Enjoy Art in the Park and Charity Bingo starting at 8am, welcoming over 150 vendors! King's Square will feature local entertainment in the band stand performance by the band McKinley Morrison Collective, as well as local artists and children's activities. Enjoy a bite to eat from some of our local vendors and browse for that perfect find.
We enjoy the unique feature of a three-court beach volleyball court that sits on our waterfront, adjacent to our Boardwalk Stage. What better way to enjoy athleticism and team spirit as a part of who we are as Canadians than with this annual tournament?! Beginning at 8:45am this event is always very well attended, and rounds out our roster to provide something for the early birds of the day!
Come out to the City Market to meet the Mayor and Councilors as he holds court conducting the City Market's own "Pie Poudre" Court at 10:00AM Afterward, the Mayor and some Councilors will be handing out Saint John Commemorative pins and other mementoes from Canada's 150th Birthday.
Canada Day People Parade
This year, come out and celebrate our nation's 150th birthday! Be part of the over 500 people
participating in the Canada Day People Parade which will leave from King's Square at 11:15am. The Parade will have marching bands and multicultural demonstrations! There will be dignitaries such a Mayor & Council, Provincial Leaders and Member of Parliament - Wayne Long. Also, the Parade will include the Saint John Police Honour Guard, Sea Cadets, Cherry Brook Zoo and many more local charities and organizations. Our parade marshal for 2017 will be Norm McFarlane, former Mayor of Saint John. To get involved click
HERE!
Official Opening Ceremonies
Following the People Parade, the flag raising ceremonies take place in front of City Hall. This is where Mayor Don Darling will present MP Wayne Long with a Canadian flag and he will raise it to the tune of our national anthem. Once completed, the Parade is led by the Piper decked out in traditional piping tartan garb into the Market Square Atrium where the opening ceremonies take place.
The festivities include opening remarks by local dignitaries, the famous 4ft x 8ft Canadian flag cake, and the singing of our national anthem and of course Happy 150th Birthday Canada!
Children's Activities
The future of our nation - the children - will enjoy a multitude of activities for the entire afternoon. FREE children’s activities are offered throughout the day including face painting, tattoos, flag making, crafts, pins, seedlings, bounce rides, sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, bubbles, badminton, hockey and so much more! There will be something for all ages – free of charge all day long. Beauty & the Beast will be here to perform and you'll see them on the Boardwalk and in the Atrium, all day long! The children’s activities are set up in King Square, City Market, Loyalist Plaza, Market Square and on the Boardwalk - create a Canada 150 Ceramic Tile or design your own Canada 150 T-shirt! HMCS Brunswicker will be onsite with their training boat and giveawaysl The huge bounce rides that have become so popular along with Bungee jumping in Loyalist Plaza are always a hit and we are bringing it all back again this year. Please follow Market Square on Instagram and Twitter @marketsquaresj and post all of your amazing Canada Day photos, #CANADA150SJ!
New Brunswick Museum FREE ADMISSION
Be part of Canada 150 coast to coast celebrations! Get a glimpse of New Brunswick's history, shipbuilding, and natural sciences. Whale sightings guaranteed (full size models of course)! New temporary exhibitions! Fun for the whole family, all day long, at the New Brunswick Museum!
FREE Loyalist House Tours
This year our very own Loyalist House built in 1817 is turning 200 years old! It is one of the few surviving buildings of the Great Fire of 1877. The Loyalist House serves as a proud reminder of Saint John's British Loyalist heritage and tours will be conducted throughout the day. Enjoy birthday cake, beverages and special treats.
FREE Historic Trolley Rides
Aquila Tours – a local tour operator –offers historic trolley rides throughout the Uptown area. Everyone enjoys a taste of our history and many will enjoy a leisurely ride full of historic facts about our great City.
FREE Transit
FREE Transit provided by Saint John Transit (holiday hours)
Mayor's Cup - City of Saint John Event
CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH P.R.O. KIDS AND THE FUNDY SKATEBOARD ASSOCIATION
Mayor's Cup Skateboard Challenge; NB Film Coop - in memory of Isaac The Puma Miller - Steve Jones of Steve Jones Yo Sculptures, who has created a mount for Mila Jones and donated to the film coop by Joan Burchill, which will be proudly displayed in the Mayor's Office and include the name of the winner of the Cup. Special thanks to Cat Leblanc of the NB Film Coop for her collaboration and partnership of this initiative, including the donation of a week at film camp for the winner of this year's Mayor's Cup! Matt Brown, film workshop instructor - is an award-winning director, filmmaker and photographer. To date he has five short films to his credit. In 2006, his short film "Cold Day in Hell" won three awards at the Silver Wave Film Festival including: Best Short Drama, Best Sound Design and Best Art Direction. The film was also nominated in the Best Short Action Sequence in the prestigious Action on Film Festival in LA. His short film "Mountaindale" was selected for CBC's national Internet competition "Roots Challenge" in 2010.Steve Jones will also be on-site at the skatepark with his works both on July 1st and throughout Buskers on the Bay Festival with the Craz-E-Crew extreme stunt team. Be sure to bring your old skateboards so they can become a part of Steve's next piece!
Day & Evening Entertainment
Saint John is known as the hotbed of live music in the Maritimes and fans will be enjoying the sounds of local and Canadian performers (dancing, singing, magic, bands, etc.) will entertain the public from 12pm through to the stroke of midnight.
Atrium Entertainment
Beauty & the Beast - a tale that is surely as old as time; enjoy a meet & greet and a performance as Belle and the Beast sing your favorites from the Disney classic! You may just see Belle and the Beast enjoying Canada Day on the Boardwalk too!
Bernard the Magician - Local celebrity Bernard the Magician is a tradition of special events in our region. His feats are a feast for the eyes and imagination. His magic will delight all ages... he may even call upon a member of the audience as an assistant – the little ones love this part!
Baton Explosion Twirlers - both recreational and competitive, Debbie's Twirlers put on an amazing show you definitely do not want to miss!
Danceability - The entertainment kicks off with our local dance troupe – Danceability – and their beauty
of movement. They have been part of our festivities for many years and are always a crowd pleaser. Each year, they travel to New York to compete nationally and have received various awards. They will perform several numbers on Canada Day.
Multi-Cultural Performances - Saint John Chinese Cultural group will perform during the Opening Ceremonies featuring the Lion Dance. They also highlight various age groups with dance, singing and
instrumental to celebrate Canada 150!
Boardwalk Entertainment
Keep an eye out for your favorite characters on the Boardwalk! You may see Beauty and the Beast, Wattson, Fleaburn, and who knows who else! Who doesn't love a Home Opener? Watch for Fleaburn as he gives Sea Dogs Home Opener tickets away throughout the day. You will have the opportunity to try your hand at hockey, or even badminton!
Tim Maloney - Tim is a passionate and engaging performer whose light-hearted musical comedy is guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages. Tim will MC the Boardwalk from Noon until the Grand Fireworks Finale!
Figure Walking - It's a debut that commands attention from a duo of long-time collaborators: ten songs built around Rob Gardiner's uncompromising percussion and Greg MacPherson's powerful and sometimes dissonant six-string.
The Wooden Sky - an indie folk band whose music is dynamic literate and informed by the equal shares of joy and sorrow.
Brent Mason Band- Brent Mason is a singer-songwriter who has traversed diverse territories of tune and theme in more than 20 years of music-making.
Tartan Terrors- Tartan Terrors are their own Celtic Invasion, mixing rock's energy with traditional folklore, dance and humour.
Waterstreet Dinner Theatre Performance- Celebrating 10 years of providing quality, live entertainment to Saint John.
Uptown Ghost Gallivant - Join David Goss as he shares the stories of ghosts that have been spotted over the years near Market Square, around the harbour, in the north of Union zone, at the Burial
Grounds and in Trinity Church and the surrounding preservation district. Expect evidence of the ghosts to be spotted as you walk along the waterfront. Come to the lighthouse at 7:50pm and pick up a guide to the locations of tale tellers who will share stories of the best ghostly encounters that have occurred in the city! Keep an eye out for ghosts on the Boardwalk!
Fireworks Grand Finale - AT DUSK
Our fireworks display at dusk is always a much-anticipated event and we have created an already
much-renowned tradition with this send off with the singing of our National Anthem. Hold onto your seats, we're rocking the best post-fireworks party in the Maritimes!
ONLY FOG PREVENTS THE SHOW, in which case it will be rescheduled to the next evening that weather permits. Follow Market Square on Twitter and Facebook for the most up to date information, and check out this video for more information about our fireworks displays!
participating in the Canada Day People Parade which will leave from King's Square at 11:15am. The Parade will have marching bands and multicultural demonstrations! There will be dignitaries such a Mayor & Council, Provincial Leaders and Member of Parliament - Wayne Long. Also, the Parade will include the Saint John Police Honour Guard, Sea Cadets, Cherry Brook Zoo and many more local charities and organizations. Our parade marshal for 2017 will be Norm McFarlane, former Mayor of Saint John. To get involved click 
