Heritage Ontario Festival 2017

A Celebration of Ontario Heritage

The Heritage Ontario festival lets you delve into our past and gaze into our future. This free admission four-day Ontario150 festival will celebrate Ontario’s vast multicultural history with lots of activities, entertainment, food and drinks. Join us and show off your provincial pride!

June 30: 3pm – 11pm
July 1: 10am – 11:30pm
July 2: 10am – 11:30pm
July 3: 10am – 8pm

ACTIVITIES
Citizenship Ceremony

The citizenship ceremony is a formalized rite of passage that pinpoints the moment someone enters the Canadian family. Be part of the ceremony as new citizens take their oath and existing citizens reaffirm their commitment to Canada. New citizens’ photos will be added to our immigration journey wall.

Date: Saturday, July 1
Time: 4pm
Location: ON Stage

Cultural Arts & Crafts

The Cedar Market is a lively shipping container village where vendors display and sell their wares. Discover a collection of Ontario products that highlight the many ethnicities that make up the fabric of our culture. Vendors will showcase and sell arts and crafts, jewellery, clothing, children’s toys, packaged foods and much more. Who knows what gems you’ll find?

Vendors include: Avani Creations/Ayoa / Canard Blanc Creations / Cedar Basket / Chocosol
/ Grandma Mary’s Fudge / Joseph Sagaj / Kathy’s 1 Stop / Queen of Shea-ba / StyleHub / Tree to Table / Vince’s European Deli

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: Cedar Island

Cultural and Indigenous Programming

Come learn all about Ontario and Indigenous cultures. These educational sessions are perfect for all ages and everyone’s sure to walk away having learned something new and interesting.

Activities include: Black Creek Pioneer Village / Historica Canada / Under the Same Stars: Minwaadiziwin (film) presented by Science North

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: Ontario Educates
Activities and Activations

The West Island will come alive with a series of activities you can find throughout the event space.

Friday, June 30

3:00 – 8:00pm – I Cartoon U! (The Commons)

3:00 – 8:00pm – The Touch of Dimple Hennna Co. (The Commons)

Saturday, July 1

11:00am – 12pm – Children’s Book Bank Reading Corner (North Walk)

1:00 – 2:00pm – Toronto Library Reaching Corner (North Walk)

2:00 – 4:00pm – Learn how to build a mini Inukshuk (Refuel Zone on Cedar Island)

3:00 – 8:00pm – I Cartoon U! (The Commons)

3:00 – 8:00pm – The Touch of Dimple Hennna Co. (The Commons)

Sunday, July 2

11:00am – 12:00pm – League of Canadian Poets Art Poetry Workshop (North Walk)

1:00pm – 2:00pm – League of Canadian Poets Art Poetry Workshop (North Walk)

3:00 – 8:00pm – I Cartoon U! (The Commons)

3:00 – 8:00pm – The Touch of Dimple Hennna Co. (The Commons)

4:00 – 6:00pm – Canoe Blessing Ceremony (Refuel Zone on Cedar Island)

Monday, July 3

11:00am – 8:00pm – I Cartoon U! (The Commons)

11:00am – 8:00pm – & Touch of Dimple Henna Co. (The Commons)

11:00am – 12:00pm – League of Canadian Poets Art Poetry Workshop (North Walk)

1:00pm – 2:00pm – League of Canadian Poets Art Poetry Workshop (North Walk)
Ontario Celebrates Museum

Get to know even more about the great province we live in. Our Ontario Celebrates Museum will take guests through artifacts and ancestral objects, stories, and key moments in Canadian history over the past 150 years.

Showcasing items provided by: Canadian Stamp News / Bay of Spirits Gallery / Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority / Huronia Museum and Huron Ouendat Village / SAM BAT

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: Ontario Celebrates Museum

Indie88

Our Ontario-based friends Indie88 will be on site this weekend. Stop by, play some Plinko and win a prize!

Date: Friday, June 30 & Sunday, July 2
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: Cedar Island
FOOD & DRINKS

Culinary Roamers & Small Plates

It wouldn’t be a festival without the classic vendor carts roaming the festival grounds. Of course ours will have a bit of a twist, offering artisanal popsicles, cotton candy and cold brew coffee for you to savour.

Vendors include: Brennan Irish Food Products / Dandy Cotton Candy / Donburi / Himalayan Dumplings / My Mom’s Kitchen / Pop Stand / Shelly’s Catering / The Mighty Cobb

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: During regular festival hours
Location: Throughout the festival

Ontario Flavours

Who doesn’t love free samples? Our sample zone will feature daily tastings and pairings for guests to indulge in. Local food, wine, beer, cider and spirits vendors will not only offer free samples of their flavours, but if something really wins you over you can purchase and take it home for later.

Vendors include: Ace Hill / Big Rig Brewery / Forty Creek Prohitibion & Manhattan Bar / Vieni Estates / Socialite Vodka / Thornbury Apple Cider

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Friday 3pm – 10pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am – 10pm, Monday 11am – 7pm
Location: The Commons

Bar

This is part of Ontario heritage that you’re really going to enjoy — a history of grapes, hops and apples. Make sure you head over to our all-Ontario cash bar to try a variety of wine, craft beer, and cider from across the province. Bar service is for those of legal drinking age and ATMs will be available on site.

Vendors include: Ace Hill Beer / The Collingwood Brewery / Creekside Estate Winery /Fielding Estate Winery / Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery / Great Lakes Brewery / Ironwood Hard Cider / Mill Street Brewery /Muskoka Brewery / Muskoka Lakes Winery / Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery / Nickel Brook Brewing Co. / Northern Superior Brewing Co. / Reif Estate Winery / Rosenhall Run / SoCIAL LITE Vodka /Spirit Tree Estate Cidery / Stoney Ridge Winery / Sunnybrook Farm Estate Winery / Thornbury Village Craft Cider & Beer / Vieni Estates Wine and Spirits / Vineland Estates Winery / Walkerville Brewery

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Friday 3pm – 11pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am – 11pm, Monday 11am-8pm
Location: Refuel Zone on Cedar Island

Food Trucks

We sent word to all corners of the province and the culinary delights will soon be rolling in. Come visit our food trucks to see how Ontario chefs get creative with new flavours that are sure to drive your taste buds wild.

Vendors include: Buster’s Sea Cove / Funnel Cake Dream / Gourmet Gringos / Mami’s Food Truck / Me.n.u Food Truck / Meltdown Gourmet Grilled Cheese Food Truck / Queen Arepa / Ravi Soups / The Spicy Ethiopian / Ultimate Food Truck / Yogen Fruz

Date: Friday, June 31 – Monday, July 3
Time: During regular festival hours
Location: Refuel Zone on Cedar Island
TECHNOLOGY & ART
Watch a drone light show, eat a selfie cookie and play with digital graffiti.

Drone Light Show

The sky over Ontario Place will come alive with a unique Drone Light Show festival performance. This curated spectacle was developed by the team at Arrowonics, the first company in Canada to produce a drone show of this kind. Watch as 30 drones, each with their own LED colours, fly and dance overhead for a performance like no other with this amazing Ontario built technology.
These amazing shows are happening Saturday July 1 and Sunday July 2 at 11pm. Performances are weather dependent.

Date: Saturday, July 1 & Sunday, July 2
Time: 11 pm
Location: Throughout the festival

Art Installations

Ontario artists will bring creativity and culture to the festival grounds along the North Walk. Come and watch as they paint spectacular works of art on Friday and Saturday or view the finished work on Sunday and Monday. You’ll want to Instagram this.

Date: Friday, June 30 & Saturday, July 1
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: The North Walk

Ontario Innovates

Once you’ve learned about our heritage, take a peek at our future! Take part in some of Ontario’s most innovative and free family-friendly activations. Play with our digital 10-foot wide graffiti wall, turn your selfie into a cookie* with edible fondant or create a Canadian maple leaf bottle opener* with our 3D printer using a penny.
*while supplies last.

Exhibitors include: House of VR / MakeLab 3D Printing & Graffiti Wall / MakeLab Cookie Station / Teabot

Date: Friday, June 30 – Monday, July 3
Time: Regular festival hours
Location: Ontario Innovates
MUSIC
Tune in to our free concerts and be part of history.
Reuben and the Dark

Reuben and the Dark are a Canadian Indie folk band made up of five multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, led by Reuben Bullock. In 2016 they released the single Heart in Two, and toured North America as an opening act for Vance Joy. Heart in Two reached #1 on CBC Radio 2’s Radio 2 Top 20 chart in 2016.

Date: Saturday, July 1
Time: 9:30pm
Location: ON Stage
ON Stage Performances

The ON Stage will come alive with cultural performances, music, and dance.

Friday June 30

3:30pm – Aqua Nibii Waawaaskone

5:00pm – Graham School of Irish Dance

7:00pm – Enchanté

9:00pm – Sammy V Violin Master

Saturday July 1

11:00am – Shakti Fine Arts

1:00pm – VIVA Trio

4:00pm – Citizenship Ceremony

6:00pm – Jordan St. John

9:30pm – Reuben and the Dark

Sunday July 2

11:00am – Farrucas Duo

1:00pm – Ensemble Topaz

3:00pm – Urban Highlanders

5:00pm – Szentegyhaza Children’s Philharmonia

7:00pm – Hong Luck

9:00pm – Viva! Mexico

Monday July 3

11:00am – Polky Village Band

1:00pm – Jermaine and Saint “O”

3:00pm – Ojibway Story Teller

5:00pm – White Pine Dancers

7:00pm – Arashido Taiko
Emerging Artists Stage Performances

Inside the Refuel Zone tent is the Emerging Artist Stage where local and emerging talent will showcase their musical stylings.

Friday June 30

4:00pm – Arshiya Bhan

6:00pm – Clark Schlesinger

8:00pm – Patricio Chiza of The Imbayakunas

10:00pm – Lilian Kim

Saturday July 1

12:00pm – Syd Perry

2:00pm – Denise Badua

6:00pm – Jeff Burke

8:o0pm – Captain Cowboy & The Moneymaker

Sunday July 2

12:00pm – Yana Teovano

2:00pm – Carly Thomas

4:00pm – Madison Mueller

6:00pm – Ali Khan

8:00pm – LiL One Entertainment – Carshae

10:00pm – Oluwafemix

Monday July 3

12:00pm – Patricio Chiza of The Imbayakunas

2:00pm – Yusuke Hoshi

4:00pm – Julia Tynes

6:00pm – Kevin Wetherell
Ontario150 Performances

Over the course of the four festivals, Ontario Place will host up-and-coming talent from the emerging Ontario music scene on the Emerging Artist Stage in the Refuel Zone tent. Make sure you stop by to experience the very best of Ontario talent this summer.
BIKE VALET
Bike Valet

Complimentary Bike Valet is available east side of the West Entrance during the Heritage Ontario festival from June 30 – July 3.

Hours of operation:

Friday, June 30: 3pm – 11:30pm

Saturday, July 1: 10 – 12am

Sunday, July 2: 10 – 12am

Monday, July 3: 10am – 8:30pm

Bike Valet is limited on a first come first served basis.