What to do this weekend with the kids in Greater Moncton (Feb 7-9, 2025)

Welcome to another wonderful winter weekend, everyone! The temperatures are up a touch for the first part of the weekend, so be sure to get out and enjoy all that’s happening!

REMINDER: If you have a little in your life, now’s the time to start thinking about picking up some Valentine’s Day cards for their class! February 14 is next Friday. Here’s a quick craft you can make at home to decorate!

Speaking of spreading love and friendship, check out the fun at Kept on Main. They have a DIY bracelet making station set up; create two for a minimum $5 donation and $3 per additional bracelet. The funds raised will go to local charity. Pop in anytime they’re open from now until February 15 to take part.

And one more Valentine’s Day preview before we dive in to this weekend’s events – reservations are open for the Valentine’s Day Tea at Thomas Williams House! There are sessions on February 15 & 16.

Grab your neon best & lace up for Riverview Winter Carnival’s Family Glow Skate! What can you expect? Lots of lively music, dazzling glow lights, and so much colour & fun! (Remember, you need a CSA-approved winter helmet on the ice – not a bike helmet.) The skate is in the Upper Byron Dobson Arena, which has a maximum capacity of 300, so get there early to ensure your skating spot. Family skating is from 6-7:30pm.

Older kids – ditch your ‘rents & do your own turn under the lights from 7:45-9pm! The Youth Glow Skate is sure to be an epic time.

Sackville’s annual Winterfest is underway, with lots of great activities. Check out the magic show at 5:30pm, the frosty outdoor party at Bill Johnstone Park starting at 7pm, and fireworks at 8pm!

Friday nights are always awesome with Dieppe’s Fun on Ice! ⛸️🎶This weekly event brings free music, bonfires, skating, & more to the Place 1604 Oval every Friday! This week, it’s DJ Chris featuring Acadian music. They have skates & helmets you can borrow, too. The fun happens 6:30-8pm. You can check their site for cancellation info if you’re curious about conditions.

Alma’s Winter Carnival is also underway, with a skating party at the rink at 6pm tonight.

Heads up: Two weeks from now, there’s another free community meal at the Dieppe BGC. Spaces are limited; reach out now to register!

Pancakes are always a great way to start a Saturday! Head to the Riverview Lions Club for a full meal dished out with the Royal Rush Dragon Boat team. Cost is $10/person or $30/family, with proceeds going to the Lion’s Sick Children’s Fund and Crossroads for Women. Serving 8-11am.

Wondering if Girl Guiding might be a good fit for your family? Get a taste with a drop-in event with hands-on activities inside and outside the Coverdale Rec Centre, 10am-3pm.

The public is welcome to attend the Highland Dance Championship happening at Riverview East School, with over 150 dancers participating from around the Maritimes.

Sackville’s Winterfest continues with two pancake breakfasts, crafts at the Dorchester library and storytime at the Sackville library,  outdoor skating in Dorchester, the popular family day at Beech Hill Park, and a free swim at Mt A!

Alma’s Winter Carnival activities today include skating, hot dog lunch, snow sculpting, and a board games night.

Hillsborough-based Jennifer McGrath’s new children’s book, The Pony and the Starling, launched this week & there’s a celebration at Chapters Moncton today from noon until 4pm. We also have a book giveaway happening on Facebook – go enter! 

Chapters Moncton also has a LEGO make & take happening Feb 8 at 1pm. There are 100 kits to giveaway!

The Trading Card Warehouse in Riverview is holding a community day, with giveaways, snacks, and more, 10am – 3pm.

The Alex Bazaar is happening today at 1pm at Dieppe’s Rotary St-Anselme Park, featuring items from Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Algeria, Palestine, India, and Jordan. There’ll be a section dedicated to Ramadan, free face painting for kids, and more. (And mark your calendars – Moncton Souq is hosting a Ramadan Festival February 15.

If you have a musical family you might want to make your way to the Lions Club in Salisbury for a Fiddle Doo, hosted by Ivan & Vivian Hicks. Drop in starting at 1:30pm; admission by donation. Everyone is welcome to listen or join in!

The Varsity Spirit Atlantic Showdown returns to the Avenir Centre today & tomorrow; watch for lots of cheerleaders & their family & friends downtown!

There’s a Beyblade tournament at Property Guys. The top eight players will earn a spot in the championships this summer!

Roller Disco returns to the Moncton Coliseum today – with tunes from the 2000s! There’s family skating from 4-6pm & 6-8pm.

Moncton Cares is holding a Multicultural Market at the Coverdale Rec Centre as part of Riverview Winter’s Carnival. Stop in from 9am-1pm for food, kids’ activities, and more.

Wrap up an incredible Riverview Winter Carnival with a relaxing, rejuvenating experience with a sound healing workshop for families. ECE & yoga teacher Trish will lead families through this session. Bring your own mat, blankets, and pillows to relax. Register online or call 506-387-2024 to book your free space.

Sleigh rides are back at Dieppe’s Rotary St-Anselme Park for the season! Sundays until March 2 you can enjoy a horse & wagon ride through the trails and a hot chocolate at Café Inclusio. Cost is $5/person (free for children ages four & younger; please bring cash to pay on site). There will also be bonfires at Maison Doiron, too. Rides available 1-4pm. (Private group rides are available; cost is $160 for 30 minutes. Contact Michel Breau at 506-866-8291 or Lindsay Hicks at 902-718-6736 to book.) The park has a sliding hill, trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking, and walking, as well as outdoor skating, too; you can check the conditions for each on their website.

Winterfest wraps up with the Sackville Skating Club’s figure skating presentation, a free family swim at Mt A, a skate for the foodbank, and a community Super Bowl Party!

Alma’s Winter Carnival ends with a 1pm sliding party in the ‘bowl’ at Fundy Park, followed by Pokemon themed bingo!

Collectors will want to head to the Crowne Plaza on Sunday for the collectibles market, 9:30am-2pm. Admission is $5; children 12 & under free. Lots of Funkos, action figures, Pokemon, Hot Wheels, and more!

Across the street, the Varsity Spirit Atlantic Showdown wraps up at the Avenir Centre.

🏊‍♀️ The indoor splash pad at the YMCA North End is an amazing option for kiddos – with public openings every day of the week! Check the schedule as times vary day-to-day; cost to attend for non-member is $6.

🏊‍♀️ For indoor swimming, there are public options at the YMCA Greater Moncton (love their small, warmer pool for little ones – Friday public swim 7-8pm, Saturday public swim 6:30-7:45, & Sunday public swim 2-3pm – thanks to the City, Friday & Sunday swims are just $3/person), the Pat Crossman Aquatic Centrein Riverview (Saturday public swims, 2-3:30pm), and the Dieppe Aquatic Centre (with the awesome sloped entry & pirate ship splash zone!).

👧 Hop! Skip! Jump! is perfect for little ones, as well as the cool climbing wall & laser room for older kids.

🎳 Bowling is always a fun idea! Go retro vibes with Marvelous Holy Bowly in Riverview, check out glow bowling times at Fairlanes in Moncton, or head to Bowlarama & its awesome arcade in Dieppe. (We recommend calling ahead to book in advance so you’re not disappointed.)

🎨 Creative mood? Try DIY Studio to paint your own pottery!

🪨 Want to move as a family but need to be indoors? Try a visit to FitRocks Climbing Gym!

🔫 Book laser tag at the Sportsdome or Marco’s!

🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Riverview Youth Centre are a great space to learn to skate or practice your skills!

🛹 There’s a borrowing program at YMCA North with skateboards, helmets, and protective gear for use on their great outdoor ramps when weather permits.

🔐 Up for a challenge? Room Escape Atlantic usually has a few non-scary, kid-friendly options & Mystery Moncton Mystere is great for the teens & up. There are also online options you can purchase to play on your own time, like … Motive for Murder audio game — A great ‘any time of day’ option for the true crime fans who are up for a little hometown sleuthing. Download a whodunnit set in Moncton!

💥 Gamer in the family? The Comic Hunter hosts Friday Night Magic Modern sessions,  Sunday Lorcana Locals & Pokémon sessions, Monday Star Wars Unlimited Weekly Play & lots of other gaming events.

🎲 If board games are your family thing, check out the great shop on Moncton’s Main Street, Board Miniatures! The have a standing paint and play tabletop session on Sundays. (And for amazing board games selection, don’t forget our friends at Scholar’s Choice.)

🐟 Bass Pro’s 12,000-gallon freshwater aquariumwith striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, trout, perch, and more is always fun to visit, especially when you need an indoor option.

🏫  Resurgo Place is a spot we love to visit again & again; history, hands-on science & arts, & special programming, too!

📚 Local libraries are always a great spot to visit, with lots of programming for all ages – and also another rainy day must visit option.

🤘 BGC Dieppe is always a great place for families to connect.

🎧 There’s a roughly one hour iTour of downtown Moncton’s historical & cultural locations you can use to help you explore – a great way to add a little movement, a little history, and a little fun to your family outings! Be sure to check out all the amazing public art installations around the downtown core, too!

🦙 Llamazing Adventures is a great way to get out & get moving! Take the llamas for a walk!

Wondering what to do with littles during the week? The Early Childhood Family Resource Centre de Ressources à la Petite Enfance hosts several fabulous drop in programs & playgroups – including Musical Mondays in Sackville and Wednesdays in Riverview & Cap-Acadie.

Years ago one of my parenting heroes, Ann Douglas, asked me to share ideas on thriving through the winter with little ones at home. Here are a few of the ideas I shared back then:

Weekly Activity Grab Bag – Outdoor & Indoor Versions

  • Pick 10 outdoor winter activities you could do as a family & write each one on a piece of paper or craft popsicle stick. Designate one day a week as your Outdoor Adventure Day. When it’s time, choose your adventure for the day! Ideas could be building a snowman, using food colouring to draw in the snow, checking out a new sliding hill, borrowing snowshoes at the park,  outdoor skating, etc.
  • Make a similar grab bag idea of indoor activities, too! This can be especially helpful if you’re home during the day with little kids. Write out 30 ideas – make play dough, mail a card to a friend, rainbow scavenger hunt, etc – that are easy activities and make sure you have the supplies on hand. (Tuck these away in a bin if necessary.) Each morning or afternoon, pick another activity. There’ll be an element of mystery and luck to keep both adults & kids entertained.

Snow Day Stash

  • Make sure you’re not caught off guard by snow day; fill a bin with items that will get you through a day stuck inside! Things you might want to include are mini cereal boxes & funky spoons, supplies for one hands-on activity (a craft or a science experiment), a family movie and special treat, deck of cards or another small game, like Yahtzee or Boggle, snow day storybooks (The Snowy Day, Sneezy the Snowman, Yeti Files, etc.), and funky paper plates, cups, napkins that will give it a party feel AND save you from dishes!

Family Game Night Tournament

  • Make this winter all about family time by setting up a Family Game Night Tournament. Create a leaderboard you can have on the wall all winter long. Mark the games played and the highest scores/winners. Build up momentum by playing each week, working towards a great Family Showdown over the March Break. Have something at stake for the winner, like choosing what take-out you’ll have to celebrate as a family.

We’re aiming to post our Family Day Weekend Round Up earlier in the week than usual – keep an eye! Here’s a reminder of the upcoming Winter Festivals!

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