The City of Grande Prairie will be celebrating Canada Day with members of the community on July 1st, with a whole host of celebrations and festivities taking place throughout the day.
It marks the first big celebration in a couple of years in the city. Programming and Events Supervisor Hayley Kramps says she and others are super excited to bring back a full-scale Canada Day celebration.
“It could be the best celebration yet. The day will start around 1 p.m. with the Canada Day parade. There’s a change of location for the parade this year. We will no longer be going downtown. We will be travelling from 108 Avenue in Hillside and we will end at the Leisure Centre parking lot around 2:30 p.m.”
Following the parade, the celebrations will then shift to Muskoseepi Park.
“We’ll have bouncy castles, carnival rides, carnival-themed games, food trucks, live entertainment, and a whole lot more. The outdoor pool will also be open for free drop-in swimming,” she says.
Musical guests for the occasion are Mandee Rae, Brent Boivin, McKindred, Christina Rogers, Northbloods, JayWalker, and the Legendary Life of Tom Petty featuring Clayton Bellamy. 2day FM will also be live on location.
“Our live entertainment begins around 2:30 p.m., with some opening ceremonies followed by our bands starting at 3:45 p.m. We’ll end the evening with traditional fireworks over the Muskoseepi Park Reservoir,” Kramps explains.
At the end of May, a total of 16 floats were registered for the event. There are now over 60 slated to take part in the parade. Much planning has gone into Canada Day after last year’s celebrations.
“It should be a great lineup. We made about six or seven different plans for Canada Day, depending on the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Kramps. “The exact plan that you’re seeing has been in place since about February of this year.”
Kramps offers up some friendly advice for people attending, especially those with families.
“Make sure you give yourself time to find parking. The park is closed completely for Canada Day so people will have to find alternative parking. Bring plenty of food and water, a picnic blanket to sit on, and be ready for any type of weather. It’s best to bring sunscreen, a rain jacket, and whatever else you may need,” she adds.
The all-day event is free for anyone to attend and the fireworks start at 11:30 p.m.