Osborne Street Fest |  June 30/July 1
The Forks/Assiniboine Park |  July 1
Big names: Victoria Duffield (Assiniboine Park)
Local: Mise en Scene & the F-Holes (The Forks)
Free to the public/all ages
Regular parking rules apply
osbornevillage.com |  theforks.com

If Jazz Fest kicks off summer for the hipsters, then Canada Day kicks it off for you, the kids, drunk Uncle Pete, your best friend and her sister who tags along … you know, the whole gang! The Osborne Street Festival has been doing the two-day stint for a while now, promising that all your favourite shops will have their goods on the sidewalk, that the Osborne Village Inn, Wild Planet and Music Trader will have live bands going all day and that the mini donut kart will be putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Because really, nothing is worth a good gosh darn in the summer without doing it while you consume mini donuts. They might as well rename it the Mini Donut Street Festival. Well, maybe not. But maybe.

Once everyone consumes too many spirits, loses their lawn chair, finds a new (broken) lawn chair and wanders down to the Forks to join the family fun, there’s a bevy of free entertainment before the fireworks celebrate Canada’s 146th birthday. If you’re looking to rock, check out the Under the Canopy Stage, featuring the F-Holes, This Hisses, the Bokononists and more. If you’re looking for something more intimate, the Rail Bridge Stage is hosting Grant Davidson and Ali Fontaine among others. Yup, it’s all the hometown kids and kiddos you know and love, especially at the Scotiabank Stage. That same spot that Matthew Good, the Tragically Hip and many others have given free shows at will host the likes of Mise en Scene, Sweet Alibi and everyone’s favourite duo that’s usually a band, Imaginary Cities. Like the Lytics before them (and the Liptonians before them), Dana “Rusty” Matyas & Marti Sarbit will team up with this writer’s favourite local celebrity, Alexander Mickelthwate, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to give a one of a kind performance that shows how Metallica was (but wasn’t) on the right track in 1998. It’s a seriously special night of local music that will show your kids there’s more to music than T. Swift and Alan Thicke’s son.

For the ultimate in family friendly fun, another alternative is the Assiniboine Park’s Picnic in the Park, starting at 1pm. The Lyric Stage will have free music all day, featuring your kid’s favourite teen pop sensation, Victoria Duffield, as well as local talent Fubuki Daiko, Leanne Pearson and Eagle & Hawk. At 3:30 they’re handing out free Canada Day cake, which one can only assume is a giant flag cake with more candles than Party Stuff has in stock. If all that cake doesn’t keep Junior and Juniette happy, there’s face painting, magic and inflatable rides.

Remember, it’s not Canada Day without Mickelthwate, magic and mini donuts.

Part of the series: Summer Festival Guide 2013

Published in Volume 67, Number 27 of The Uniter (July 17, 2013)