What to do with the kids this weekend in Greater Moncton (June 9-11)

Welcome to another awesome weekend, everyone! Lots of events & ideas – and don’t forget, we’re closing in on Father’s Day next Sunday, so make sure you’re ready!

THIS WEEKEND’S EVENTS

(Apologies in advance if I’ve missed anything this weekend – I’ve been fully focused on organizing the 17th annual Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival, happening June 13-17. If you know of something not mentioned here, pop it in the comments!)

St. Andrew’s Children’s Dances in Petitcodiac is planning a GLOW dance party for Grades K-2 (6-7pm) & Grades 3-5 (7:30-8:45pm) on Friday.

Be sure to check out the East Coast Comic Expo, happening Friday & Saturday at the Moncton Coliseum. Kids 12 & under enter for free with a paying adult!

This weekend at the Sussex Drive-In, it’s Spiderman Across the Universe & The Machine.

Whispering Willow in Scoudouc is hosting a special Princess Fundraiser on Saturday, in support of Marissa, a young girl with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma — an aggressive, cancerous brain tumor with a survival rate of less than 1%. There will be a magic show, special drinks, miniature horses, treats, and a dance party. It’s sure to be an incredible event!

Lounsbury Chevrolet’s annual Corvette Show is Saturday, starting at 10am. There will be Corvettes from C1 to C8 in the parking lot, along with a food truck, prizes, & more.

Head to Salisbury’s Highland Park every Saturday in June for games & more with the crew from BGC Salisbury, noon – 2pm. Enjoy the splash pad, natural playground, wetlands trail, and more! You can start your Saturday in Salisbury off with a visit to the Farmer’s Market, and a LEGO morning at Salisbury library. Come for 10:30am to create with the library’s brick collection.

The annual FunZOOla event, hosted by Friends of the Zoo — is happening Saturday moving to Sunday for better weather. 🙂

Celebrate Philippine Independence Day (a little early) with the Filipino Food Fiestaval at Place 1604 at Riverview’s Caseley Park on Saturday. Lots of yummy food, music, & more. (Watch for more details on our next podcast episode!)

The City of Moncton is hosting EnviroFest at Centennial Park on Saturday morning, starting at 11am. There will be hands-on activities, demonstrations, and more.

Congrats to Mike’s Bike Shop on their 40th anniversary! This weekend is full of fun, with a kids’ bike skills course in the parking lot, hot dogs, games, giveaways and more!

Break out your Hawaiian best and join a fun 6&10K run on Sunday morning, starting at the Chocolate River Station in Riverview. Register on site at 7:30am, run starts exactly at 8am. $10 to join.

The 7th annual PJ Walk for Kids is taking place Sunday at Centennial Park. This is always a great event for a cause that’s so important and dear to us – the Ronald McDonald House Charities Atlantic. Enjoy a pancake breakfast, bouncy castles, face painting, mini firetruck rides, the Teddy Bear Clinic & more.

Also on Sunday the amazing Josephine Watson is launching her children’s book along with several other titles from Bouton D’or. The event takes place at Aberdeen Cultural Centre at 3pm. The other authors are Nicole Poirier & Christine Arbour; all books are in French and aimed at children ages four to seven.

Keep getting those weekend steps in at the Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF, happening at Riverfront Park in Moncton at 1pm.

• Magnetic Hill Zoo is currently open five days a week (closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays).
• Magic Mountain‘s mini golf is open for the season; a sure sign the rest will soon follow!
• Butterfly World & The Boardwalk includes batting cages, go-karts, mini golf, bumper boats, and lots more – a great spot for the whole family to enjoy! (Not all aspects are open yet, but check their socials for updates.)
• Adventurous families might want to try TreeGo (located within Centennial Park in Moncton)
• or maybe book a session at Maghill Paintball
• or hit the track at East Coast Karting
• Boyle Family Farm offers farm visits and horseback rides; check their site for what’s happening.
• Llamazing Adventures books walks with animals in fun locations!
• Beloved Miniature Horses often has farm visits available to book; check their site for special events coming up, too.
• Off Grid Adventure in Anagance for an awesome adventure course & their new indoor climbing walls
• Book a session on the climbing wall at Camp Centennial this June!

IDEAS FOR INDOOR FUN

• Shediac’s Homarus Centre offers guided tours on the weekend
• Resurgo Place (closed Mondays) has a new temporary exhibit, Refuge Canada.
• Doiron House, celebrating Acadian community life in Dieppe, is open Saturdays & Sundays.
• SkyZone is open extended hours on Monday!
• FitRocks Climbing Gym
• Hop Skip Jump 
• Marco’s Clinic (laser tag)
• Bowlarama (with an awesome arcade)
• Holy Moly (with retro arcade games)
• Fairlanes (with Glow Bowling nights!)
• Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Riverview Youth Centre
• DIY Studio (paint your own pottery)
• Bass Pro’s 12,000-gallon freshwater aquarium with striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, trout, perch, and more is fun to visit.
• Cineplex has several fun options playing, including the new Little Mermaid.
• Room Escape Atlantic (their site shows a few non-scary, kid-friendly options)
• Mystery Moncton Mystere (for the teens & up)
• If you have toddlers, I can’t recommend the indoor splash pad at YMCA Moncton North enough! It’s generally open to the public Saturdays & Sundays, 8:30-10:45am, 12:15-2:15pm, & 3:45-4:45pm (and times during the week, too!). Low cost and SUPER fun!
• The pirate ship & sloped entry at the Dieppe Aquatic Centre is also fantastic for littles, and the older kids & stronger swimmer love the blow-up obstacles in the bigger pool.
• The warm kiddie pool at the YMCA Greater Moncton (public swims Saturdays 6-7:30pm & Sundays 1:30-3pm) is another great spot with options for younger & older kids alike.
• Don’t forget the open swims at Riverview’s Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre on Saturdays from 1:30-3:30pm & 12:30-2pm on Sundays.

LIVE MUSIC

We LOVE what’s happening with the revitalization the Harvey Hall near Riverside-Albert – and this Saturday they have one of New Brunswick’s great talents on stage, David Myles! (Adults $40, Children $20; limited seating, so email HarveyHall1884@gmail.com if you’re considering the trip.)

There’s also live free music at the Moncton Market on Saturdays (June 3 – August 26), family-focused free entertainment Wednesday nights (June 7 – August 30) in Centennial Park, free Tuesday night concerts June 6 – August 29 in Victoria Park through the City of Moncton.  (Dieppe’s Wednesday night concerts begin in July.)

SUMMER FESTIVAL OUTLOOK

• The 17th annual Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival is always a fantastic family outing, with bouncy castles, face painting, sword fighting contests, heavy event competitions, pipebands, highland dancers, and so much more!
• The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are scheduled to be in Moncton June 17 & 18. Watch for flyovers & more – including a scheduled jump by the CF Skyhawks at the Highland Games on Saturday at 4:30pm!
• On June 18, the Three Fathers Memorial Run returns to downtown Moncton.
• Also that weekend, the Shediac Centre for Speed is hosting Monster Mania, billed as the biggest Monster Truck festival in the Maritimes.
• Dieppe’s brining back ConneXion Zone at Place 1604 starting June 24! Head to the skating oval area for giant games, roller skating, vendors, and more. (The LeBarBu beer garden will be at Rotary St-Anselme Park starting June 17.)
• Salisbury is hosting a youth ball hockey tournament on Saturday June 24th; a great way to start summer vacation!
• Riverview Sunfest is always a great way to kick start your summer, with events June 24 to July 1.
• Whoa Canada is Moncton’s big Canada Day concert on the waterfront. Just announced as headliners: Sloan & Les Hay Babies! The city’s press release nots there will be food vendors, family activities, and the tri-community fireworks show, too!
• Shediac’s Lobster Festival (which is about so much more than just that yummy crustacean) is happening July 1-9.
• Moncton will host an International Buskers Festival July 14 – 16, with a fantastic line up of fun downtown performances.
• Dieppe’s ImaginAIR returns to Dover Park, July 28 – 30. The skies will be full of amazing sights!
• We can’t wait to see the streets of downtown Moncton transformed by the International Street Painting Festival happening August 5-7. There are 2D & 3D chalk artists coming to create!
• The Napa Auto Parts World Series of Monster Trucks is coming to the Petty International Raceway on August 11-13.
• We know there’ll be oodles of awesome parties planned for Quinzou (August 15, National Acadian Day), but we noticed Memramcook is already promoting their family events, market, tintamarre, fireworks, & music with Beauxmont, La Trappe and Louisiana band The Revelers!
• Wrap up the summer with the River of Pride, with events August 25 to September 2.
• FYI: Mosaiq, Moncton’s multicultural festival, is moving to September

Don’t forget to mark Tuesday nights on your calendar – amazing BLOCK PARTIES are happening through the city of Moncton!