Page 49 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

The Red River Métis National Heritage Centre
will breathe new life into the historic Bank of
Montreal building at Portage and Main,
transforming a downtown landmark into a
powerful cultural stage. It is set to become a
defining Indigenous cultural anchor in
Winnipeg’s urban core (www.mmf.mb.ca).
CITY LIGHTS
Foodies alert: Manitoba’s culinary scene is a
rising gem, from haute to heavy-duty
chowing down. You’ll find food tours that
cover Winnipeg’s West End—the city’s
unofficial dining district—as well as beer and
spirit tours through the historic Exchange
District (www.exchangedistrict.org/
food-tours).
Manitoba’s famous Fall Suppers circuit
offers home-cooked, hearty, community hall
family-style fare all autumn long, with
listings at Travel Manitoba (www.travelman-
itoba.com). Shoppers will be overjoyed with
the Outlet Collection Winnipeg’s high-end
brands, and special tourist deals
(www.outletcollectionwinnipeg.com).
Summer brings the Winnipeg Goldeyes
AAA baseball to Blue Cross Park (www.gold
eyes.com). Canada Life Centre, home to the
Canadian Elite Basketball League, Winnipeg
Sea Bears (www.seabears.ca), and the
winter home of NHL hockey’s Winnipeg Jets,
mounts concerts and special events year-
round (www.canadalifecentre.ca).
Meanwhile, the city’s south end CFL
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Investors Group
Field tackles big blockbuster concerts
(www.bluebombers.com/stadium). In July,
the four-day Winnipeg Folk Festival at Birds
Hill Provincial Park, north of the city, is
family-friendly (www.winnipegfolkfes-
tival.ca), as is the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s
“Ballet in the Park” at Assiniboine Park’s
outdoor Lyric Theatre (www.rwb.org).
Winnipeg warms up winter with the
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (www.wso.ca),
Manitoba Opera (www.mbopera.ca), the
Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tom Hendry
Warehouse Theatre (www.royalmtc.ca) and
Prairie Theatre Exchange (www.pte.mb.ca).
Year-round, Thermëa by Nordik Spa in the
city’s south end (www.thermea.ca) and Ten
Spa at the Hotel Fort Garry (www.tenspa.ca),
provide sybaritic pleasures.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Provincial parks provide groomed hiking
trails and offer on-line summer campsite
bookings, and most are near small towns
where local motels appeal to family-oriented
explorers (www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/
index.html). Whiteshell Provincial Park
(www.whiteshell.mb.ca) is a handy hour’s
drive east of Winnipeg and, further afield,
wilderness wanderers can take to lakes and
rivers in canoes, kayaks, or fishing boats.
Cosy resort communities like Grand Beach,
Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Victoria Beach,
Sandy Hook, Matlock, and many more lay
claim to wide, sandy beaches. Gimli is a
favourite weekend hangout with its
charming marina and beach-town
atmosphere (www.gimli.ca), along with
KAYAKING IN WHITESHELL PROVINCIAL PARK • MAY CONTAIN STUDIO/COURTESY OF TRAVEL MANITOBA
MB
47
Special Events
JANUARY
• WINNIPEG NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY
• FESTIVAL DU VOYAGEUR, WINNIPEG
• NORTHERN MANITOBA TRAPPERS’
FESTIVAL, THE PAS
APRIL
• HUDSON BAY QUEST, CHURCHILL
• ROYAL MANITOBA WINTER FAIR, BRANDON
MAY
• WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVAL
MAY – JUNE
• PRIDE WINNIPEG
JUNE
• MANITOBA ELECTRONIC MUSIC
EXHIBITION, WINNIPEG
• MANITOBA SUMMER FAIR, BRANDON
• TD WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL
JAZZ FESTIVAL
JULY
• MANITOBA STAMPEDE & EXHIBITION,
MORRIS
• WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL, BIRDS HILL
PROVINCIAL PARK
• WINNIPEG FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL
AUGUST
• CANADA’S NATIONAL UKRAINIAN
FESTIVAL, DAUPHIN
• FOLKLORAMA, WINNIPEG
• ICELANDIC FESTIVAL, GIMLI
SEPTEMBER
• NUIT BLANCHE, WINNIPEG
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
• CULTURE DAYS, WINNIPEG
OCTOBER
• WINNIPEG COMICCON
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER
• MANITO AHBEE FESTIVAL, WINNIPEG
www.travelmanitoba.com/
things-to-do/art-arts/festivals-events
an annual celebration of Icelandic culture
each August during the three-day festival
called Islendingadagurinn. In Spruce
Woods Provincial Park, a day tripper’s
hiking trail covers forests, hills, a genuine
desert, and the eerie, deepwater blue
Devil’s Punch Bowl (www.travelmani-
toba.com/directory/spruce-woods-
provincial-park).
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District is
home to the Design Quarter, a casual
grouping of eclectic, original design shops
ranging from fashion to fine dining and fine