2022 Canada Day Celebrations Moved From Parliament Hill

A Canadian flag hangs from a lamp post along the road in front of the Parliament buildings ahead of Canada Day in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

This year’s Canada Day celebration is bringing back in-person activities across the country, but the parties usually held at Parliament Hill will be moved due to construction projects, says the Department of Canadian Heritage.

In an emailed statement, Canadian Heritage said moving the celebrations to two new locations—LeBreton Flats Park and Place des Festivals Zibi—will “allow as many people as possible to participate in the Canada Day activities in Canada’s Capital Region.”

LeBreton Flats Park, located roughly 1.5 kms west of Parliament Hill, will be the site for the daytime ceremony and an evening show on July 1. Place des Festivals Zibi is just across the Chaudières and Portage Bridges from LeBreton Flats and will feature family-friendly programming.

A week after Canada Day, the venue at LeBreton Flats will be hosting the first in-person Ottawa Bluesfest since 2019. 

Parliament Hill has been the official federal location for Canada Day celebrations for over 50 years, but since the site last hosted gatherings for the national holiday in 2019, the heritage rehabilitation project for the Central Block has taken up space on the lawn in front of the Parliament buildings that used to be open for public events. 

Event organizers planned to move celebrations off the Hill in 2020, but with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most Canada Day activities in 2020 and 2021 were held virtually due to social gathering restrictions. 

Canada Heritage said Parliament Hill will still feature “some activities” this year and more details will be announced at a later date.