This year, Family Day takes place Monday, February 15, 2016. This annual holiday is a special day to embrace time with your family. Make the most of it (and the whole long weekend!) by participating in these fun, action-packed adventures fit for families.
This year’s Family Day celebration at the Alberta Legislature will take place inside, on Monday, February 15, from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. There will be live musical entertainment, as well as a chance to build a Lego replica of the Legislature Building. Rocky the Ram, the legislature’s official mascot, will be there to take photos with kids. Partake in the Lost in the Legislature history hunt to learn more about the building or check out the Legislative Assembly Visitor Centre, which includes an interpretive centre, a gift shop and the Borealis Gallery.
Family Day is a great opportunity to teach your kids about Alberta’s history and what life was like before modern conveniences became common. On Monday, February 15, Rutherford House, home of Alberta’s first premier, Alexander Rutherford, will offer free admission. Check out this historic home, which the Rutherford family moved into in 1911. There will be family activities and old-fashioned crafts, plus goodies baked in the home’s historic kitchen. The building will be open from noon till 4 p.m.
Take advantage of free skate and helmet rentals, then go for a spin on the City Hall ice rink at Churchill Square. Or, you can sit back and relax on a hayride, play games or roast bannock over an open fire. If you’re more of an indoor family, or it’s chilly outside, head inside City Hall to check out live entertainment and activities. There will also be local food trucks on-site.
Thousands of people head to Hawrelak Park for the Silver Skate Festival annually. This ode to winter takes place February 12 to 21, 2016, making Family Day weekend the perfect opportunity for the whole family to partake in the festivities together. On Monday, February 15, events include a snow sculpture symposium and winter apocalypse training. Or, you can check out the fire and ice sculptures, learn to snowshoe, take part in an ice skating race or visit the family fun zone, where you can cross-country ski, build your own snow sculpture or enjoy a ride in a horse drawn sleigh.
On Monday, February 15, the Edmonton Valley Zoo encourages families to join in a variety of fun events, including an animal families scavenger hunt and Polar Bear crafts. The zoo opens at 10 a.m. but the event will begin at noon and run until 4 p.m. There will also be a free photo booth set up for families to capture the good times!
Celebrate Family Day weekend boy getting ready for Valentine’s Day together as a clan. Edmonton’s living history museum, Fort Edmonton Park, is hosting a family-friendly Valentine’s Day party on Saturday, February 13. Guests will make handmade Valentine’s, then sample heart-shaped sugar cookies baked over a wood-burning stove and homemade lemonade. There will also be time for some old-fashioned games. The party takes place from 10 a.m. till noon at Egge’s Stopping House.