What Americans Need To Know About Canada Day (And Why They Should Care)

Canadians Celebrate Country’s Birthday On July 1

Three days before the 4th of July, a similar event takes place in the country just to the north of the USA.

On July 1, it’s Canada Day, and it’s Canada’s equivalent of the Fourth of July here in America.

Most Americans do not know about Canada Day, nor do they care, but PubClub.com feels they should, so here’s what it is and why Americans should care about it.

• What Is Canada Day?

It’s Canada’s Independence Day. Except instead of declaring freedom from the British like in America, it actually celebrates the union of the country’s three colonies (Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick) into a single entity of the British Empire, which the Brits named Canada.

This happened on July 1, 1867, which means 2019 is the country’s 152nd birthday.

• What Happens In Canada For Canada Day?

Just as in America, this is a national holiday and there are celebrations all over the country. Just how big is this celebration? Last year in Winnipeg, hardly the largest city in Canada, some 75,000 people were jammed together in a 1-kilometer area to party and watch fireworks.

The average crowd in the capitol city of Ottawa is 350,000 but one year it was more than 500,000 when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in town.

In Toronto, as many as a million people party in the streets and downtown is particularly lively. It’s so big of a celebration that this year, not one or even two fireworks shows are planned but 10. Yes, ten. The biggest fireworks shows are on the waterfront, at the CN Tower and Nathan Philips Square (a traditional place where you’ll find lots of locals), all of which are within a short walk of one another.

• Why Americans Should Care About Canada Day

Besides the fact that Canada is our friendly neighbor to the north, American should care about this holiday because it’s so close to the 4th of July, And not only in terms of the date, but also in forming a country in North America.

Americans also need to embrace Canada and Canadians. Why? Because it is a close, inexpensive country to visit (as of this blog post in late June, the USD is trading at 1.32 to the Canadian dollar), there are fun events like the free summer Beaches Jazz Festival in Toronto and the jam-packed Festival d’été de Québe featuring The Who (with tickets only $110 CDN for all 11 days), one of North America’s top ski resorts in Whistler/Blackcomb and fun and lively cities like Toronto.

Plus there is great beer – this is worth repeating, Canada has great beer – and some of the most friendly, welcoming, no-issues people anywhere on the planet.

So come July 1 – which is on a Friday in 2017 – grab a beer and give a big “cheers” to our friendly neighbors to the north. Better yet if you’re close enough, head over the border to celebrate this day with the Canadians.

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