{"id":845,"date":"2026-07-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/?p=845"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T22:35:03","slug":"canada-day-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/04\/canada-day-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Day 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hope you all had a very happy Canada Day! I spent the latter part of the day at Canada\u2019s Wonderland for Celebration Canada and a fireworks spectacular! Despite relatively light crowds, I didn\u2019t go on any rides during this visit due to a recent minor procedure, but I still had a great time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebration Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got to the park shortly after 4:00 p.m. so I missed the Smoke Trail Singers yet again this year\u2026 With the heat, I just really couldn\u2019t imagine being at the park longer than that, especially knowing I wouldn\u2019t be riding anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as you enter Front Gate you can see some Canada flag bunting on the International Street buildings and some letters standing up behind the floral flag spelling out CANADA. While I\u2019m glad to see some extra decorations, the letters themselves feel a bit tacky to me. I think it\u2019s the placement and the spacing. If they were spread out more and possibly placed in front of the Floral Flag, I think it would make for a better visual. I think having something more specific would also help, like spelling CANADA DAY 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Canada<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many rides had Canada flags and bunting which is always great to see!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vortex<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The main Celebration Canada plaza felt more open than during Brew & BBQ and it took me a while to realize it\u2019s because there were no beer tents (or anything) set up west of the globe. There was a street performer doing some clever glass orb movements and posing for photos with guests. There were also plenty of games to enjoy (including axe-throwing which wasn\u2019t present for Brew & BBQ) and a mural guests could colour in themselves using provided markers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Street<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately the event didn\u2019t seem very busy during this walk through, but I think that has a lot to do with the heat and lack of shade in this plaza. The park in general felt very quiet with Behemoth and Leviathan posting five minute wait times for the regular line. Having said that, I\u2019m sure Splash Works was drawing much longer lines and I saw a notable increase in crowds after it closed for the day. With the heat wave continuing throughout Celebration Canada\u2019s run, I really hope the park\/company recognizes this factor on attendance and doesn\u2019t shorten Celebration Canada even further next year. Five days isn\u2019t really enough time as it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Celebration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The menu seems more robust than Brew & BBQ with some surprising options. Poutine and flatbreads are to be expected, but the shawarma and fritto misto really round out the options. I\u2019m a little surprised it seems like a bigger menu considering the event runs for fewer days. Still, I picked the two most appealing options to me for my two meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Celebration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celebration<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Celebration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montreal Smoked Meat Shawarma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a big fan of Montreal smoked meat and shawarma, I was very happy with this item at the media tasting at the end of April. Unfortunately this time around the pita was very crispy and somewhat burnt, but otherwise I thought the flavours worked really well. The tangy pickled turnips complemented the savoury meat very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Montreal<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I really wish the portion size was bigger, though. Rather than having small portions at under $15, I\u2019d love a larger portion at the park\u2019s standard $20 per meal. I think this would also encourage more people to try the event offerings as well since it would seem more \u201cworth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Ty Taste Tier: B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Confit Duck Poutine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This portion was actually great! They used plenty of cheese curds and the park\u2019s usual peppery poutine gravy. The fries were the same as I had from Mess Hall last week which are pretty terrible for poutine, but the duck was cooked to perfection and very tasty!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Confit<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Ty Taste Tier: A <\/strong>(The fries easily kept it from S tier.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The King\u2019s Banquet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long before I was ready to get out of the heat and thankfully Canterbury Theatre has some air conditioning! \u2026oh, and a new show. But seriously, I\u2019ve been very excited for this show since it was announced. A Medieval show in a castle theatre within Medieval Faire? Excellent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Scene<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The show has some jesters filling the clown role as you\u2019d expect. I\u2019m sure previous shows had the clowns engaging with the audience before showtime itself, but this year they seem to start right at showtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Scene<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The set design is really great, though the ice blocks lighting the proscenium arch don\u2019t match the castle interior. This is a little disappointing but completely understandable from a budgetary perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Canterbury<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The story has a bit more juice to it than most previous shows (with the exception of Tundra) and multiple speaking parts. None of the performers had microphones, but they are skilled enough to ensure the audience can hear them. It\u2019s a clear yet complex story I\u2019d rather not spoil for all of you. I think it\u2019s fun and connects the acts together well, but I do wish the show was a little longer to expand the story a bit more and have some emotional resonance. Also one of the effects is very noticeably lacking which is extra baffling since it happens more than once. More details under the spoiler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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