Canal Days Attractions 

 Empire Sandy Tall Ship Cruises 
Empire Sandy Cruises run all weekend long! The Sunday evening dinner cruise is a fan favourite, as you get to enjoy the Canal Days fireworks show right on the water.

 

For more information on the Empire Sandy Cruises or to purchase tickets, please call 905-835-2900 x549 or email eventservices@portcolborne.ca

 

Online ticket sales will be available soon! 

 

The Empire Sandy is a 200 foot topsail Schooner, and is the largest in Canada. The Cruise through the historic locks of the Welland Canal, allows passengers to enjoy the sights of the engineering marvels and much more.

 

  • Shuttles between Port Colborne and St. Catharines are available for Canal Cruise ticket holders. When purchasing your ticket, you must advise us if you would like a seat reserved on the shuttle.
  • The Empire Sandy can accommodate wheelchairs on deck; but there is no wheelchair access to restrooms
  • Children’s car seats and strollers are permitted, as well as working service dogs
  • Please note, smoking is permitted on the Empire Sandy 

 

  
 Vessel Deck Tours 
Only in Port Colborne does the Welland Canal pass directly through the downtown business district, and only during Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival will visitors find an impressive array of Tall Ships, Coast Guard vessels, a working fireboat, and more.

The Welland Canal is an active trade and commerce route, so visitors will be able to see salties, lakers, and barges travelling in and out of Lake Erie.

 

Vessel Deck Tours

Vessel

Friday

Saturday/Sunday

Monday

Fee

US Brig Niagara

Arrival

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

$2

St. Lawrence II

Arrival

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

$2

E.M. Cotter Fireboat

Arrival

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Donations

Please Note: All times and fees are subject to change without notice. Weather conditions may affect tour times.

 

Entry on all Tall Ships is subject to ID and baggage check as per Transport Canada Regulations. 

 

  
 Boat Parade of Lights

Sunday, July 31, 2022, at 9:15 p.m. (time is subject to change due to Seaway Traffic)

 

Where else in the world, but Port Colborne, can you have the unique experience of having a parade where the floats…actually float! Hosted by the Sugarloaf Sailing Club, upwards of 20 boats sail the Welland Canal as a pre-show to the Sunday evening Fireworks Spectacular along Historic West Street.

 

The best place to view the Boat Parade of Lights is on West Street in downtown Port Colborne along the Canal.

 

This parade is a pre-show to the annual Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival Firework show. 

 

  
 Fireworks
Sunday, July 31, 2022, at 10 p.m. (time is subject to change due to Seaway Traffic)

 

Fireworks are free to the general public. Make your way down to West Street along the Welland Canal for a spectacular show. After all, while the creativity of the technicians makes it special, it’s the families in attendance that make it a success.

 

West Street in downtown Port Colborne along the Canal is the best place to view this exhilarating firework show. This is a Canal Days tradition that never disappoints.

 

Thank you to RedBoss Pyrotechnicians for providing us with a great show year after year. 

 

Make sure you come early to check out the Boat Parade of Lights!

 
 Indoor Craft Show hosted by Port Colborne Optimist Club
Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Located at the Vale Health and Wellness Centre, 550 Elizabeth Street, Port Colborne
Admission is FREE

The Port Colborne Optimist Club will once again host the Annual Canal Days indoor Craft Show. The event features unique handmade crafts, artwork, dolls, candles, and much more on display and on sale from approximately 75 Ontario vendors.

The Craft Show is a major fundraising effort for the Port Colborne Optimist Club, with all proceeds supporting children programs in the Port Colborne community.

 

For Craft Show vendor applications, please call Vivian at 905-834-6458 

 
 Kids Zone
Saturday, July 30 to Monday, August 1, 2022

Seaway Park, Located right over the Clarence Street Bridge on the East Side of the Canal

  • Saturday, August 7, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 8, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Monday, August 9, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year’s Children’s Area will feature:

  • Face Painting: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday)
  • Port Colborne/Welland District Shrine Club Balloon Animals 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Daily)
  • Canal Days Creative Craft – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 2 to 4 p.m. (Sunday)
  • Inflatable/Bouncer Area (Daily)
  • Tiny Tot Play land (Daily)
  • Zooniversity Display
  • Pony Paradise ($5/ride)
Train Ride across Bridge 21 and back to the Kids Zone
 Lighthouse Tours
Friday, July 29 to Monday, August 1, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Located at Sugarloaf Marina, 3 Marina Drive, Port Colborne.

 

Tour donation of $15 per adult and $5 per child (ages 6-18). Children 5 and under are free.

Sign-up for tours at the Sugarloaf Marina Pavilion during Canal Days weekend.

 

Visit Port Colborne’s historic lighthouses that have aided navigation for the past 115 years! A guided tour will be provided by volunteers of the Friends of the Port Colborne Lighthouse.

 

The 12.8 meter square tower of the inner lighthouse was constructed in 1903 followed by the 11 meter tall foghorn/outer lighthouse in 1928. See the lakers, ocean going vessels, and tall-ships up-close as they navigate the Welland Canal at Lake Erie. 
 Midway Carnival
 Join us at the Midway located on King Street for carnival games and rides.
  • Friday, July 29 – opening at 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 30 – opening at 10 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 31 – opening at 10 p.m.
  • Monday, August 1 – opening at 10 p.m.

 

 
 Historical & Marine Museum
Canal Days at the Museum is your destination for marine displays and photographs as well as railway and ship models. Find a shady spot to enjoy good music, food, and family fun during Canal Days at the Museum.

 

Visit the place where Canal Days started!

Saturday, July 30, 2022, and Sunday, July 31, 2022

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Port Colborne Museum offers a family-friendly place for old-fashioned fun which celebrates our marine heritage  

Free Admission, sponsored by Lower Lakes Towing.

 

 Celebrating Port Colborne's Heritage 
Enjoy the Great Lakes Model Boat Association’s remote control boat show in action and the Niagara Antique Power Association’s demonstrations of antique equipment and steam whistles. Be sure to try your hand at pumping water or shelling corn, or take a ride in the mini train!

Watch artisans demonstrate blacksmithing, woodcarving, spinning, rope ladder-making and other crafts throughout the heritage village. Make your own rope at the rope machine.

You’ll get to see and talk to our costumed interpreters.

Explore our exhibits in the main museum galleries.

Take a seat to enjoy a photograph slide show in the Archives Research Room, and explore displays about our transportation heritage in the Archives Conference Hall.
 Free Activities for Kids 
Our Kids’ Zone offers lots of free activities including face-painting, heritage dress-up, a scavenger hunt, story time, games and prizes.

Kids love the Giant Sand Box, and may even find some buried treasure!

 
 Family-friendly Activities and Entertainment
Don’t miss Floss and Tann’s Cabinet of Curiosities – an amazing tent full of curious and astonishing things!

Enjoy toe-tapping live entertainment from musicians and dancers.

Have your very own tintype photo taken by our photographer. You can even use clothing from our Heritage Costume Collection for a vintage look!
 Food
Satisfy your taste buds with food from Riverside Berry Farm.

Savour tea and freshly-baked biscuits at Arabella’s Edwardian Tea Room.

Enjoy old-fashioned lemonade, popcorn and other treats for sale throughout the grounds.
Did You Know?

The only place to buy your Official Canal Days t-shirts is from the museum!
 Sewell's NAPA Automotive Annual Classic Car Show
 Sunday, July 31, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.


Located at the Vale Health and Wellness Centre, 550 Elizabeth Street, Port Colborne.


Registration closes at 12 p.m. No spots will be reserved.

 

Participation in the Car Show is free and car owners can compete for a number of trophies and prizes. Since there is no entry fee, we ask that you bring a non-perishable food item as a donation.

 

For more information contact bsteinhaus@napacanada.com

 

Each year this Car Show grows bigger and better, and features vehicles you will not see anywhere else. If you are a fan of antique and special interest cars, hot rods, low riders, racers, pick-ups, and the irreplaceable 50s, 60s, and 70s classics, this is the car show for you. 

 
 Whisky Run Golf Challenge 
 Located on West Street near Adelaide Street, come down for your chance to hit golf balls into the Welland Canal. Presented by Whisky Run Golf Club. The hours of operation are below:
  • Friday, July 29 2022: 12 to 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 30, 2022: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Monday, August 1, 2022: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.