Canadians will take time this weekend to celebrate the country's 157th birthday.
As always the annual Canada Day statutory holiday, which falls on a Monday this year, comes with a list of closures and special events.
Here is what's open and closed in London:
Most grocery stores, Costco Wholesale, and the LCBO, will be closed on Monday, while the Labatt Retail Store downtown will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Beer Store outlets at 1600 Dundas St. E., 414 Wharncliffe Rd. S., 1199 Oxford St. W., and 1080 Adelaide St. N. will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Shoppers Drug Mart will have its pharmacies at 1225 Wonderland Rd. North at Sherwood Forest Mall and 510 Hamilton Rd. open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Canada Day. All Rexalls will be open but with reduced hours.
White Oaks Mall, Masonville Place, and Westmount Shopping Centre will keep their doors shut for the national celebration on Monday. London Public Library branches will also be closed for the day, as will government offices (municipal, provincial, and federal), and banks. There will be no garbage and recycling collection and Canada Post will be closed Monday, meaning there will be no mail delivery.
The London Transit Commission (LTC) will be operating on a holiday schedule on Canada Day. Due to a number of celebratory events happening downtown, there will be two separate detours taking place at various times throughout the evening. The full list of detours and times can be found by clicking here. The LTC will return to regular service on Tuesday.
Parents looking for activities to occupy their kids can go to any of London's 17 spray pads. They will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. all long weekend. The city's wading and outdoor pools will open for the season this weekend.
Movie theatres, Storybook Gardens, East Park, city run golf courses, Boler Mountain, Fanshawe Pioneer Village, Eldon House, Museum London, and the London Childrens Museum will be open through the long weekend.
The City of London is offering free Canada Day recreation activities at various community centres in the city on Monday. Activities being offered include recreational swimming, pickleball, Zumba, open gym and other sport activities. The full list of which activities are being offered where can be found on the city's website at https://london.ca/CanadaDayRec.
Grosvenor Lodge at 1017 Western Road is hosting a Canada Day Picnic on its grounds. Londoners are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket to take in the free event featuring live music, craft activities for all ages, snacks and refreshments, and a flag raising ceremony. The picnic runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Argyle BIA and the East London Optimists Club are holding the annual East London Canada Day celebration at the East Lion's Community Centre. It will run from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. There will be face painting, food trucks, art contests, a reptile zoo by Southwest Pets, live music, and fireworks at dusk.
The London Heritage Council is hosting the Canada Day London bash on Dundas Place from noon until 11 p.m. on Sunday. It will include performances, unique vendors and artisans, electric live entertainment and the Night Market, a family-friendly, interactive nighttime street festival.
Harris Park will get in on the Canada Day celebrations on Monday with live entertainment, food trucks, and a fireworks display presented by the City of London and Centro by Old Oak. The display will begin at dusk and follow the London Majors game against the Barry Baycats being played at nearby Labatt Park. That game gets underway at 6:05 p.m. The city is encouraging Londoners to walk, cycle, or take public transit to Harris Park. A number of roads around the festivities will be closed for the day. This includes Dundas Street between Ridout Street and Wellington Street, Talbot Street between King Street and Carling Street, Queens Avenue from Ridout Street North to Riverside Drive and Wharncliffe Road North, Ridout Street North from Fullarton Street to King Street, Thames Street from Dundas Street to Harris Park Gate. Queens Bridge and Kensington Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic starting at 8 p.m., but pedestrians will still be permitted to walk through until 9 p.m. The Ivey Park splash pad and Municipal Parking Lot 11 will be closed at 6 p.m. and the public walkway in front of HMCS Prevost on Becher Street will be closed at 7 p.m.