Things to do this Labour Day Long Weekend in Kingston
Friday, September 1 – Monday, September 4, 2023
Labour Day long weekend events & activities including free, fun family & kids’ activities, live music, theatre & performing arts, exhibitions and more.
I. Family & Kids Activities this weekend
Kingston Labour Day Caravan
BBQ, live music, children’s games, speeches, community market, and more. Details
Monday, September 4, 2023
Parade | 10:00 AM @ Doug Fluhrer Park (start and end)
Festival | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM @ Victoria Park
Kingston
Fort Henry National Historic Site
Visit Kingston’s historic site and living history museum, Fort Henry, where visitors enter the realm of the 19th Century military life in the beautiful fortification originally built in the 1830s. History comes alive at Fort Henry. Enjoy a self-guided tour, along with rifle firing, music, and artillery demonstrations taking place every hour. Talented Fort Henry Guards will be stationed throughout the Fort to offer interpretation experiences. Details
Daily, until September 3, 2023 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fort Henry National Historic Site, 1 Fort Henry Drive, Kingston
General admission: $13 – $20 (plus HST); Military: $10 (plus HST)
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Eco-Art Exhibition: With the Land
Agnes and No.9 Gardens co-present With the Land, an exhibition set in the secluded golden fields at No.9 Gardens, 40 minutes outside Kingston. Works emerge in the lush outdoor trails, meandering riverbanks and wilflower fields, including those by Andy Berg, Elaine Chan-Dow, Chaka Chikodzi, Francisco Corbett, Sadiqa de Meijer, Elvira Hufschmid, Alvin Luong, Jill Price and the Along the Way Playgroup [Michelle Bunton, Sebastian De Line, Sadiqa de Meijer, Shelby Lisk, JP Longboat (lead artist), Marney McDiarmid, Andrei Pora, Clelia Scala and Sheldon Traviss]. Details
July 29 – October 1, 2023
Self Guided Tours | Saturdays and Sundays | 10 AM – 5 PM
No.9 Gardens, 1516 Summers Road, Rideau Lakes
Free
Sunflower Fields and Mazes in Ontario
A visit to a sunflower farm is surely a cause for a smile, photo ops, and plenty of sunshine. Walk on a path through a sea of yellow flowers and purchase a specialty product from a store on-site to commemorate your summer experience. In Ontario, these flowers bloom for about two weeks only from early to late August/early September. Details
If you are going just for sunflowers, do call the farm to know more about the bloom condition.
Corn Mazes in Ontario
Get lost at world-famous corn mazes or the one nearest to you for a memorable experience with the family or your bestie. Most of these farms also have a whole bunch of other great activities so you can enjoy the entire day picking pumpkins, milking goats, cuddling bunnies and so much more! Details
Explore Eastern Ontario
II. Live Music/Theatre/Performing Arts
Movies in the Square
Movies in the Square returns to Springer Market Square on Thursday evenings. Bring your own lawn chair!
Movie: Minions: The Rise of Gru. Details
Thursday, August 31, 2023 | Dusk
Springer Market Square, 216 Ontario St, Kingston
Free admission
Drive-in Movies
What a better way to spend an enjoyable time with family than to watch a movie under the stars?
Movies at Port Elmsley Drive-in
For ideas see, Check out the Drive-In Theatres in Ontario
Various dates
III. Exhibitions, Festivals & Other Events
Yoga in the Park
Enjoy free yoga classes every Sunday morning at 10:00 – taught by downtown members. Details
Sunday, September 3, 2023 | 10:00 AM
Confederation Park, 216 Ontario Street
Free
Le Burger Week
Throughout the week, burger aficionados everywhere are called upon to indulge in their city’s LBW burgers and vote for their favourite one! Details
September 1 to 14, 2023
Participating Restaurants
Varies with restaurants
Go Hiking or Visit Nature Areas
Parks and pathways, Provincial parks and conservation reserves are open for people to enjoy some time with nature.
Enjoy a leisurely walk with the family at any of these locations:
- 25 Fabulous Scenic Lookouts to Visit in Ontario
- 100 Adventures in Ontario Provincial Parks
- 25 Nature and Wilderness Adventures in Ontario
- 25 Outdoor Adventures in and around Kingston
36 Questions that Lead to Loving Kingston
The Market Wing Cultural Space, located within Kingston City Hall, has been injected with colour and fun this summer as part of the 36 Questions that Lead to Loving Kingston exhibition that invites visitors to participate in a transformative journey of (self-)discovery and community connection.
This interactive and fully bilingual exhibition, designed to build a closer relationship between residents and their city, promises to reveal hidden insights, offer surprises and celebrate all the things that make Kingston unique. Details
City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, Kingston
Open Farm Days
Farms across Frontenac County and rural Kingston are opening their doors and welcoming visitors to their farms September 1 to October 15, 2023. Participating farms offer unique experiences based on the farm. Tours include farm experiences that will allow participants to see and learn more, enjoy culinary tastes and many have products available for purchase on site. Details
September 1 to October 15, 2023
Farms across Frontenac County and Kingston
Free
Haymakers Coffee Co. Roasting Tour
Join Haymakers Coffee Co’s mad-skilled roaster and creator of many fine things, Sietse Hylkema, for a 1hr, intimate and hands-on roasting session where he guides you through the roasting process, with YOU as the roaster!! Details
September 1 – 2, 2023 | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Haymakers Coffee Co. roastery, Wolfe Island
$75.00
Below! Norad’s Underground Fortresses
Dive deep into Cold War history…for there are secrets underground…
During the height of the Cold War, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) built two operations centres deep underground. These amazing facilities, located in North Bay, Ontario, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, were feats of engineering and a fascinating part of military history. “Below!” shares the history of the engineering, computer technology, and operational history of both the Canadian and American complexes. Details
Daily, until September 4, 2023 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Military Communications and Electronics Museum, 95 Craftsman Blvd, Kingston
$4.43 – $8.85 +tax
Navy Days
Building off the Marine Museum’s new exhibit, Life in the Naval Reserve, featuring the works of Grant Macdonald, the Museum is introducing an immersive navy experience for children of all ages. The program introduces participants to essential maritime skills such as morse code, knot tying, and problem-solving – participants will even have the chance to sink enemy ships! Details
Sunday, September 3, 2023 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, 55 Ontario St, Kingston
Admission is pay-what-you-can at the door and includes entrance to the Museum’s exhibit Life in the Naval Reserve
Mmaandaawaabi (see a wondrous sight)
Mmaandaawaabi (see a wondrous sight) features the work of Preston Buffalo, Dallas Flett-Wapash, Quinn Hopkins and Casey Koyczan, four Indigenous artists whose digital practice reflects upon and engages with Indigenous worldviews and epistemologies through new media and AR technology. Through their work, and your phone, the artists invite you into their sculpturally immersive worlds to view and engage with artworks reflecting an Indigenous perspective on land, language, cosmology and contemporary realities. Details
20 August–12 November 2023
Tuesday–Friday, 10 am–4:30 pm
Thursday, 10 am–9 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1–5 pm
Agnes Etherington Art Centre – Queen’s University, 36 University Avenue, Kingston
Admission is free of charge; Donations are welcome
Limestone City Car Classic
See classic cars, enjoy food, music and the beautiful grounds of the Park surrounded by Lake Ontario at this event organised by the Limestone City Car Club. Details
Saturday, September 2, 2023 | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Lake Ontario Park, 920 King Street West, Kingston
Spectator admission and parking is free
Explore Murney Tower Museum
Enjoy a journey into the 19th century life lin Murney Tower. Details
until September 4, 2023
Daily | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Murney Tower, 2 King St. West, Kingston
By donation
The Art of Survival, a Prison for Women Memorial Collective (P4WMC) exhibition
The exhibition brings together more than 30 local, national, and international artists and collectives who have produced artwork inside institutions for women or while on parole. This exhibition is part of P4WMC’s long-term project to remember and honour people who lived and died inside women’s prisons across Canada. Details
until September 2, 2023
Tuesday – Saturday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
PumpHouse, 23 Ontario St, Kingston
Adult (25 – 64): $7.21; Child (0-2): FREE; Child (3-14)+: $3.60; Youth (15-24): $5.75; Senior (65+): $5.93; Family: $20.62
Emergence: A Recent Gift of Indigenous Art
Emergence highlights important early and mid-career works of art by contemporary Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island, North and South. As a collection, these works provide a cohesive vision of the approaches and concerns of artists working in the 1970s. Both emerging and elder artists experimented with various media, in drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, and textiles. Details
July 1- November 12, 2023
Tuesday–Friday, 10 am–4:30 pm
Thursday, 10 am–9 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1–5 pm
Agnes Etherington Art Centre – Queen’s University, 36 University Avenue, Kingston
Admission is free of charge; Donations are welcome
City of Kingston Arts Walk
Explore Public Art
Discover new and existing public art as part of the City of Kingston Arts Walk, a self-guided tour across the city, accessible by walking and/or by bicycle, car, and public transportation. The Arts Walk highlights City-owned public art – permanent and temporary – developed through the City of Kingston’s Public Art Program, as well as existing public art as part of the Civic Collection. Details
Various locations in Kingston
Kingston Pen Tours
Kingston Pen Tours offers a unique opportunity to explore Canada’s oldest maximum-security prison.
Step inside the walls of Canada’s oldest penitentiary and explore the living and working areas, some dating back to the 1830s. Hear the personalized accounts from former staff and learn about the history and the daily routines, including stories of escapes, riots, and everything in between.
During the Extended Tour, Discover more of the site and hear about the history of additional areas, such as the hospital, gymnasium, and school. Details
Standard Tour available until November 26, 2023
Extended Tour available until November 26, 2023
Express Tour available until November 26, 2023
Kingston Penitentiary, 560 King Street West, Kingston
Standard Tour $36.40, Extended Tour $71.80; Kingston Area Residents save $5; Express Tour $23.12
Memorial Centre Farmer’s Market
Shop, stroll & eat local produce, meats, bread, cheeses, prepared foods, beverages, and crafts, all harvested and crafted within 100km of Kingston. Details
Sundays | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The Memorial Centre Farmer’s Market, 303 York Street, Kingston
Free
Rediscover Kingston and Area
There are a number of ways to get to know your city.
- 25 Outdoor Adventures in and around Kingston
- 25 Things to Do During Fall in and Around Kingston
- Road Trip From Ottawa to Kingston: Drive the Rideau Canal National Historic Site
- Getaway to Kingston and 1000 Islands, Ontario – 3 Day Trip Itinerary
Katarokwi Indigenous Art and Food Market
Every Sunday in Springer Market Square, this market features local Indigenous artists, artisans, and musicians. Peruse handcrafted art, jewelry, and clothing for sale. Enjoy freshly made food and take in live music and demonstrations, with different artists featured every week. Details
Sunday, September 3, 2023 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Springer Market Square, 216 Ontario St, Kingston
Free admission
Go Fishing
You can cast a line and reel in that big catch at Ontario Provincial Parks. Do obey any fishing location restrictions in the park.
Weekend Getaways from GTA: Exploring Ontario Provincial Parks
We do try to make the listings as accurate as possible, but there may be typographical/oversight errors or events may be cancelled or postponed without any notice. Verify all details from concerned event Websites/officials.
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