Celebrating Canada’s 150

2017 was a big celebration for Canada’s 150th birthday! With so many activities in Ottawa, it was a fun year to live in the capital. I was also fortunate to explore a bit out of the city in light of celebrating Canada’s 150. From big events to free activities here is how I spent celebrating Canada’s milestone celebration.

Redbull Crashed Ice

This weekend long competition leading up to the world championships on Saturday March 4th, 2017 was the first major event I attended this year. The event consists of a ice cross downhill race where athletes skate down a massive ice track filled with drops, gaps and turns with speeds up to 80 km/h. This year, the track was set up beside the Chateau Laurier where thousands of people gathered along the sidelines to cheer on the skaters. Another cool aspect of it was the fan zone at Major Hills Park. Here you could find a DJ, big screen of the races as well as Beau’s beer, Redbull drinks and food vendors. This fan zone was awesome to get a full view of the races while enjoying the company of friends. Despite the cold weather, it was a great event to attend in my City and I hope they bring it back again! For a trailer of the event click here

Inspiration Village

This was so neat to see! Part of York Street in the Byward Market was transformed into a passing hub with special exhibits and performing arts events, all showcasing Canada’s provinces and territories. It was really cool to see how each province was portrayed and what they had to represent it. It gave me a little taste of what it would be like to explore our beautiful country. From coast to coast, there is so much to see the history behind some legends. After visiting, I was truly inspired by the village.

Free Parks Canada Discovery Pass

I took advantage of the free park 2017 Parks Canada and Discovery Pass this summer by visiting a friend in Alberta where I got to explore some of the countries natural beauties. My favourite one was The Banff National Park, which is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. While visiting, I hiked a couple mountains and luckily didn’t run into any bears. My hikes included Little Bee Hive and Alpine, which were more beautiful than words can describe. Being there also allowed me to go canoeing, which Lake Louise had the most beautiful water I have ever seen. Another must was the village of Banff, I highly recommend visiting if you have the opportunity.

Kontinuum

From July 16th to September 14th, the Kontinuum was open to the public to experience an underground multimedia show downtown Ottawa. The Kontinuum took visitors through a 30 minutes journey where two paths collide featuring music and lights. A unique part of it was being able to capture holographic pictures through the Ottawa 2017 App. This was a neat activity to experience during a rainy day this past summer.

Rideau Canal Lock System

Did someone say free passes? Throughout the summer I took advantage of the free lock pass where I got to take my boat through the Rideau Canal system starting at the Big Rideau Lake all the way to Jones falls for day trips. Despite the weather we had, I took advantage of the nice days and this free pass to explore more of our great waters.

The year isn't over yet! For more events happening for Canada's 150th celebration click here!

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