What to do with the kids this weekend in Greater Moncton (May 10-12, 2024)
Welcome to the weekend, everyone! We’re well into spring now in the Moncton area & events & activities are starting to pop up all over the place. A quick reminder to please check the links to ensure you have the most up-to-date information from the source & be sure to tell folks you saw their event on Pickle Planet! We’re coming up on our 9th anniversary of starting this site & we love to know it helps you & your family get out & explore this place.
Let’s get planning the weekend, shall we?
FRIDAY
There’s so much happening at the Moncton Library this month! They have a drop off for Menstrual May, helping those facing menstrual poverty. (Check out some awesome workshops/presentations on Saturday.) You can find the month’s children’s activities listed on a quick-reference calendar, too – including FREE music classes happening today at noon (ages 5-18months) & tomorrow (18m-5y) with our friends from Alison Dawn Voice & Music. Also today – Max the Miniature Horse will be on site to visit the library’s book sale! Yes, you can buy books from the library AND you visit with an adorable animal; he’ll be there 3-4pm today. (The book sale runs until Sunday.)
Have you checked out the Peregrine Falcon cam at the Magnetic Hill Zoo? The falcons have been incubating four eggs that could hatch any time now! The zoo is open seven days a week now, too.
Riverview High School’s Drama program is presenting a fun show (great for ages 8 & up) about the other students at a school that can’t be named with a boy who conquered evil. PUFFS! Or, Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic opens Thursday night. You can catch it Friday night (7pm), a Saturday matinee (2pm), or Saturday night (7pm). Tickets at the door, $15 general, $12 students/seniors; you can order online, too: https://bit.ly/PuffsRHS
The Sussex Drive In is opening May 10th for the season – with a double feature of Kung Fu Panda 4 & Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. Both movies play Saturday night, too!
Restaurant à la dune at Plage Aboiteau Beach is open today, Saturday, & Sunday, 11am-8pm. You can call ahead to place a take out order; 506-577-1115.
🤸♂️ 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
🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Youth Drop In Centre is open 3-5pm & 6-10pm today.
⚡SkyZone’s Glow Nights are Fridays & Saturdays, 7-10pm. Wear white or florescent colours!
🏊 YMCA Public Swim, 7-8pm, $3
🏀 Drop-in basketball for ages 12-18 at the YMCA, 8:15-9:30pm, $5 for non-members (also on Mondays!)
SATURDAY
Today at the Moncton Library, there’s a Periods 101 session for youth in Grades 5 – 8. The Period Purse will offer an overview of language, anatomy, products, and more. No registration required, and no cost; 10-11am. From 11am-noon, there’s a session for adults with tips for creating open, period-positive conversations with kids. There’s a drop-in craft session for ages 6-12 at 1pm, the toddler/youth music class with Alison Dawn at 3pm, and the book sale is still on!
BGC Dieppe is hosting a pancake breakfast Saturday, May 11 from 9am – noon; cost is $5.
The annual Frank L. Bowser Spring Fair is happening today at the Riverview school, 10am-1pm. Everyone is welcome to attend! They have face painting, carnival games, & so much more!
RELATED READ: Riverview’s Rebecca Schofield All World Super Playpark
Need help crafting a gift for Mom? Head to Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse between 11am & 3pm to create a Mother’s Day container & card for $10. Visit the farm animals & greenhouses, too!
There’s a new Jellycat drop happening at Chapters Moncton at 10am today – and we have to say, that Pickle looks like they’d feel right at home with us! (If you have a grad in your life, there’s an egg with a cap on the Jellycat site that is stealing our hearts, too!)
Resurgo Place’s new temporary exhibit, BEES!, opens today. This interactive display covers equipment, products, popular culture references, & more.
The Moncton Mystics have their home opener tonight, hosting the Halifax Hornets. Watch them on the court at Crandall University, 6pm start. Doors open at 5:15pm; it’s $7/adults, $5/students & seniors, and children 12 & under are free. This is a small fee to pay for the amazing talent you’ll see!
Canada’s Circus Spectacular is coming to the Moncton Coliseum Saturday, May 11 at 3pm. You can buy tickets in advance online.
Petty International Raceway opens for the season today, with Street Stock, Mini Stock, & Super Late Model Series events. The raceway has events most weekends now until the fall. Ages 10 & under enter free, event begins at 3pm.
🏖️ 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 – MOTHER’S DAY
🏖️ 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.
🏊 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)
Need help crafting a gift for Mom? Head to Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse between 11am & 3pm to create a Mother’s Day container & card for $10. Visit the farm animals & greenhouses, too!
Mastermind Toys is holding a hands-on in-store event today – a science experiment with paper flowers from Crayola. A reminder that the store offers storytime on Thursdays at 4pm; this is free to attend & there’s usually a giveaway, too!
Did you sign up for early access to The Online Grapevine? You can shop starting at 8pm tonight! More than 100 local people are selling nearly 10,000 items – it’s like shopping Marketplace but no messaging with sellers, no scheduling pick ups, and no worrying about scammers. The sales all flow through Grapevine Events, so you’re protected! But you can only shop until Thursday night, so don’t wait! Get started now: The Online Grapevine – New Brunswick’s Family Online Market
Looking for Summer Camp info? We don’t do a round up of that – because our friends at Network of Moms do! (And we only have so many hours in a day – and we’ve used them all up plus tried to borrow more, it seems.) NOM is a Saint John-area based group & site, but if you scroll down the Summer Camp directory you’ll find a section with links to a dozen Moncton-area options.
MORE ONGOING IDEAS & ACTIVITIES
🛼 Dieppe is welcoming people to skate the Oval at Place 1604 with in-line skates for the summer!
🐯 The Magnetic Hill Zoo is now open seven days a week, 10am-4pm!
🏎️ East Coast Karting plans to be open Saturdays & Sundays until their full season begins.
🤘 BGC Dieppe is always a great place for families to connect – check out their May schedule.
🎾 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?
🍦Ice cream is always a great treat & our GUIDE TO HARD SCOOP ICE CREAM SPOTS IN GREATER MONCTON is updated for 2024!
🍦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.
💃 Are you following Moncton Cares on social? This group is creating wonderful opportunities for both newcomers and the community at large. Check out their DROP IN, family-friendly week day programming at NBCC & Birchmount School! Its just $10 for 10 sports sessions (you can drop in as you’re able) & $10 for five dance sessions (again, come when you can & learn various traditional dances).
LOOKING AHEAD
Neptune Drive-In Theatre’s Grand Re-Opening is set for May 17, with the double feature of If (PG rating) & Bob Marley: One Love (PG-13 rating). Showtime is expected to be 9:45pm; gates open at 6pm. Cost is $10, children under 12 are $7, and no charge for those under five.
There’s a flower pot decorating & flower planting event at BGC Dieppe on May 18.
Poley hopes to have its Bike Park open for the season May 18, too!
Monster trucks & BMX riders are coming to the Avenir on May 19.
Beloved Miniature Horses is holding an open farm day on May 20, 10am-4pm. $10 cash entry; children under three are free.
The Friends of the Zoo’s EcoFest takes place May 25 & 26; watch for special activities and giveaways.
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.
Make plans to join a community movie night at BGC Dieppe on Friday, May 31 to watch Yes Day.