Canada Day's annual celebration of unabashed patriotism returns on Wednesday, July 1, and the national capital will be full of festivities marking the 159th anniversary of the Great White North.
Here's everything you need to know about Canada Day 2026.
LeBreton Flats
LeBreton Flats will once again be Ground Zero for Ottawa-area celebrations, a sea of red and white for most of the day. The festivities kick off at noon with a nationally broadcast ceremony live from LeBreton Flats Park.
The ceremony, co-hosted by Julie St-Pierre and Melissa O'Neil, will highlight key moments in Canada's history and bring together guests such as astronaut Jeremy Hansen and Man in Motion Rick Hansen.
The fan favourite Canada Day Evening Show will run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Television celebrity Isabelle Racicot hosts performances by Adam Baldwin, Alessia Cara, Barenaked Ladies, Beatrice Deer, Diane Dufresne, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Gab Bouchard, Isabelle Boulay, MICO, Noeline Hofmann, Paul Langlois, Pierre Lapointe, P'tit Belliveau and Sylvia Cloutier. Andrina Turenne, Begonia from Winnipeg, and Lisa LeBlanc from Moncton will provide remote performances.
If you can't make it in person, the ceremony will be broadcast and streamed in English and French by CBC and Radio-Canada.
Snowbirds' Swan Song
Canada Day 2026 is likely to be the swan song in Ottawa for the latest version of the beloved Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds. The squadron is scheduled to perform an iconic flypast over the Parliament Buildings from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. as part of their 55th and final tour, at least with the veteran CT1-114 Tutor aircraft.
The jets, in service since the 1960s, are being retired and will be replaced with Swiss-made CT-157 Siskin II, a high-performance turboprop aircraft. Delivery and retraining schedules indicate the Snowbirds flight group won't likely be back in action until the mid-2030s.
What to Do on Parliament Hill
On Parliament Hill, festivities through the day will include the music of the Canadian Forces Ceremonial Guard band and the Royal Canadian Air Force pipes and drums, along with a demonstration by the Snowbirds from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Festivities will wrap up with the Tim Hortons Canada Day fireworks at 10 p.m.
Meanwhile, in the ByWard Market
This year, Market officials are boasting a throwback like no other for Canada Day, with a free, all-ages '80s concert featuring iconic bands Men Without Hats, Spoons, and The Box. Showtime will be between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. at Ottawa Tourism's Concert Zone on York Street, between William and Dalhousie.
