By admin Monday, February 3, 2014

We can feel it – despite still being in the depths of winter, Ontario is already craving those warm, sunny summer days. While we’re nowhere near summer yet, that won’t stop us summer dreaming. What better way to drown out those winter blues than to think about the warm days ahead and all of the amazing entertainment that is on offer. We’ve highlighted a few below and if you are looking for more great ideas check out the full list on the Festivals page.

We are blessed in Ontario to play host to some of Canada’s top festivals every summer, diverse enough to cater for all manner of tastes and interests – from history, to gourmet cuisine to classical music. So in honour of these happy days to come we’ve compiled a list of our top picks of summer festival entertainment in Ontario. You will be spoilt for choice – so get planning that vacation now. The Royal Holiday vacation club is a great place to start looking!

Jerkfest:

Jerkfest is a celebration of spicy Jamaican-style cooking such as the amazingly tasty jerk chicken! The tastiest festival in Toronto will be held on the 9th and 10th of August this year in Centennial Park. The festival describes itself as ‘a fusion of jerk food, pulsating music, family friendly entertainment and good vibes – all under the throbbing Toronto sun’. Sounds good to us! The JerkFest – Jerk Food Festival takes place Aug 9-10, 2014.

The Kingston Sheep Dog Trials:

Are you a fan of the adorable film Babe?! Whether you are or not, the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials promises a very different, and family friendly, day out in Ontario. The Trials are a three-day festival held in August at Grass Creek Park, attracting more than 7,000 spectators! 2014 will be the 27th year of the event, which was recently honoured by being recognized by Festivals and Events Ontario as a Top 100 event. For those less familiar with the sport of trialling, there are many wonderful side attractions to entertain and delight you! Craft & Artisans’ Fair, Sheep Shearing, Kingston Police K-9 Demonstrations, The Agility Connection, Bowmanville Zoo Animal Encounters, Rideau River DockDogs, Pony Rides & Petting Zoo, Face Painting and children’s craft area. There are even camel rides!

Mosaika Sound and Light Show:

Mosaika, with the backdrop of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, is ‘the story of Canada’ told in an unforgettable journey of sound and light’. This free, bilingual show will be held in Ottawa nightly from July 8th to September 16th. A wonderful opportunity for the whole family to explore our country’s physical, cultural and historical landscape. Presented nightly in Canada’s Capital from July 8 through September 6, 2014.

Rockhound Gemboree:

Another unusual and beautiful festival is the Annual Rockhound Gemboree, held in Bancroft Ontario from the 1st to the 4th August this year. This is Canada’s largest gem and mineral show with exhibits of rocks, crystals, gems and fossils, with jewellery and art pieces for sale also. Bancroft is known as the “Mineral Capital of Canada” and an area with a rich geological history and mining heritage.  Every August thousands of people flock to the area, from collectors to rockhounds to geologists and enthusiasts of all ages.  There is something for everyone!

These are just a small sample of what’s on offer. Enjoy!