What is National Canoe Day?
June 26th was coined National Canoe Day by The Canadian Canoe Museum following a CBC campaign that, in 2007, declared the canoe one of the Seven Wonders of Canada. Ever since, and in many ways – from proclamations to paddling parties – Canadians have connected and shared their affinity for canoes! Since the COVID-19 pandemic, National Canoe Day has also been celebrated virtually.
Celebrate National Canoe Day 2022 with The Canadian Canoe Museum!
This will be The Canadian Canoe Museum’s final National Canoe Day celebration at our current location before we embark on our final “portage” to the water’s edge, where we will make our new home. For the past two years, we’ve enjoyed expanding our celebrations online during the pandemic, allowing more paddlers to join in and connect over their passion for canoes (and the occasional kayak here and there). This year, The Canadian Canoe Museum will be celebrating virtually and in person at the Museum so that those near and far can participate.
Join the National Canoe Day Celebrations from anywhere in the world online
Portaging can be one of the most challenging parts of a canoe trip – and we are about to embark on a long, final “portage” as we prepare to move more than 600+ canoes and kayaks and even more small artifacts to our new museum. To help with this “big lift,” we invite you to join us on the portage – virtually!
Share a picture (new or old) of you portaging your canoe with the hashtag #PortagePic on June 26th and tag The Canadian Canoe Museum on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@cndncanoemuseum). We want to hear your best (and worst!) portaging stories. We’ll be liking, commenting, and sharing on social media throughout the day, along with a few special guests.
Free admission to The Canadian Canoe Museum
On June 26th, admission to The Canadian Canoe Museum will be FREE for all visitors! The Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a perfect opportunity to visit for the first time or once more before we close on Labour Day in preparation for our move. We encourage you to take in our current experience as we will be reopening next year with an entirely new visitor experience, including a brand new suite of exhibits!
Visitors can also participate in sharing their own #PortagePic by taking a photo at our portage photo booth in the front lobby (as shown above).
Learn more about Move the Collection
The Canadian Canoe Museum stewards the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. As part of our responsibility for this collection of national significance, we are building it a new home that aspires to be as innovative as the canoe itself.
As you can imagine, moving more than 600 watercraft and 500 paddles, along with hundreds of artifacts and an entire archival library collection to a new location is no small feat. Every watercraft and artifact requires detailed cleaning, documentation, packaging, transportation, quarantining and inspection. Each step is crucial to preserve this collection so it can be shared for generations to come.
Join us on this journey and donate to move a canoe, kayak or paddle today!
