Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday. With that comes obvious ways to celebrate, i.e. fireworks. The one thing that Ontario did that made everyone slightly confused (and some even angry), is rent a 61-foot tall rubber duck. I was under the impression that it would be in Toronto until August. So I missed it… The duck is however on tour, stopping in six port towns across Ontario. I managed to make it to Midland, and it was well worth the drive from Toronto. 

The Duck Set-Up

I am glad I saw the duck in Midland over Toronto (minus the weather that weekend). It was not nearly as crowded and you were able to get up super close to it. In front they had games for children, photo walls and a miniature (6-foot) duck. The surroundings were nice, offering many different (uncrowded angles) for photos. 

The Grounds

The Ontario 150 Tour wasn’t simply about the duck. Within the Harbour Days Festival, they had a farmers market, local vendors and a carnival all by the marina. The carnival games only had ducks as prizes. Everywhere you looked you saw someone holding, wearing or talking about a duck. The local stores were also advertising “The duck is here” with a selfie contest. It was definitely interesting to see this frenzy. 

Where to See it

If you are up for a drive, there are still two more stops on the tour worth checking out. This long weekend you can check out the Canuck it UP! Festival Canadiana in Amherstburg, Ontario. August 10-13, you can check out the Rails to Trails Festival in Brockville, Ontario. While so many people were angry with how much it costed, it is definitely bringing a lot of people to visit new towns. Many people, myself included, only came to Midland’s Harbour Days Festival for the duck. I really enjoyed spending the day there. It definitely is an excuse to check out a new town and go to carnival while your at it.