Parks Canada Kicks-off Canada 150 Celebrations at Bellevue House National Historic Site

May 17, 2017                                     Kingston, ON                               Parks Canada Agency

Starting on May 20th, Bellevue House National Historic Site will be welcoming visitors for the 2017 season.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Government is very pleased to offer free admission to all Parks Canada places in 2017. The FREE Parks Canada 2017 Discovery Pass provides unlimited opportunities to enjoy national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas across the country.

Canada’s national historic sites will play a big part in the celebration of Canada 150. This year, Bellevue House National Historic Site is the place to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation this summer. Parks Canada invites Canadians to discover exciting new interactive activities, meaningful exhibits, and fun events at the historic home of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.

Visitors will be able to participate in hands-on activities that present a chance to travel back in time. Discover what it took to run a house in the 1840s by participating in candle-making, laundry duties, butter-making, and tending the organic heritage garden. Children are invited to become Parks Canada’s Xplorers and earn a reward by completing a series of challenges. Personally guided tours will be available daily as a maid or gentleman in period dress and those figures will offer a tailored journey through Bellevue House and of Macdonald’s life and political legacy.

Bellevue House will be open to ‘adult only’ visitors every Thursday evening from June 29th through the end of August. Whisky tasting seminars and a series of ‘Alternatives Fact’ tours offer much more than what you learned in high school history. These highly interactive, subversive, fun, and non-traditional museum nights are designed with mature audiences in mind as they probe the lesser known and more intriguing aspects of Sir John A. Macdonald’s life and legacy. This is an opportunity to bring Canadians together to create new connections, and to foster discussions on history, culture, and reality.

The Many Voices of Confederation is a new exhibit that engages visitors and social media users to highlight many angles, important milestones, and controversies related to Confederation. Visitors are invited to learn about the different perspectives of what Canada means to them, and to share their dreams for this country in a photo booth feature.

Along with new programming, Bellevue House will continue to mark special dates throughout the season. On Wednesday June 21st, National Aboriginal Day celebrations will be held to recognise and celebrate the cultures and contributions of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. On July 1st, celebrate Canada’s 150 Anniversary with live music, games, and refreshments. Finally, Kingston’s 1st Annual HoppedUp Festival will descend on Bellevue House as a harvest celebration event that will conclude the Canada 150 season.

To ensure the best experience possible, visitors are encouraged to plan their visit ahead of time through the Parks Canada website. For more information about Bellevue House events and programs, visit the website at www.pc.gc.ca/bellevue.

The FREE Parks Canada 2017 Discovery Pass is available from the Parks Canada website as well as at Parks Canada entry gates and visitor centres. Partners such as Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) and CIBC will also be distributing passes for Parks Canada.

Please note that only admission is free for 2017. There are fees for enhanced interpretative programs and recreational services and products such as camping and firewood, fishing permits, and overnight backcountry use.