Page 74 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

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Special Events
JANUARY – FEBRUARY
• FROSTIVAL, FREDERICTON
MARCH
• MAPLE, THE FIRST TASTE OF SPRING,
KINGS LANDING, PRINCE WILLIAM
MAY
• MIRAMICHI STRIPER CUP
JUNE
• ST. MARY’S (SITANSISK) FIRST NATION
POWWOW, FREDERICTON
JUNE – JULY
• CAMPBELLTON SALMON FESTIVAL
JULY
• CANADA’S IRISH FESTIVAL, MIRAMICHI
• EXPLORE NB OPEN, FREDERICTON
• NEW BRUNSWICK HIGHLAND GAMES
FESTIVAL, FREDERICTON
• SHEDIAC LOBSTER FESTIVAL
AUGUST
• FESTIVAL ACADIEN DE CARAQUET
• FUNDY SEA SHANTY FESTIVAL, ST. MARTINS
• MIRAMICHI FOLKSONG FESTIVAL
• TASTE OF ATLANTIC CANADA FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER
• ATLANTIC BALLOON FIESTA, SUSSEX
• HARVEST MUSIC FESTIVAL
OCTOBER
• INDULGE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL,
SAINT ANDREWS
www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/
festivals-events
DARK SKIES IN WINTER, KOUCHIBOUGUAC
NATIONAL PARK • NIGEL FEARON/NEW
BRUNSWICK TOURISM
phenomenal. Yet what makes the outdoors
truly “great” is that it has something for
everyone. Fundy Trail Provincial Park—
known for its precipitous cliffs, aromatic
evergreens and sublime views—is a case in
point (www.parcsnbparks.info/en/parks/
35/fundy-trail-provincial-park). Ultra-fit
hikers can spend days traversing this part of
the Trans Canada Trail. But, thanks to an
adjacent parkway, key portions are
accessible to children and the physically
challenged, too.
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
Occupied by Indigenous Peoples for more
than 3,000 years, New Brunswick has 15
Indigenous communities and the province
inherited two other cultures from its early
French and English settlers. Indoor/outdoor
venues such as Metepenagiag Heritage Park,
Village Historique Acadien and Kings
Landing Historical Settlement—celebrating
Mi’kmaq, Acadians and Loyalists, respec-
tively—help establish the historical context,
as does the engaging New Brunswick
Museum in Saint John. Local culture here,
however, is a living entity that survives
outside museum-like settings.
Eclectic artisans, many of them con-
centrated around Fredericton, put a contem-
porary spin on age-old crafts. Poets and
playwrights uphold a rich literary tradition,
performing in coffee houses and theatres.
Musicians thrive as well, which explains
why, along with almost every imaginable
form of modern music, you can hear
hypnotic First Nations drumbeats, British
folk songs and Cajun-style fiddles in pubs
and at concerts or festivals province-wide.
MUST SEE, MUST DO
Hopewell Cape’s tree-tufted islands always
look lovely, but their full beauty is only
revealed when the tide ebbs, transforming
them into megaliths looming above the bare
ocean floor (www.thehopewellrocks.ca).
Kouchibouguac National Park boasts an
array of ecosystems and recreational
options. You can swim, bike, boat, fish, or
explore lagoons and dunes on a guided walk
(www.parkscanada.gc.ca/kouchibouguac).
At Fredericton’s Beaverbrook Art Gallery,
A-listers like Gainsborough, Dali and Reynolds
share wall space with Canada’s own Group of
Seven. Programs for art lovers are available
(www.beaverbrookartgallery.org).
The Saint John City Market is overflowing
with incredible edibles. Founded in 1785,
Canada’s oldest market was constructed by
shipbuilders, so its ceiling resembles an
inverted hull (www.sjcitymarket.ca).
Kings Landing Historical Settlement, a
recreated Loyalist village, features 70-plus
restored structures, among them antique-filled
homes, working farms and picture-perfect
churches (www.kingslanding.nb.ca).
Quick Fact
NEW BRUNSWICK HAS MORE THAN
50 SALTWATER AND FRESHWATER
BEACHES AND BOASTS THE WARMEST
SALTWATER BEACHES IN CANADA
SCENIC DRIVES
On the 460-km (286-mi.) Fundy Coastal
Drive, welcoming communities combine
with top natural attractions—including the
Reversing Falls Rapids, Fundy National Park,
the Hopewell Rocks and Cape Enrage—which
are testaments to the world’s highest tides.
The 750-km (466-mi.) Acadian Coastal Drive
delivers a quintessentially Acadian seascape of
fishing wharves and lighthouses. Take a beach
break or immerse in local history at Village
Historique Acadien, where faux townsfolk
enliven the scene with joie de vivre.
The 512-km (318-mi.) River Valley Scenic Route
follows the winding path of the legendary St.
John River, a federally-designated heritage
waterway notable for its bankside cities,
camera-ready covered bridges, open-deck
cable ferries and gorgeous Grand Falls.
The 180-km (112-mi.) Miramichi River Route
is synonymous with salmon. Learn more
about the “King of Game Fish” at the Atlantic
Salmon Museum in Doaktown, then dine on
the catch of the day, leaving time in between
for some adventures on or in the water.
FAMILY FUN
Pay homage to the homard (lobster) in
Shediac. After clambering over the world’s
largest lobster—a 55,000-kg (55-tonne)
whopper, albeit made from metal—kids can
learn how to catch, and then eat the “king of
crustaceans” on an entertaining and
educational Lobster Tales Cruise
(www.shediacbaycruises.ca).