January
Queen Charlotte’s Birthday Ball:
For the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Talavera, Queen Charlotte Honours Spain.
Sat. January 23, 1 to 10:30 pm
Afternoon Dance Workshops and Presentation by Robert Henderson; German food tasting; Elegant Georgian Buffet Supper and Evening Ball with Live Musicians. Costumes Welcome. Once again, Fort York comes to life for this annual extravaganza marking the birthday of Queen Charlotte. Entertaining in the Canadas in the late 18th and early 19th centuries always included a ball for the Queen’s birthday. Our day-long celebration of music, food, and dance is inspired by this tradition. The presentation, From the Royal Court to Canada: The Impact of Germans on Regency Society, is by Robert Henderson, former military curator for Canada’s National Historic Sites.
Pre-registration required. 416-392-6907 ext. 221
Come for the full day ($100: $95.23+$4.77 gst), or attend only the Presentation
and Dance Workshop ($25: $23.80+ $1.20 gst), the German food tasting ($20:
$19.04+$.96 gst), or the Supper and Ball ($65: $61.90+$3.10 gst)

February
Family Day
Family Day
Mon. February 15, 10 am to 3 pm
Drop in for a tour of the Fort and a cup of old-fashioned hot chocolate from the historic kitchen.
Regular admission

Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citron!
This event is presented in conjunction with the Culinary Historians of Ontario
Sat. February 27, 10 am to 3:30 pm
Marmalade workshops, lunch, and guest speaker. Also, a marmalade
marketplace and tours of the Fort.
Pre-registration required.
Contact Kelly Nesbitt for ticket information and registration at 416-392-6907 ext. 221

March
March through Time, during March Break
Mon. to Fri. March 15 to 19, 10 am to 3 pm daily
The Fort’s annual event for kids returns during this school break. Drop-in activities for children, ages 3-12. Dress up, crafts, sword drill, stories and more. History of Fort York and Toronto theme.
No registration required, regular admission

April
Historic Tea and Cake Tasting Sun.
April 11, 1 to 3 pm
Come and taste historic cakes from Fort York’s kitchen.
Pre-registration required (416) 392-6907 ext. 100

Annual Spring Cleanup
Sat. April 24, 10 am to noon
Join local volunteers for a general cleanup of the Fort’s heritage neighbourhood.

Battle of York Commemoration
Sun. April 25, 10 am to 5 pm
Join us for the 197th anniversary of Toronto’s most traumatic day.
Special tours, kids’ drill, Battlefield walking tour.
Regular admission

Newfoundland Commemoration of the Battle of York Victoria Memorial Square
Sun. April 25, 1 pm
The Old Comrades Association of the 48th Highlanders, wearing uniforms of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, will place a wreath at the monument in Victoria Memorial Square in honour of those Newfoundlanders who fought in the Battle of York, April 1813
All are welcome

May
Fort York Historic District Walking Tour (in association with Jane’s Walks)
“200 Years of Lakefront Development”
Sun. May 2, 1 to 2:30 pm
Explore the history and evolution of Fort York, the Garrison Common, and the nearby Lake Ontario shoreline from the early British colonial era to the present day. Learn about the origins of the Fort, the fortification of the harbour, and the subsequent transportation, industrial, and recreational development of this vital area. Participants are welcome to visit Fort York following the tour.
Free admission

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride
Mon. May 17, 1:30 pm
As part of their 2010 tour schedule the RCMP will perform their exciting precision ride on the historic grounds of Fort York National Historic Site.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have an important historic link to Fort York and Toronto’s military heritage. In 1873, some of the very first recruits of the RCMP’s antecedent unit, the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), assembled and trained at the nearby New Fort or Stanley Barracks (Fort York’s replacement) before heading to Canada’s west.

Because of the popularity of this event, it is recommended that guests arrive at the site early.
Free admission

Victoria Day
Mon. May 24, 10 am to 4 pm
What better way to celebrate Victoria Day than to visit the birthplace of modern Toronto. Fort York National Historic Site, opened as a museum on Victoria Day 1934, tells the story of Toronto’s turbulent military enjoy the beautiful grounds of this historic treasure. Audio tours are also available.
Regular admission

Doors Open Toronto
Sat. and Sun. May 29 and 30, 10 am to 5 pm both days
Fort York opens its doors all weekend as part of Toronto’s annual celebration. Take advantage of the special tours of Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings and some of Toronto’s oldest architecture. View the many exhibits within the historic buildings, or walk the ramparts of this national treasure. A special feature this year will be the results of a bateau building project in conjunction with Scouts Canada.
Free admission all weekend

A Special Doors Open Fort York Historic District Walking Tour
“Fort York and the Garrison Common: Battlefields, Graves and Urban Development”
Sunday Only, 1 to 2:30 pm:
Starting at the canteen at Fort York this special walking tour explores the evolution of Fort York’s Garrison Common area. This almost forgotten corner of the city has witnessed some of the most dramatic events as well as substantial change in the evolution of modern urban Toronto.
Rain or shine.
Free admission all weekend

June

Friends of Fort York
Thurs. June 10
Annual Fundraising Georgian Mess Dinner held by the Friends in support of the Fort York Guard and Drums.

The Ontario Model Soldier Society’s "ON PARADE 2010"
Sat. June 12, 10 am to 4 pm
This annual show and competition features 1/32^nd scale right up to 1/6^th scale figures
and vehicles.
Admission is free with paid admission to the fort. For further information contact show Chairman Norm White at (416) 285-5600 or email: norm@zoo.utoronto.ca.
You can also check out the OMSS web site at www.omss.ca.

Fort York Bike Tour: “Tour de Forts”
Sat. June 19, 1 to 2:30 pm
Enjoy a bike tour of Toronto’s forgotten French Forts, from Etienne Brûlé Park, down the scenic Humber Bike trail, to Fort Rouillé, and ending at Fort York. Meet outside the Old Mill subway station at 1 pm. This tour has a moderate difficulty.
Admission for the tour and to Fort York is free

Ongoing Summer Programming
Thrill to the booming of the cannon, the firing of muskets, the vibrant colours of the uniformed guard, and the lively music of fife and drum. These are the sights and sounds of Fort York this summer. Visitors will enjoy hourly demonstrations of military music, drill, musketry, and artillery performed by students representing the Canadian Fencible Regiment that was garrisoned at the fort at the end of the War of 1812. Highlights include the cannon firing at 12:30 pm and the music of the Fort York Drums (a fife & drum corps) in the afternoons. Regular admission weekdays, free admission weekends and Simcoe Day

The Conscious Food Festival on the weekend of Aug 14 & 15 is a ticketed event.

August

Simcoe Day
Mon. August 2, 10 am to 5 pm
Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe founded the town of York (Toronto) in 1793 and was the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (Ontario). Come learn about the birthplace of Toronto and thrill to the sounds of musketry, cannons, and the fife and drum. The Fort George Guard joins us for this great day.
Free admission

Toronto: City of Words
Tues. August 3, 7:30 pm
This illustrated talk by Sarah Elton and photographer Kevin Robbins is a unique tour through Toronto’s landscapes, streets, and souls. Their illustrated book, City of Words: Toronto through Her Writers’ Eyes, opens up the city as our writers have discovered it. “There is no city that does not dream,” writes poet and novelist Anne Michaels, and City of Words is a literary key to all we’ve been and all we’re becoming.
Cost $9 (including HST)

Fort York Festival
Great Voices, a theatrical production on the grounds of Fort York
August 10–12, 16–20, 22, 7:30 pm
Written by nationally known playwrights Rick Salutin and Dale Hamilton, Great Voices is a 90-minute site-specific theatrical collage of historical figures, including Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe, Tecumseh, Laura Second, and Susanna Moodie, combined with campfires, songs, fireworks, and food animating Toronto where the city began, at Fort York. Original music composed by songwriter James Gordon is sung by the composer and by members of the Fort York Guard. Produced by Sid Bruyn.
Cost $25 (including HST). For more information go to www.festivalatthefort.ca

Conscious Food Festival
Sat. and Sun. August 14 and 15, 11 am to 7 pm
The Conscious Food Festival is Toronto’s first and only outdoor collaborative festival that promotes the sustainable food movement while introducing thousands of people to food that is local, natural, healthy, and delicious. Experience a range of activities such as tastings, exhibits, seminars/debates, and an urban farm, that will connect local restaurants, local farms, and local food suppliers to your table. This is a special ticketed event.
Cost: $18 in advance and $23 at the gate for Adults, $12 in advance and $15 at the gate for Youth (13-18 yrs), Children 12 and under are free.
Admission prices include 5 food/drink sample vouchers ($5 value).
Go to www.consciousfoodfestival.ca for further details

September

The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment)
present: The Battle of Brandywine Parade
Sat. September 11, 4 to 6:15 pm
Joins us to commemorate the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Queenston Heights. The parade will feature the The Queen’s York Rangers, Regimental Pipes, Flute and Drum Corps, the Old Guard who represent the unit’s Revolutionary War period and two Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps affiliated with the Regiment. There will also be military displays and a show by the Queen’s York Rangers re-enactors. In attendance will be The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable David C. Onley, Lt. General Leslie and Major General Fraser.
Free admission

When the Landlords Became Tenants
The 1828 Council at Fort York with the Mississauga
Mon. September 27, 7:30 pm
On 30 January 1828, three leading Mississauga chiefs – Ajetance from the Credit River to the west of York; Sunday from the Bay of Quinte to the east; and Paudash from Rice Lake to the northeast – met in Council at Fort York. The Indian Agent quickly came to the point. Bluntly, he informed the Mississauga that, contrary to the Mississaugas’ own understanding, the British now owned the land on which their communities stood.

In his illustrated talk Donald Smith, recently retired from the University of Calgary and the author of Sacred Feathers (University of Toronto Press,1987), a biography of Mississauga chief Peter Jones, will review the history of the Mississauga in the early and mid-19th century. Peter Jones’s minutes of the 1828 Fort York Council provide the starting point for his illustrated talk.

Responding to Professor Smith’s presentation will be a review of the 180 years of Mississauga history since 1828 by a historian and community leader from today’s Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (www.newcreditfirstnation.com).
Cost $9 (including HST)

Regular admission to Fort York: Adult: $8.61, Senior (65+) & Youth (13 – 18 yrs.): $4.31,
Children: $3.23, Children (5 and under) FREE (all prices include HST, where applicable)