Communities across Muskoka are preparing to celebrate Canada’s 159th birthday with a day of events and activities on July 1.
- BRACEBRIDGE
In Bracebridge, Canada Day celebrations will kick off at noon with live music in Memorial Park, hosted by the Bracebridge Rotary Club.
A street party will take place on Manitoba Street downtown from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Downtown Bracebridge Business Improvement Area (BIA) officials said the festivities will include live music, a variety of games including pickleball, badminton, cornhole and more.
“We’ve got some food trucks. You can touch a truck. We’ve got the fire department that’s going to be down with one of their ladder trucks so kids can actually go and check that out,” said Tracy Larkman, manager of the Bracebridge BIA.
The Northern Lights Steel Orchestra will perform at the Memorial Park bandshell from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
There will also be two live performances at Bracebridge Bay at 7:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., followed by a fireworks display over Bracebridge Bay at 9:45 p.m.
During the celebrations, a road closure will be in place on Ecclestone Drive from Shaw Street to Ontario Street from 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and on Manitoba Street from Taylor Road to Ontario Street from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Wharf Road/Dill Street from Ontario Street to Victoria Street will be closed from 1 p.m. until midnight.
- GRAVENHURST
In Gravenhurst, celebrations will kick off at 11 a.m. at the Lions Pavilion and Cockburn Square at Muskoka Wharf with a welcome ceremony, a community barbecue, and cake while supplies last. A Circus Lumberjack Show will follow with performances at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
Festivities will continue with live music by Mike Church from noon to 1 p.m., followed by the Lake Effect Ski Show at 1:30 p.m. and a performance by the Highway 11 Corridor Ukulele Band from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Additionally, officials said interactive games, including nine-hole mini golf and axe throwing, fairy face painting, and activities hosted by the Gravenhurst Fire Department, Gravenhurst Public Library, Gravenhurst YMCA, and Muskoka Master Gardeners will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- HUNTSVILLE
The Town of Huntsville’s Canada Day with celebrations at Muskoka Heritage Place will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m, where visitors can enjoy a variety of family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and community experiences throughout the day. The lineup includes dignitary speeches, games, stilt walkers, live music, free cupcakes, Canada Day accessory giveaways, and demonstrations by the 35th Simcoe Foresters Company No. 6 militia group.
The Portage Flyer Train will also be operating throughout the day, and food and beverages will be available for purchase from the Huntsville Lions Club, with all proceeds supporting Lion’s Camp Dorset.
Celebrations continue at River Mill Park beginning at 12 p.m. The afternoon will feature a vendor market, interactive games, a decorate-your-own soccer jersey activity, a barbecue hosted by The Corner Lighthouse, a beer tent from Lake of Bays Brewing Company, the HFA canoe mural painting project, and live performances by local musicians.
The evening shifts to Town Dock Park, where the annual Concerts on the Dock summer series kicks off at 7 p.m. with the Huntsville Theatre Company’s Canadian Cabaret performance.
The Huntsville Canada Day festivities will wrap up with a fireworks display over Hunters Bay beginning at 10 p.m.
Due to Canada Day, officials said several town facilities will be closed, including municipal offices, public libraries, and fire stations, among others.
*with files from Hilary Hilton
