11 Join us for our annual celebration of wildflowers, birds and other signs of spring. Guidedwalks, demonstrations, refreshments, Visitor Centre and Nature Shoppe.
- Presqu'ile Warblers & Whimbrels Weekend - May 17-18 View the elusive Whimbrel and colourful warblers as they migrate to their northern nesting grounds. Enjoy guided nature walks, bird banding and evening programs.
- Victoria Day Celebrations - May 19 Celebrations across Ontario - visit the Events Calendar at ontariotravel.net for an event near you
- Huron Fringe Birding Festival - May 23-26 Come out for a birding festival … and so much more. Learn from local naturalists as you explore the flora and fauna of MacGregor Point and surrounding area.
- Spring Loon Count - May 24 The annual spring loon count will occur May 24 and August 10. Contact the park after May 1 for details.
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Spring Wildflower Guided Hike - May 24
Do you find yourself wanting to learn more about Spring flowers? Let a park naturalist help on this guided walk. Contact us for full details.
(613) 923-5261 - Kite Festival - May 25 The Kite Festival has been a "Top 50 Ontario Festival" four times! Join us for an afternoon of kite flying, kite making, demonstrations and fun!
- Huron Fringe Birding Festival - May 29-June 1 Come out for a birding festival … and so much more. Learn from local naturalists as you explore the flora and fauna of MacGregor Point and surrounding area.
- Bruce Peninsula Orchid Festival - May 30-31 Discover native orchids and wildflowers, learn from experienced naturalists and be inspired by the rugged scenery of the area. Festival activities include guided hikes, orchid tours, orchid photography workshops and more.
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Jones Creek Trail Guided Hike - May 31
Explore St. Lawrence Islands National Park's new trail system at Jones Creek with landscape architect, Jennifer Harvey. She'll showcase the trail's many highlights on this guided hike.
(613) 923-5261 - Mountain Equipment Co-op Bike Week - May 31-June 8 Join MEC staff throughout the week in celebrating Bike Week in the City of Toronto. MEC will be hosting a variety of bike repair workshops, and lunch and learn sessions, to empower members to gear up, mount up, and get ready for a safe and enjoyable cycling season.
June
- Spring Interpretive Programme - June weekends Guided hikes to enjoy and learn about our natural world. Lighthouse Interpretive Centre open.
- Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation Pow Wow - June 7-8 Celebrate life in a kaleidoscope of colourful craftwork, regalia and singing. Guests are invited to join in on an intertribal dance. An MC will describe the various dance styles and etiquette.
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Barrie Native Friendship Centre’s Annual Traditional Pow Wow - June 7-8
Features Native song & dance, as well as informational displays and arts & crafts.
(705) 721-7689 - Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek - June 7-8 Experience the drama, pageantry, and excitement of one of the most important events in Canada's history. Bring the family for games, fireworks, and the re-enactment itself.
- Native Celebrations - June 7-8 Join us for a day of song, dance, crafts, and culture!
- Paddlefest - June 13-15 Paddlefest is an urban celebration of canoeing, kayaking, and dragon boating. The festival will feature learning opportunities on water and on land. Paddlers of all skill levels are welcome.
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Hill Island Guided Hike - June 14
Discover how the forces of nature have shaped Hill Island on this guided hike with a National Park Interpreter. Contact us for full details.
(613) 923-5261 - Aboriginal Festival - June 14-15 Share a tribute to Canada's First Nations with special on-site activities, crafts and displays.
- Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Aboriginal Festival Weekend - June 14-15 Aboriginal Festival Weekend
- Women's Outdoor Weekend Event - June 20-22 Women's outdoor weekend includes nature crafts, nature hikes, yoga, outdoor cooking, campfires, chakra's, sunrise ceremony, aquafit, gemstones, healing crystals, circle dancing & stone soup lunch.
- Rossport Kayak Symposium - June 20-22 A weekend of sea kayak instruction, workshops, tours of the Rossport Islands, live music and good food.
- National Aboriginal Day - June 21 Celebrations across Ontario - visit the Events Calendar at OntarioTravel.net for an event near you
- First Nation Art Show - June 22 Come see native artists and their work collected from tribes across Canada and the far north.
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Sheshegwaning First Nation Traditional Pow Wow - June 22
Celebrate life in a kaleidoscope of colourful craftwork, regalia and singing. Guests are invited to join in on an intertribal dance. An MC will describe the various dance styles and etiquette.
(705) 283-3560 -
Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve Traditional Pow Wow - June 22
Celebrate life in a kaleidoscope of colourful craftwork, regalia and singing. Guests are invited to join in on an intertribal dance. An emcee will describe the various dance styles and etiquette.
(705) 859-2385 - Aboriginal Awareness Day - June 22 Stroll along the Moccasin Walk trail, create a craft, taste Hemlock Tea, play a traditional game, explore the reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian village or listen to storytelling in the longhouse.
- Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl - June 28 Guided educational nature hike with parabolic ears & night vision minoculars. Call for wolves, search for tracks, campfire howling competition.
July
- Canada Day - July 1 Celebrations across Ontario - visit the Events Calendar at OntarioTravel.net for an event near you.
- Canoe and Kayak Evenings in Parry Sound - July 1-August 26 Tuesday evenings in July and August, meet at the Sail Parry Sound Dock on the shores of Georgian Bay's Big Sound for an evening of FREE test paddling the latest kayaks and canoes. Donations to Sail Parry Sound Youth Programmes welcome.
- Astronomy: Public Observing Sessions & Laser Guided Sky Tours - July 4-5 Public observing sessions & laser guided sky tours with binoculars & telescopes & laser pointers in the dark sky sanctuary at Gordon's Park.
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2nd Annual Festival of Peoples - July 5
Features traditional First Nation drummers and dancers as well as Metis fiddlers and bands. Beautiful crafts and colourful exhibits about trade on the French River complete the experience - in Alban.
(705) 857-1630 - Officers' Quarters Opening - July 5 Completed in 1836, the Officers' Quarters is the only surviving original building from the military garrison at Penetanguishene. Over the past few years this impressive Georgian building has seen extensive restoration work including plastering, painting, mill work, repointing the mortar, foundation and roof work, and humidity control.
- Rally for Reptiles Day - July 5 Killbear is home to 6 threatened species including the Massassauga rattlesnake. Slither over to a children's program or a special evening prsentation where we will shed som light on these species and learn what we can do to ensure their survival.
- Ontario Family Fishing Weekend - July 4-6 If you or someone you know would like to try fishing in Ontario waters for the first time (or the first time in a long time), circle the weekend of July 4-6, 2008 on your calendar. For those three days only (12:01 a.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday), Canadian residents can enjoy the fun of fishing in Ontario without a licence during the annual Ontario Family Fishing Weekend.
- Walk a Fossil Reef - July 6-August 24 Join palaeontologist Sharron Valli, for an exciting & educational "Walk on a Fossil Reef" at Gordon's Park. The park is located on a Drumlin & is a featured stop in the U of W book "Manitoulin Rocks".
- Butterfly Count - July 13 The annual butterfly count will occur July 13. Contact the park after May 1 for details.
- The Great Rendezvous - July 10-14 Join dozens of fur trade re-enactors from the U.S. & Canada in celebrating the rendezvous spirit! Witness the Grand Canoe Arrival. Get involved in daily games, competitions, demonstrations.
- Women's Active Weekend Retreat - July 18 It's a girls weekend retreat with friends you haven't met yet! Stay in our lodge or camp on the shore of Lake Superior. Activities include kayaking, canoeing, hiking & yoga. Pamper yourself!
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Naturalist Day - July 19
Celebrate Parks Day by sharing your love of nature with others! Don't want to share? Come and learn from local naturalists instead.
(613) 923-5261 - Park Daze - July 19 Celebrations across Ontario - visit the Events Calendar at OntarioTravel.net for an event near you.
- Paddlefest - July 19-20 At one point it was a way of transporting people and goods from place to place. Now it is used primarily for recreation. Join Sainte-Marie for Paddlefest...a celebration of the legacy of the canoe from past to current times. Special exhibits, artisans and activities.
- Archaeology Adventure - July 20 Dig in and discover the exciting world of archaeology! Event activities include: simulated archaeological digs, pottery making, archaeology videos, longhouse exploration and more!
- Wildflower Gardens at Wye Marsh 20th Anniversary Celebration - July 25 Enjoy an afternoon of refreshments, garden tours, and conversation at the Wildflower Gardeners 20th anniversary celebration. These dedicated volunteers tend the gardens which should be in peek season.
- The Battle of Fort William - July 26-27 Get a close up look at on-field battle tactics from the 19th century. Re-enactors conduct marching, manual of arms, troop movement. Plug your ears for the cannon & musket fire!
- Loggers Day - July 26 A highly entertaining and educational day as the Algonquin Logging Museum comes alive with historic and modern logging activities, authentic food, great music and a host of genuine logging characters!
- Wasaga Under Seige - July 26-27 Come enjoy an exciting War of 1812 experience hosted by Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and the Town of Wasaga Beach. This 3-day event involves over 500 re-enactors dressed in period costumes of the British and American forces. Relive history!
- Annual Canoe Regatta - July 26 Vome celebrate the joy of canoeing at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park with a weekend of canoe instruction, excursions and activities. Enjoy a high-spirited afternoon of canoe races and games, topped off with a delicious treat of corn barbecued in the husk. Fun for all ages.
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De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Live Native Theatre - July 24-August 16
"Debaj" is Canada’s oldest touring Aboriginal theatre company. Presenting original works by native playwrights, actors, and artists under the north's starry skies at a mission ruins at Wikwemikong.
(705) 859-2204 - Bon Echo Art Exhibition and Sale - July 25 50 fine artists will be exhibiting their original art work with the theme of nature, wildlife, and countryside art of a Canadian origin. Music, BBQ, and Sciensational snake show will also take place.