1. Get the Passport Activity App
Download the Passport 2017 app to your phone and keep up-to-date on all the ways to celebrate Canada turning 150. The site and accompanying app has everything from sports and travel to maple syrup festivals, art and music. Type in keywords such as free or budget to access price-conscious activities in your area.
2. Visit a National Park
As a birthday gift, the government is giving everyone free access to all of Canada’s 40-plus national parks for the entire year. You need to purchase a Parks Canada Discovery Pass online, and it will be mailed to your home prior to your travel. Pass holders will also gain free access to Canada’s 171 national historic sites and national marine conservation areas; however, fees will still apply for provincial parks and camping.
3. Make Your Way to a Mint
Visit the Royal Canadian Mint and buy yourself a gift to remember Canada’s 150th. Tour the Mint for a few dollars a person to learn more about how money is made, and view the commemorative collection of coins that promise to only go up in value. There are a variety of birthday coins, including ones made especially for each province. Boutiques are located in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
4. Tour Ontario’s Heritage
Gain exclusive access to many of the Ontario’s heritage treasures. From historical homes to modern architectural marvels, Doors Open Festivals and Events showcase the buildings, natural spaces and cultural landscapes that shape and define the communities of our country’s most populous province.
5. Celebrate in the Capital
There has never been a better year to head to Ottawa. While July 1st will be the highlight, the nation’s capital has signature events planned throughout 2017, including: Ignite 150, a series of 17 epic stunts, Ottawa Welcomes the World, an ongoing series of multicultural festivals, and hosting sporting events including the 105th Greg Cup and NHL100 Classic.
6. Be a Scientist for a Day
Always fancied yourself a scientist? Bioblitz Canada 150 is taking inventory of dozens of species – and possibility discovering some new ones – and they’re asking the general public to help out. Become a volunteer “citizen scientist” and work alongside conservationists and specialists in a national inventory of Canadian species. Now’s the time to immerse yourself in the joys of nature and scientific discovery.
7. Experience Northern Culture
From the North is a pan-territorial celebration with Music Yukon that brings together artists, athletes and performers from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The traveling show spotlights northern culture and diversity, celebrating Canada’s birthday over three weeks from mid-October to mid-November 2017. The show will tour Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, Montreal and Vancouver.
8. Just Dance
What better way to celebrate a birthday than through dance? Sharing Dance Day 2017 is an initiative of Canada’s National Ballet School to bring all Canadians – the young and the young-at-heart – together to celebrate Canada’s 150th through dance. Learn choreography, connect with your community, and get a move on. The program is free, and has programs across the country from children (in and out of the class) to seniors.
9. Do Good. Get Art.
Why have one party when you can have 10? Attend a Timeraiser party and kick-start your art collection by bidding volunteer hours on original art by up-and-coming Canadian artists. If you win the piece, you have one year to finish your volunteer hours and claim your art. Timeraiser is planning 10 parties across 10 provinces to connect local artists with interested volunteers. Can’t make it to a party? Visit Online150 to bid on artwork without leaving your home.
10. Send a Birthday Greeting
The Dream Catchers is an initiative of Confederation Centre of the Arts to explore the dreams of young Canadians. It aims to inspire Canadians, through heritage and the arts, to celebrate the origins and evolution of Canada as a nation. There are free artist workshops across the country. Children are also encouraged to go to the Dream Catchers website and share a message of hope for Canada’s future through words, a short video or visual art. Visit the Dream Gallery to see some of the messages children have for our country’s future.
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