Canada Day celebrations take place Saturday in the nation’s capital and across the country, although some have been scaled back due to poor air quality.
The festivities in Ottawa are taking place around Parliament Hill, but the main entertainment will take place at LeBreton Flats, where the festivities are returning to normal this year.
Events have been canceled across the country for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including in Ottawa. Last year, the remnants of the “freedom convoy” protests that clogged the city’s streets during the winter created tensions that disrupted the day and prompted some to avoid going downtown.
Heritage Canada has a list of activities planned in the National Capital Region.
A Changing of the Guard ceremony will take place regularly between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as well as pipe and drumming by the Royal Canadian Air Force on Parliament Hill.
Weather permitting, the Air Force is also planning a flyover of Parliament Hill just after noon.
The main daytime show at LeBreton Flats begins at 11:45 a.m. and features artists such as Pierre Kwenders, Delhi 2 Dublin, Tyler Shaw, Josiane and Marie-Josée Dandeneau, as well as speeches from dignitaries including the Prime Minister and the Governor General.
The evening show includes performances by Jann Arden, Roxane Bruneau, Aysanabee, France D’Amour, Les Louanges, Jojo Mason, Dax, Clerel, Madison Violet, Josh Q and Josiane.
Improvised stages on Wellington Street and the Portage Bridge will feature more artists, and a temporary exhibition on Inuit heritage will be presented at 100 Wellington Street.
Across the river in Gatineau, there will also be live entertainment, including an all-day pro wrestling match in Old Hull. The National Museums of Canada and the National Gallery of Canada will be open and admission is free.
With everything going on, many streets in downtown Ottawa are closed and vehicles will only have access to the Macdonald-Cartier and Champlain bridges.
The OC Transpo transit service offers free service all day until midnight and a special schedule is in place. Para Transpo is also free and accepts reservations.
OC Transpo recommends people traveling to LeBreton Flats use Lyon Station and says trains will bypass Pimisi Station in the evening to help manage the crowds coming to see the fireworks.
Ottawa’s big fireworks show is scheduled to take place at 10 p.m., despite concerns about air quality and smoke over the past few days, but that’s not the case in all major cities across Canada.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority cited rising costs for the cancellation of its fireworks display last year and said the decision is now permanent.
Across Ontario, including Niagara Falls and Pembroke, fireworks are canceled due to the effects of ongoing wildfires.
After a ban on fireworks during Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations last weekend, the holiday will be particularly quiet in Quebec, where wildfires are still raging and fire bans are still in effect. .
Montreal and Quebec have canceled the fireworks to show solidarity with the northern regions of the province which continue to burn.
Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Toronto are all planning to go ahead with their shows.
Fireworks are also taking place in the Atlantic provinces, including Halifax for the first time since 2019.