Fun family things to do in Moncton
Wondering what to do with the family in Moncton?
We’ve got you covered!
This is your one-stop list for events, activities, attractions, and more in Southeastern New Brunswick! The events are updated weekly, usually by Thursday at noon. You can also check out Pickle Planet’s Guide to Family Fun in Greater Moncton for our mega list of museums, arcades, pools, & more.
A reminder to always check our source links for updates, and follow provincial & national health guidelines for safety during the pandemic. PLEASE NOTE: The Moncton area & health Zone 1 are returning to Orange phase. This will likely impact many activities; please check the source links before heading out.
MUST READ: Where to find a Christmas tree farm in New Brunswick
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND WITH THE KIDS
NOVEMBER 20-22, 2020
The folks at Home Hardware on Elmwood Drive are inviting folks to drive by Friday night between 5pm & 8pm to see their Christmas parade float.
The awesome Chantal Larocque is hosting a ‘how to make paper Dahlias’ workshop in collaboration with Festival Inspire. There will be 25 DIY kits available to pick up at the Festival office on Waterloo Street on Friday at 2pm; first come, first serve. You can also grab your own materials & join in!
The Moncton Wildcats POSTPONED two games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scheduled for this weekend.
There’s a lot happening at Magnetic Hill Zoo! In addition to regular zoo admission, they are holding enrichment workshops for ages 10 & up. You might also want to know that they have one-day camps planned during school closures on Nov 20 & 25 (find the details on their site) and they’ve announced Wild Lights is returning in December!
Speaking of educational opportunities, the Dieppe Boys & Girls Club is offering a series of free, bilingual online programs on weeknights, Mondays through Thursdays, from 6:30-8:45pm. There’s Take it Easy Mondays, Torch Club Tuesdays, Discovery Labs Wednesdays, & Cool Moves Thursdays. You can email the centre for more info & to register: programmer@dbgc.org
Resurgo Place is offering a promotion through public libraries; stop in with your library card to get a free day pass to the museum! There’s a neat travelling display showcasing glass creations with an Atlantic Canada focus. Thanks to Resurgo Place for sharing a great outdoor Culture & Heritage Scavenger Hunt Challenge throughout downtown Moncton earlier this year. Find the details here!
Cineplex is open again, with some great movies for the family showing.
IDEAS to keep little hands busy at home
SKATING TIMES
You can find all the details on indoor & outdoor skating options in Pickle Planet’s Guide to Skating in Greater Moncton.
Free Indoor & Outdoor Ice Skating in the Greater Moncton Area
At a glance, this weekend includes free Friday skating at Moncton’s Superior Propane Centre 10am-11am, at the Crossman Community Centre Kay Arena 10:15am-11:15am & 3:30pm-4:30pm, and a free parent & child session in Riverview from 1:30-2:30pm. On Sunday, there’s free skating at Dieppe’s AJL rink from 2-3pm. Petitcodiac offers free admission to children five & under on Sunday, with other skaters $2/each. The rink is open 1-2:30pm. There are also paid skating times Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at various rinks. Check our Guide for more details!
A heads up that the Ian Fowler Oval is scheduled to be ready for free, outdoor skating in front of the Avenir Centre as of Saturday, November 28 – with the added fun of BeaverTails being on site Saturday evenings & Sunday afternoons this winter!
A great way to prepare for winter fun at home is to build your own backyard skating rink! Thanks to the Vautour family for sharing their ‘how to’ with us!
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Riverview is once again lighting up the Riverfront! Grab your hot cocoa and stroll through a Hallmark movie. This is a wonderful, free way to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.
Shediac is planning its Santa parade for Saturday, November 28. The parade will weave through the community between 4 & 7pm, so that families can watch from their own yards.
Petitcodiac is also welcoming Santa this year, on Friday, December 4 in the Burgess Transportation parking lot from 7-8:30pm. You’ll park, then walk through Christmas displays
Live Bait Theatre is presenting ‘A One-Man Christmas Carol’ with Ron Kelly Spurles this December. Tickets are $25/adults, $20/students & seniors. The play lasts approximately 80 minutes, and will be performed in Moncton on December 4 and in Sackville November 27,28, & 29.
There’s a fun Mini Christmas Party coming up Friday, December 5 at Beloved Miniature Horses, who are teaming up with Maplewood Studio. Visit with the horses & other animals, enjoy a photo booth, make crafts, visit vendors, snack on treats, and much more. Tickets are $40/child, with one adult included free. You can visit the vendors and the petting zoo only for $5. Limited spaces, so book now.
SHOP LOCAL
This year has shown us all how important it is to support our local companies & creators. Please, if you can shift even a few of your usual purchases local this year, do it. All our little efforts add up to have an incredible economic impact!
MUST READ: 25 Made-in-New Brunswick Gifts for Babies, Toddlers, Tweens, & Teens
My HOME Mercantile’s Holidays at Home Kick Off event is November 20 & 21, with treats, a candy cane pull for discounts on purchases over $25, and late night opening on Friday!
There’s a series of awesome pop-up shops happening this season at The Arches on St. George.
The City of Moncton is hosting a weekly holiday market in the Moncton Market parking lot each Thursday from November 26 until Christmas, 5-9pm. There will be food, gifts, and a craft beer pavilion.
Enjoy Christmas on the Farm at Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse November 28, 29, December 5 & 6. You can visit with the animals, enjoy wagon rides & a candy cane walk, cookie decorating, vendors, and more. Entry is $3/person & there are a limited number of spaces for each time slot.
You could also MAKE local this season, too – check out the workshops happening at Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse. Lovely items you could keep or gift! There’s also a pottery workshop this weekend at the Starving Artist Cafe in Moncton, another great spot to shop local.
The Moncton Market is open on Saturdays from 8am-1pm, as is the Dieppe Market. You might also want to check out the Old Church Farmer’s Market in Hillsborough, open Saturday as well. Great spots to find all kinds of goodies, whether for gifting or just for indulging. 🙂
And mark your calendar’s for a fun pop up shop opening in Riverview soon. Caravan and Company is going to be at 540 Pinewood Road from November 19 to December 13, featuring an eclectic and incredible array of treasures. We can’t wait to check out it out!
OUTDOOR FUN IDEAS
Boyle Family Farm opens its doors to visitors most weekends, with baby animals to feed, food trucks, vendors, and more. Expect to pay $30 to visit, but you’ll be given $30 in vouchers to spend in the market on local goods!
Looking for some Instagram-worthy photo spots, now that the autumn colours are gone? Check out the public art installations around our communities, thanks to Festival Inspire!
Magnetic Hill Zoo is open daily, 10am-5pm, with one child (ages four to 12) admitted free with every paying adult; younger children are free.
There’s a new walking trail in Salisbury! While we LOVE walking the wetlands trail & playing at the natural playground at Highland Park, we’re excited to check out the new Woodland Trail, located behind the baseball fields behind JMA Armstrong High School.
Speaking of trails, don’t forget the 3.5km of lovely trails around the Sackville Waterfowl Park, the City of Moncton’s trails & parks, Riverview’s amazing waterfront, Dobson, & Mill Creek, & Dieppe’s fantastic trail system.
INDOOR FUN IDEAS
The new YMCA Moncton North (70 Twin Oaks Drive) is welcoming non-members to use their indoor splash pad & playground! The cost is $3/person on Fridays from 5-8pm; $5/person other times. (Children under 12 need a parent/guardian with them, but you’re not required to pay the fee – just the kiddos! Bathing suits & swim caps aren’t required.) Check out the schedule here.
Resurgo Place is open 10am-4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
Doiron House an architectural & cultural landmark celebrating Acadian community life. The home was built in 1841 and retains its original masonry hearth, the only known one of its kind in the area. Families are sure to love the opportunity to explore the site through the eyes of Marie, a young girl on a hunt for a valuable object. The house is currently open Saturdays & Sundays.
DIY Studio lets you paint-your-own pottery – and they have some fun Halloween pieces in stock!
The Clayspace often holds drop in sessions, kid-friendly classes, and a retail gallery.
Hop Skip Jump! is open; reduced capacity, but no reservation required. FitRocks Climbing Gym has great courses for all ages. The Riverview Indoor Skatepark is a wonderful place to learn & practice your skills; book a time and check them out!
Bowling is always fun! Fairlanes in Moncton & Bowlarama in Dieppe both offer gutter blockers for kids, and Bowlarama has an awesome arcade section.
Escape rooms are great fun with older kids; check out the options at Room Escape Atlantic, Mystery Moncton Mystere, & at Shediac’s Le Moque-Tortue.
(And for those of you wondering, Skyzone Moncton is expected to reveal its new location soon. We’ll keep an eye out for you!)
IDEAS FOR OUTINGS WITH TWEENS & TEENS
Room Escape Atlantic is recommended ages 8 and up.
Mystery Moncton Mystere recommended ages 14 and up.
Families with adult kids might also want to check into the Wreck Room and Timber Lounge Moncton for some out-of-the-ordinary fun!
You might also want to plan a visit to a trip to Le Moque-Tortue in Shediac, which features a board game cafe and child-friendly escape rooms.
We’ve rounded up a list of ARCADES in the GMA; you can find that info here!
SWIMMING
Find lots of info on indoor & outdoor swimming options in our Guide to Swimming in the GMA.
- The Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre in Riverview offers weekday Parent & Tot swims and open swim times.
- The Moncton YMCA holds public swims sessions; you do NOT need a membership to swim at these times. There is a children’s pool at the YMCA.
- There are preschool swim sessions at the Dieppe Aquatic Centre, as well as public swim times. A section of the pool has a sloped entry and a pirate ship water feature, making it ideal for little ones.
- The public is also welcome to swim at certain times in the pool at Universite de Moncton.
And remember – you can find more details on arcades, bowling alleys, and other attractions on Pickle Planet’s Guide to Family Fun in Greater Moncton.
THE JENNA & TOSH SHOW
Coming up Monday on the podcast, we chat with the inspiring Gillian Crooks. Gillian was diagnosed with MS as a teenager, needed medication and a wheelchair to deal with her diagnosis, then became a mother and a marathon runner. Seriously – you need to listen to her story! Here’s a little teaser – full episode coming Monday, here and on Rogers TV in New Brunswick.
Make sure you subscribe on your favourite podcast app so you don’t miss great chats, like when Sonya from SOS Blog came to organize Tosh’s tea cupboard or when registered dietitian Jillian Reid talked about returning to healthy eating after this pandemic life! You might also want to go back & check out some seasonal gems from last year, including mixing cocktails & mocktails & tips for staging your home during the holidays.
CHRISTMAS TREES & MORE
It’s that time of year – when holiday hoopla is in full swing!
Bass Pro’s Santa is sitting behind protective glass to help keep everyone safe. The photos we’ve seen of families visiting so far look great!
CF Champlain announced Santa’s visits will be virtual this year.
You can find oodles of great Christmas content on our site; here are a couple of gems you might want to check out sooner rather than later!
CHARITABLE DRIVES TO SUPPORT
While the annual Royale Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade had to be cancelled this year, the Food Drive, spearheaded by the Corey Craig Group, must go on! Usually 5,000 pounds of food is collected at the parade to help support the efforts of the Food Depot Alimentaire. To make sure the food bank shelves remain full, volunteers from Corey Craig group will be at the Moncton Coliseum this Saturday, November 21, from 9am to 3pm, to collect donations in a socially distanced manner. You can also bring your letters to Santa to be delivered to the Canada Post elves, too!
What Kids Need Moncton is holding its 9th annual Snowflake Station & is accepting donations at My Bike Shop on Halifax Street in Moncton. They currently have more than 500 children registered, with about half of those sponsored. You can sponsor via this link, or use this one if you’d like to register for help.
The Sue Stultz & Moncton Firefighters Turkey Drive has been helping local families since the early 1990s. (It’s truly one of our favourite community giving stories. Check out their website for the details!) Things look a little different this year, because of the pandemic. Turkeys will be accepted only on December 2-4, 10am-7pm, at the St. George Street fire station. You’ll drive through a special set-up in the parking lot ‘down back’ to drop off your turkey in a socially-distanced manner. The goal this year is 3,216 turkeys donated by Friday, December 4. You can also donate online; each $25 counts as one turkey.
Moncton Headstart’s Toy Land gave out more than 5,000 Christmas gifts to nearly 2,000 children in the Greater Moncton Area last year. To help this year, you can drop off a new, unwrapped gift at the toy box at CF Champlain, at local Jean Coutu locations, or at the Moncton Headstart office. If you need help this year, appointments to visit Toyland begin December 1; you can head to their website or call 506-858-8252 to register.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: Christmas Playdough Recipe
Something we forgot? Let us know! You can message us through our Facebook page.
Need more ideas for fun with the family? Check out details for arcades, bowling alleys, and other attractions on Pickle Planet’s Guide to Family Fun in Greater Moncton.