What to do with the Kids this Weekend in Moncton (June 1-3)
Welcome to another fabulous weekend filled with family fun in the Greater Moncton Area! A huge thanks to this week’s round up sponsor, Quber, a locally-created money-saving app that can help you make the most of your money to enjoy even more great times with your family! You can find out more about the app on their website and in our review.
FRIDAY FUN
East Coast Amusements is set up outside Fairlanes Bowling Centre until June 3! The rides open at 3pm on weekdays, 11am on Saturday and noon on Sunday; closing time varies based on the crowds. Bracelets to ‘ride all day’ will be sold each day for $26; you can also buy coupons.
And speaking of Fairlanes, their kids’ free bowling program resumes June 1st! Register online and your child can have two free strings every day throughout the summer; shoe rentals may be extra.
The annual Royal Road for Kids event takes place Friday afternoon. Head to Caseley Park from 1:30 to 3:30 for bouncy castles, BBQ, watermelon eating contest, sundae bar, pie toss, water slides, a dunk tank, and more, all organized by students from Riverview High School. Proceeds from the event go to Crossroads for Women.
This weekend is the annual Dragon Boat Festival on Jones Lake. Friday will feature local high school teams, with corporate and community groups racing on Saturday. The event raises funds for the Lions Sick Children’s Fund, as well as charities of choice of the participating teams.
Another annual fundraising event this weekend is the Hockey Heroes Weekend, featuring NHL and Olympic alumni playing with local citizens to raise money to combat heart disease and stroke in our province. There will be a draft Friday night at the Casino, round robin games at the Superior Propane Centre Saturday and Sunday, and a final Sunday at the Superior Propane Centre.
Summer weekends are awesome for movies! Shediac’s Neptune Drive In is showing Solo & Avengers Infinity War (both rated PG) on Screen 1 and Adrift & I Feel Pretty on Screen 2. Showtime is roughly 9:30pm. In Sussex, it’s A Wrinkle in Time and Avengers Infinity War. The Saturday $2.99 feature at Cineplex is Early Man.
(PS – Did you know there’s a candy shop open in Shediac again? Candy Craze is open on the Pointe-Du-Chêne wharf; be sure to tell them you heard mention on Pickle Planet if you stop by! A trip to the wharf can be such a fun outing; visit the Ecocentre Homarus for some educational fun, grab a treat, and enjoy a meal (Captain Dan’s opens June 6, The Sandbar is open now), all while enjoying the comings & goings on the water. There is a $2 fee to park on the wharf.)
PARKS & TRAILS DAY
Friday is the official launch of the Discovery Daypack program at the Riverview Library. Drop by at 11am to learn about this service, matching you with hiking tools, maps, and more via your library card. The goal is to encourage more people to explore the Fundy Biosphere Reserve. This is part of province-wide celebrations for Parks & Trails Day, with events happening all weekend.
On Saturday, Moncton city staff will be out & about on several trails (Northwest Trail, Riverfront Trail, Humphreys Brook Trail, Rabbit Brook Trail) handing out water and prizes, playing Frisbee, and encouraging everyone to enjoy our community.
In Memramcook, wild crafter Genevieve Losier will host a community walk at Haut-du-Ruisseau Nature Park on Saturday starting at 10:30am. Learn to identify, gather, and taste wild spring herbs and plants.
In Shediac, Parks & Trails Day will be celebrated with a family cycling adventure, starting at 9am at Pascal Poirier Park.
Sackville is celebrating with a free half-day camp for children ages eight to 12 at the Sackville Waterfowl Park. Registration in advance is required; call 364-4967.
SATURDAY FUN
Mamas, if you’ve shopped the Moncton Multiples Consignment Sale & wished there was a grown up version, be sure to head to Agrena C on Saturday morning for the Grapevine Events Women’s Spring Sale! All clothing is hanging, sorted by size and style, with change rooms available. Women’s clothing, accessories, shoes, and home décor, as well as nearly two dozen local vendors.
And speaking of deals & frugal living, if you’re looking for a one-stop yard sale listing for the GMA, be sure to join the Yard Sales Moncton Facebook group!
Looking for a great teacher thank you gift? Drop the kids off at The Clayspace on Saturday morning and have them create a handmade treasure. Cost is $25/child, family discounts available. Register to secure your spot!
The Play Connexion Café is on again this Saturday from 10am until noon at 1620 Rue Champlain. Free fun with bouncy castle, games, face painting, and more.
Nick Bradshaw will be on site at The Comic Hunter Saturday to celebrate the release of Amazing Spider-Man #800 – including a story by Nick!
Young Explorers Learning Centre is holding an open house on Saturday from noon until 4pm. Check out this new daycare space and enjoy the gym and some cupcakes!
Scholar’s Choice Smart Saturday theme is garden party; enjoy hands-on educational activities for free between noon and 2pm.
Michael’s Saturday morning Kids Club craft focuses on sloths, while their afternoon in-store activity is super hero slime.
Toys R Us is holding a LEGO Star Wars make & take; build a mini Millennium Falcon, test out a riot baton, and more from 11am until 1pm. Quantities are limited.
The Moncton Library is always a fun place to visit, with lots going on, including a musical storytime on Saturday morning.
Saturday is the annual Gluten Free Fair in Riverview, at the Coverdale Rec Centre.
The Sussex Fish & Game annual Cassidy Lake Fishing Derby takes place on Saturday, a chance to try the sport without purchasing a license. The event begins at sunrise and ends at noon; all kids who attend get a prize!
Cornhill Nursery is holding its Honey Blossom Festival on Saturday from 10am until 4pm. The apple and pear trees should be at the end of their blossoms, there will be talks on raising bees, and local vendors with beeswax and honey creations. There’s a glass enclosed bee hive where you can watch the bees at work!
The Pro All Stars Series Atlantic Fleet Completion Centre 150 is at the Petty International Raceway this Saturday.
For something a little different, check out the Professional Bull Riders tour at the Moncton Coliseum Saturday night. This event features two hours of bull riding action and is not a traditional rodeo.
SUNDAY FUN
Hopewell Rocks is open for the season and Sunday is Albert County Appreciation Day! Bring a donation for the Shepody Food Back and enjoy free admission from 8am to 5pm. Ocean floor will be accessible until 2pm; high tide is at 4:15pm.
Riverglade Motorcross track has a full day of races planned on Sunday, with gates open at 6:30am; the race program begins at 10am.
Sunday the fun is in Saint-Antoine as they host a community party in Gilbert-Leger Park from 1pm to 4pm. There will be a train ride around the park for $2/person, inflatables, and a BBQ.
Celebrate the history of our area on Sunday afternoon, as the 252nd anniversary of the arrival of the Copple, Jones (Schantz), Lutes, Ricker, Somers, Steeves, Trites, and Wortman families is marked at Settler’s Landing.
Sackville’s Blind Forest Books holds a Children’s Story Hour each Sunday at 2pm.
And of course summer Sunday afternoons are perfect for catching a home game with the Moncton Fisher Cats! Game time is 2pm at Kiwanis Park.
And don’t forget – for more great ideas on places to go with the family any weekend or weekday, check out our MEGA LIST of What to Do with the Kids in Moncton. You might also want to check out our playground profiles (we’re visiting a new park each week to share with you!) and our list of local ice cream spots!
EARLY IN THE WEEK
Looking ahead to Monday, mark a trip to Petitcodiac on your calendar! Festival Inspire is helping the community create a giant mural with Fred Harrison on the side of the Foodland supermarket. We stopped in last year to watch Eva Bracamontes painting her mural – be sure to check it out while you’re in the community! Fred will be creating until June 9, with a kick off street party on Monday from 4pm to 9pm. There will be circus and street performers, live art, food trucks, a licensed bar, and music headlined by The Divorcees.
And while we don’t usually share mid-week events, the upcoming musical created by the staff and students of l’école Carrefour de l’Acadie is too amazing not to mention! Joanne-Lise Leblanc-Belliveau and Justin Guignard have crafted a story about Thomas, a young boy who journeys from his home and seeks to find it again. The musical is presented at Mathieu-Martin School Auditorium on Wednesday evening; tickets available at the door, $5/adults, $3/students and children.
Whew, that was a long one – probably the longest round up yet this year! Did you know it takes more than FOUR HOURS searching more than 50 websites to create each weekend round up? If you found this at all helpful, please SHARE it with your friends and family – and with local businesses that you think might want to be involved. Thanks again to the amazing money-saving team at Quber for sponsoring this week. We hope you get out and enjoy some family fun!
