Canal Days is a marine heritage festival held in

Port Colborne Port Colborne is a city in Ontario, Canada that is located on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 and was renamed after ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. The festival has been held annually since it was started in 1979 by the Port Colborne Historical & Marine Museum. Port Colborne is located on the north-east shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

, on the southern portion of the

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

, and is about 30 minutes drive from the US border at

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. The city is also the southern terminus of the

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller, Ontario, Port Weller i ...

, where ocean vessels pass through the downtown area on their way into the inner

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...

, or out to sea. Canal Days began in 1979 as part of a larger regional celebration of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the First Welland Canal. That first celebration attracted 400 visitors to the Museum grounds where the festival was held, paying tribute to the Canal's impact on the community. In 1980 the Museum decided to continue with the festival, and it has grown larger each year since. During ''Canal Days'' the downtown streets and lift-bridge are closed to traffic, giving way to vendors,

buskers Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pra ...

, food merchants, and many attractions. The festival provides a fully supervised ''Children's area'' featuring live entertainment, a carnival midway, and a live

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predator ...

and reptile exhibit.

Tall Ships A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...

moored along the canal wall are open for exploration, and special cruises are available on these historic ships as well, including a day-long journey from

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

, through the

canal lock A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

s. At the Lock 8 viewing complex, the ''Hidden Treasures'' vending area features local crafters and artists, and the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum offers a glimpse into the city's rich past. ''West Street'', which features many historic buildings dating back to the 19th century, plays host to the largest open-air vending area and outdoor food court, while Ontario's largest outdoor vintage car show and kite display can be observed throughout the festival at H.H. Knoll park. Fans of

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

music can enjoy ''Jazz on the Lawn'' at the Roselawn Centre for the Living Arts. Nightly concerts in the fully licensed ''Market Square'' are also a big part of the festival:

Classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

headliners, tribute bands, and local favorites provide something for every musical taste in this great outdoor venue. The festival culminates with a boat parade along the Port Colborne canal corridor and a massive

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

display over the water.

Past Bands

References

{{Reflist

External links

Port ColbornePort Colborne Economic and Tourism Development Corp.Canal days homepage
Busking venues Culture of the Regional Municipality of Niagara Festivals in Ontario Port Colborne Tourist attractions in the Regional Municipality of Niagara