Party in the park, fireworks at the Forks, and Countryfest : SLV’s three things to do this weekend

With her weekly pick of fun things to do on the weekend, here is the rundown from CJOB Morning Show content producer Shannah-Lee Vidal.

If you are looking for a day of family-friendly fun for Canada Day, Assiniboine Park will have you covered.

Sunday’s celebrations include lots of fun things for the little ones, including bouncy castles and face painting.

Festivities at the Park’s Lyric Theatre will get underway at 11 a.m., and include a chance for you to see some new Canadians as they become citizens of our country.

In the afternoon, there will be live performances by Al Simmons, and some of the artists involved with Folkorama.

If you are hungry, there will be food trucks on site. Or, you can get a snack from the Pop-Up Patio at The Pavilion, which will stay open until 9 p.m.

As a bonus, the Assiniboine Park Zoo will have extended hours on Canada Day, staying open until 8 p.m.

Parking will likely be scarce, so you may want to consider the free Park and Ride service from the Central Mennonite University.

However, one thing missing from this year’s event will be the Canada Day fireworks. The Park says it lacks safe location to launch the fireworks, due to construction.

For some, July 1 isn’t officially Canada Day without a spectacular display of fireworks. The Forks will be holding its fireworks at 11 p.m. on Sunday.

That comes after a day filled with free entertainment, including a pow wow, live bands, and children’s activities.

You can also catch Canada Day fireworks at the Assiniboia Downs, after watching live horse racing.

Darren Dunn, CEO for Assiniboia Downs, promises the evening will have plenty of excitement.

“We have the Goldeyes on site. They’re going to be doing a meet and greet. We’ll have contests, ticket giveaways, and then cap it all off, after a very large field big race card, with a loud boom in the sky,” Dunn said.

Admission and parking for the Assiniboia Downs is free.

For those of you who want to have a Canada Day road trip, there will be an opportunity to see fireworks at both Winnipeg Beach and Lac du Bonnet.

It’s a perfect weekend for road trips, camping, and country music.

Dauphin’s Countryfest offers all of that, and is on now through July 1.

The 29th annual event is Canada’s longest running country music festival.

This year, some of the acts making the journey to Manitoba include Florida Georgia Line, Eric Church, and Paul Brandt.

You won’t even need to bring a lawn chair to watch the concerts, because the festival is located in an outdoor amphitheatre that seats up to 14,000.

“We truly are one of the nicest facilities in the entire country for an event like this,” said Rob Waloschuk, Countryfest general manager and promoter.

The festival is located just 10 km south Dauphin, on the north side of Riding Mountain National Park, which is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Winnipeg.