What to do this weekend with the kids in Moncton (Feb 1-3)
Welcome, February! You are filled with fun and festivals and even a Family Day long weekend! Let’s get this party started!
Thanks this week to Riverview’s Winter Carnival for sponsoring the round up (and the fantastic cover photo!). We’ve had an incredible time partnering with them already promoting this year’s event and things are only officially kicking off this weekend!
You can check out our Top 10 Reasons to Visit for an indepth look at Riverview Winter Carnival, as well as feature on Winter Wonderland Park. We’ll highlight a few events in the round up, too, of course!
Shall we start with a run down of Winter Carnival events? Not only is Riverview kicking things off this weekend, but also Shediac, Dieppe, Petitcodiac, and more!
Friday night in Riverview you’ll want to head to Winter Wonderland Park for Ignite, the official kick off that includes fireworks at 7pm! Saturday and Sunday we’ll be at the park again with sledge skating; there’s also crokicurl, sleigh rides, inflatable igloos, and much more. Saturday is also the annual Frozen Open, an indoor skateboarding competition! Sunday there’s a Family Wellness Fair filled with awesome vendors, workshops, and presentations including a discussion about natural approaches to coping with ADHD in children (free but registration is required), tips for dealing with ‘winter blues,’ engaging with nature, and an interactive workshop on mindfulness for all ages.
Also on Sunday, the Moncton Wildcats will be Riverview’s Byron Dobson for the 2019 Skills Competition, including a public skate and autograph session!
Check Riverview Winter Carnival’s Facebook page for a huge list of events from February 1 – 10; there are more than three dozen awesome activities!
Shediac celebrates its 41st Winter Carnival from January 30 to February 3. Some of the best options for family fun include the annual Groundhog Day visits from festival mascot Bonhomme Couèche, a family ice fishing tournament, chowder tastings, and much more! Pascal Poirier Park on Saturday night will be the happening event, with a bonfire, music by Denis Leger and Ricky Breau and Flashback, skating and sliding, and more.
Dieppe’s Winter Carnival also kicks off Friday night. There’s Fun on Ice at Place 1604 with special guests the Aigles Bleues, a workshop at Carte Blanche, and free entry to the Dieppe Boys & Girls’ Club’s climbing wall. On Sunday, Science East brings its mobile lab to the Dieppe Boys & Girls Club, as well as a clown workshop. At Rotary Park you can enjoy a sugar shack, ice sculpting, outdoor skating, skills tests with the Aigles Bleus, a bonfire with music by DJ Duze, and fireworks (around 6:30pm)! The fun continues at Rotary Park on Sunday, with a community breakfast, a fat bike race, an outdoor climbing wall, more sugar shack fun, a giant live game of foosball, and much more! (Some activities require payment.)
Petitcodiac Winter Carnival kicks off Friday night with a Children’s Dance at Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church. On Saturday, there’s a pancake breakfast at the legion and an afternoon of winter fun at Maple Street Park with sleigh rides, skating on the pond, snowshoeing, and more.
Riverside-Albert’s 14th annual Winter Carnival is being held on Saturday at the Recreation Centre. There will be face painting, crafts. Snowshoeing, sliding, and more!
Snider Mountain Ranch (near Sussex) is again holding its popular Winter West event this Sunday from 2-5pm. Enjoy pony rides, petting zoo, sliding, skating, face painting, marshmallow roasting, and lots more – all for free. For $2, enjoy a sleigh ride and you might also want to bring cash for the food available on site.
Now, on to the rest of the weekend fun!
Friday nights are always Fun on Ice in Dieppe. This week’s music is provided by Campfire Boys. (Make note: next week is kids’ entertainers, Scotty and the Stars!)
The Wildcats are at home this weekend, hosting the Islanders on Friday night at the Avenir Centre. Saturday they host the Mooseheads, as well as the official launch of this year’s Hubcap Comedy Festival. There’s a special Clown Nose Skate happening on the Ian Fowler Oval before the game at 5:30pm, along with some stand up performances in the Club Lounge during intermission.
Saturday is Groundhog Day! Did you see our puppet craft? It’s always a hit in our house!
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the $2.99 Family Favourites feature this Saturday morning at Cineplex.
Mastermind Toys is holding a LEGO make & take on Saturday; while supplies last.
Chapters Moncton is holding a LEGO minifig swap on Saturday morning.
There’s also a LEGO make & take happening at Toys R Us on Saturday (while supplies last).
Michaels Kids Club is making Foxy Valentines this Saturday (fees applicable).
This Saturday is also the annual celebration welcoming the 2019 Chinese New Year, hosted by the Greater Moncton Chinese Cultural Association at the Moncton Wesleyan Church. From noon until 5:30pm you can enjoy traditional Chinese games, a puppet show, face painting, bouncy castles, food and craft vendors, and a one-hour performance. Family rate is $20; tickets can be purchased at the door.
Resurgo Place welcomes the Homarus Mobile Lab on Saturday morning, a great extra attraction to enjoy with the family!
Saturday nights the City of Moncton provides live musical entertainment at the Ian Fowler Oval, starting at 6:30pm. Remember you can also stop by in the morning to snag a spot in the free Learn to Skate workshop!
MHS is presenting a musical production, Where I’ve Been, featuring an original script with classic rock hits performed by the school band.
Saturdays are family night at Poley; you can get lift tickets and rentals for two adults and two youth for $120.
Sunday at Resurgo Place it’s the regular sewing workshop; this week’s focus is on fixing wool socks – a perfect undertaking for this chilly weather!
Centennial Park is hosting Snow Motion this Sunday, from 2-5pm, offering a range of free activities.
Ongoing Weekend Winter Fun
You can find a full list of winter fun ideas here, but we thought we’d share some highlights.
Broadleaf Ranch offers horseback rides, sleigh rides, sliding, skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling – and overnight options!
You can rent snowshoes and cross country skis at Centennial Park ($10 per adult, $5 for children for skis, $5 for snow shoes) and snowshoes and fat bikes for adults and children at Mapleton Park on Sundays ($5 for snowshoes, bikes $25). You can also rent fat bikes from Mike’s Bike Shop!
Tobogganing is welcome at Centennial Park in Moncton and Rotary St-Anselme Park in Dieppe and Winter Wonderland Park in Riverview.
Lace up your skates, grab a helmet, and enjoy all the outdoor rinks: Ian Fowler Oval at Avenir Centre, Centennial Park, Mapleton Park, Victoria Park, Winter Wonderland park, Rotary St-Anselme Park and the oval behind City Hall in Dieppe.
Double-check the indoor rinks for tournament closures, but on the regular schedule you’ll find parent & tot skating on Fridays and Sundays at Superior Propane Centre and public skating Sundays ($2); parent & tot skating on Fridays at the Crossman Community Centre Kay Arena and public skating Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays (free on Fridays, $2 other). There’s parent and tot skating and public skating at the Moncton Coliseum on Saturdays ($2). The Byron Dobson rink has free parent and tot skating and kids skating on Fridays, and public skating on Saturdays and Sundays ($2 adult, $1 child). Dieppe’s Centennial Arena has free family skating on Fridays and Sundays, and there’s free skating at the AJL Centre on Sundays. Shediac Festival Arena, Petitcodiac arena, and the Hillsborough rink all have public skating times, too.
Indoor Options
Hop Skip Jump!, Crystal Mountain Party Palace, Skyzone Moncton, Riverview Skatepark and Youth Centre, and FitRocks Climbing Gym are great spaces for kids to burn energy. You can also try Fairlanes in Moncton, Bowlarama in Dieppe, and Parklane Bowling in Riverview; all offer gutter blockers for kids! There are also free gym times for various ages at the Crossman Centre.
Swimming is another great way to spend some active family time; the Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre in Riverview offers open swim times on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the Moncton YMCA holds public swimming on Fridays, Saturdays, and $2 Sundays, and there are public swim times at the Dieppe Aquatic Centre on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The public is also welcome to swim at certain times in the pool at Universite de Moncton.
For a creative outlet, check out The Clayspace and DIY Studio is a great paint-your-own pottery option for family fun, located on Mountain Road. We’ve also rounded up a list of arcades in the GMA; you can find that info here!
That’s the list for this weekend, folks!
A quick note about an event happening during the week you might want to attend. The Greater Moncton Scottish Association is holding a public meeting to hear from interested people about the programs and events they’d like to see, including ideas relating to the annual Moncton Highland Games, as well as ongoing cultural celebrations and workshops. Attendance is open to everyone with an interest in seeing the Scottish culture promoted and preserved, not just those interested in becoming members of the society. We know SO many of you enjoy taking your families to the Games each year; this is a great way to support the volunteers creating this festival!
And of course be sure to check out Riverview’s Winter Carnival Facebook page for events happening throughout the week – and watch for more highlights from us, too!
Pickle Planet’s Top 10 Reasons to Visit Riverview Winter Carnival 2020
January is the most depressing month; why do we keep making it worse?