What to do with the kids this weekend in Greater Moncton (April 26-28, 2024)
Welcome to another lovely weekend, Greater Moncton families! There’s lots to do, so let’s dive into it!
REMINDER: Please check the source links we provide to confirm information before heading out – and check the dates, too. An older Mother’s Day weekend post started popping up recently & caused some confusion. We’re going back to including the year in our headlines to hopefully help this from happening again.
Looking for a fun summer camp for your musically-inclined kid? Maybe you need a baby/toddler & me class to help socialize & learn? Check out the classes & camps being offered in Riverview with Alison Dawn Voice & Music! #sponsored
Registration for all of these are open now; the spring classes are just getting started – perfect time to sign up! Be sure to let them know you saw it on Pickle Planet, too! We know several families who’ve been going to these programs & love the school & instructors.
Our cover photo is from this Riverview playground: Riverview’s Irving Park Pump Track & Parkour Playground
We hope to start sharing some fresh playground profiles in May – but you can find dozens already on the site! Just look for the Playground tab in the Home menu!
FRIDAY
🤸♂️ 506 Elite offers a $5 drop-in play session on Fridays & Mondays, 10-11am. All ages welcome; parents must stay. (506 is a great spot if you have a kiddo who wants to twist & tumble; check out our recent profile of all they have to offer!)
🤸♂️ Open gym, free, Kay Arena, Parent & Tots 10am-12pm, K-5 2:15-3:30pm, Gr 6-8 3:30-4:45pm, free
🏊 Preschool swim, Dieppe, 10am
🏖️ YMCA Moncton North Splash Pad, 8am-4pm & 6-7:45pm, $5
🏸 Badminton, 14 & under, CCNB Dieppe, 6pm, free
🏸 Badminton, 15 & over, CCNB Dieppe, 7pm, free
⚡SkyZone’s Glow Nights are Fridays & Saturdays, 7-10pm. Wear white or florescent colours!]
🏊 YMCA Public Swim, 7-8pm, $3
🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Youth Drop In Centre is open 3-5pm & 6-10pm today.
🏀 Drop-in basketball for ages 12-18 at the YMCA, 8:15-9:30pm, $5 for non-members (also on Mondays!)
SATURDAY
The Travel to You Zoo is holding a Spring Fling, 9:30am-3:30pm, at 164 Broadway Street in Moncton. Entry is $7, $5 for those 12 & under. Along with visiting their animals (pigs, goats, ferrets, rabbits, chincillas, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, turtles, and more) you can expect (weather permitting) Beloved Miniature Horses, Mr. Bear Moncton, face painting, & more!
Shediac‘s Lions Club is holding a pancake breakfast to support Shediac Cape School, 8-11am, at the Shediac Multipurpose Centre. Cost is $7, $5 for children 12 & under.
Coverdale Masonic Temple in Riverview is hosting a pancake & sausage breakfast, 9-11am. Cost is $10 adults, $5 for kids. Unlimited servings! (Cash only.)
The Mom Market is hosting a fundraising market for PAW at Flying Boats, noon till 5pm, with Mama K’s food truck, face painting, & more.
Orienteering New Brunswick is hosting a learning clinic at 10am in Centennial Park. Learn to use a compass and read a map. Look for their banner in the playground area. Bring a compass & cash ($5/person, $10/family)
Ever thought of running away & joining the circus? Start the journey with some juggling lessons! Mighty Mike will be holding a class in Memramcook, 2-4pm. For ages 8 & over, cost is $10/person. Email danseenlairnb@gmail.com or call 506-232-9229 to register.
Today is Canadian Independent Bookstores Day – so get out & celebrate with a purchase if you can!
🏖️ YMCA Moncton North Splash Pad, $5, 8:30-10:45am, 12:15-2:15pm, & 3:45-4:45pm
⚽ Drop-in preschoolers play group, Dorchester, 10am-noon
🏊 Riverview Aquatic Centre offers open swim on Saturdays at 2:30pm.
🏊 CEPS (UdeM) public swim, 3-4:25, $3
🏊 The Dieppe Aquatic Centre has public swims on Saturday at 3:15pm & 6pm. $10/adults, $5-$8 for youth (under 2 free)
🏊 YMCA public swim, 6:30-7:45pm, $3
🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Youth Drop In Centre is open 11am-5pm & 6-10pm today.
⚡SkyZone’s Glow Nights are Fridays & Saturdays, 7-10pm. Wear white or florescent colours!
SUNDAY
Our awesome friends at Resurgo Place are hosting the equally awesome folks from Bouton d’Or Acadie for a Frye Festival book launch Sunday! Check out four great youth books from incredible local authors – en Francais! We’re most excited to check out La créature de la Petitcodiac!
Ventriloquist Norma McKnight will be at the Petitcodiac Legion on Sunday afternoon for a family-friendly show. Tickets can be purchased at the door; $15 for ages 16+, $10 for ages 4-15, & free for ages three & younger. Doors open at 2pm, show begins at 3pm. Canteen will be open, too!
Broadway lovers – this matinee is for you! Maestro Tony Delgado & the Tutta Musica Orchestra are taking the stage at Riverview Arts Centre with four of our region’s musical theatre stars to share songs from blockbuster musicals like Les Misérables, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast and more!
Orienteering New Brunswick is hosting the 33rd annual Flood-O event at Centennial Park. There is a 2km beginner course, a 4km intermediate, and 5km long course. There is a fee & pre-registration is suggested.
🏖️ YMCA Moncton North Splash Pad, $5, 8:30-10:45am, 12:15-2:15pm, & 3:45-4:45pm
🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Youth Drop In Centre is open 11am-4pm & 5-7pm today.
🏸 Drop in badminton for ages 12-18, $5, YMCA Moncton North, 1-2:45pm
🏊 YMCA Public Swim, $3, 1:30-3pm
🏊 CEPS (UdeM) public swim, $3, 3-4:25pm
🏊 Dieppe Aquatic Centre public swim Sunday at 3:15pm. $10/adults, $5-$8 for youth (under 2 free)
Family Feud is looking for New Brunswick families to audition for the next season. Grab your relations – blood or bonded! – and send in your audition to Casting Associate Kat. If you’re picked for the show, you’ll get flown to Toronto for a chance at $30,000 – and you’ll get to visit my old stomping grounds at the CBC! Check out the show’s FAQ page for tips on applying.
ONGOING IDEAS & ACTIVITIES
🎾 Tennis Dieppe has their nets up and they’re inviting you to play for free until their season opens in mid-May.
⛳ The driving range at The Boardwalk is open 10am-8pm daily, weather permitting.
🚵 Poley Mountain has mountain bike trails, including beginner routes for ages 6+ – and they’re planning some summer events geared to the littles with bouncy castles, balance bikes on the lawn, & kid-friendly options on the Slope Side Bar & Grill. DYK: They have an RV park, too?
🐯 The Magnetic Hill Zoo is open five days a week in April. (They’re closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays.)
🍦Ice cream is always a great treat & Bennic is open at noon every day except Monday!
🍦Trueman’s Blueberry Farm is also a fabulous ice cream destination – and on the weekend they have a train you can ride! Watch for some fun Easter Bunny sightings here soon, too.
🪨 Want to move as a family? Try a visit to FitRocks Climbing Gym!
🔫 Book laser tag at Marco’s Clinic or the Sportsdome.
🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Riverview Youth Centre are a great space to learn to skate or practice your skills!
👧 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 Holy Moly 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!
🔐 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!
🎲 If board games are your family thing, check out the new shop on Moncton’s Main Street, Board Miniatures! The have a standing paint and play tabletop session on Sundays.
👶 The Early Childhood Family Resource Centre has lots of drop-in & scheduled events throughout the month, both at its Dieppe location and its satellite locations. Check out their online calendars for details; a great option for littles throughout the week!
🐟 Bass Pro’s 12,000-gallon freshwater aquarium with striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, trout, perch, and more is always fun to visit. And of course, the Easter Bunny is on site now, too!
🦙 Llamazing Adventures is a great way to get out & get moving! Talk the llamas for a walk!
📚 Local libraries are always a great spot to visit, with lots of programming for all ages
🏫 Resurgo Place is another spot we love to visit again & again; history, hands-on science & arts, & special programming, too!
👟 The walking/running track at Université de Moncton’s Croix Bleue Medavie Stadium is open for public use Mondays-Fridays, 8:30am-4:30pm (unless there’s a competition or event). You can access two hours of free parking & the use of the track is free.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to the Avenir Centre on May 4.
Dinosaur World Live is coming to New Brunswick – and we’re going to have tickets to giveaway to the May 8 show at Saint John’s Imperial Theatre! #sponsored Watch our Facebook & tell your SJ friends! (There are a few seats left for the Moncton show at the Capitol Theatre on May 9, too.)
The Sussex Drive In is opening May 10th for the season – with a double feature of Kung Fu Panda 4 & Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. Shediac’s Neptune Drive In is also hoping to have a soft opening that weekend; watch for details!
Beloved Miniature Horses is holding an open farm day on May 20, 10am-4pm. $10 cash entry; children under three are free.
Our friends at Eastgate Academy are hosting another parent information session on May 29. Register for the free event online at https://rb.gy/fp99lm and check out our latest article about their big move & what makes their learning environment unique:
In June, the author of The Da Vinci Code is coming to Moncton for a Sistema New Brunswick Children’s Orchestra performance fundraiser on June 11 at the Wesleyan Centre.
Keep June 15 circled, too – for the annual Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival! Petting zoo, horse & wagon rides, bouncy castles, vendors, highland dancers, pipebands, music, and the national youth championship heavy athletics!!!