Barrie 
Taste delicious butter tarts at Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival on June 14th.
Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival
This festival is Canada’s largest butter tart festival and takes place in the county home to the first known printed butter tart recipe.
The Midland event has come a long way since its inaugural event in 2013, when 10,000 butter tarts sold out by 11 a.m. Now, with 200,000 butter tarts available and an estimated 60,000 visitors each year, the festival has truly become a beloved tradition.
What to see & do:
- You can discover unique flavours of crunchy tarts as the Butter Tart Festival will host a large variety of tart vendors. They have tarts for everyone! These include plain tarts and those with nuts, such as pecans and walnuts. They also have many options for those with a sweet tooth, such as maple, chocolate-covered, PB&J, and s’mores tarts. Other flavours include coconut, bacon, and cheesecake. There are gluten-free, vegan and nut-free options also available.
- This year, Chapman’s Ice Cream is debuting its new Butter Tart flavour at the festival. The new Super Premium Plus Butter Tart ice cream is made with Canadian dairy and includes brown butter, brown sugar, raisins, cookie crumble, and a maple ripple.
- The highlight of the festival is the Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest, where professional and amateur bakers compete for the title of Best Butter Tart in Ontario. With categories like Traditional and Wild Style, the contest brings out the creativity and passion of butter tart enthusiasts. Expert judges, including celebrities, chefs, and food bloggers, have the delightful task of determining the winners. When you visit the contest hall located at Midland Cultural Centre, you can taste some of these contest entries for free.
Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival
- There will be around 200 vendors and food trucks in the downtown core and waterfront parks. These vendors will be on King Street, David Onley, and Harbourside Parks. You can also buy handmade items from them along with your tarts.
- Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy live musical performances at the Entertainment Stage, featuring local talents such as Sydney Riley, Gracie Jet, and 93 North.
- Families can head to the Kids Zone in Harbourside Park for exciting activities designed to entertain the little ones.
- The Entertainment Stage at Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival runs from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
To make your festival experience even more convenient, free shuttle services are available from designated parking areas, ensuring hassle-free transportation. There is also free parking in downtown municipal lots and side streets, along with a free festival shuttle from Penetanguishene. Cyclists can take advantage of the free bike valet service provided by Cycle Simcoe.
Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival – Trip Planning
Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival
What: Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival in downtown Midland offers a butter tart lover’s paradise with 200 vendors and food trucks.
Sample various butter tart flavours, enjoy live music, and explore unique handcrafted items. The festival features the Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest, where professional and amateur bakers compete for Best Butter Tart in Ontario.
Don’t miss this sweet and delicious event!
More fun things to do in Midland
When:
Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 9 AM to 5 PM
Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest Rotary Hall: 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Where:
Midland’s downtown core between Yonge Street and Bayshore Drive and in David Onley and Harbourside parks.
The contest occurs in the Midland Cultural Centre, 333 King Street, Midland.
Parking & Shuttle
There are information booths at King Street, Hugel Street, and David Onley Park, where you can get a festival map.
Free parking is available at municipal parking lots around the downtown core and parking along side streets except parking lots at the Harbour on Saturdays. Accessible and expectant mothers’ parking is available at the municipal parking lot at Midland Avenue and Bayshore Drive.
Shuttle:
To avoid the inconvenience of downtown parking, consider using the complimentary shuttle service. Pickup from:
- 1000 Wye Valley Road, Midland, at Storage 4 All
- 925 Hugel Avenue, Midland, at Georgian Bay District Secondary School
Shuttles depart at 8:45 a.m. and continue running until the final shuttle leaves downtown Midland at 5:30 p.m.
Midland Transit will be running at no cost to riders and there will be a free festival shuttle running from Penetanguishene.
