Canada Day celebrations are ramping up at the Discovery Centre in Brandon, with activities starting the day before!

General Manager, James Montgomery, says after a two-year covid hiatus, this year's Canada Day will be back to where they were prior to the pandemic, comparing the list events lineup with 2019.

Montgomery says they will be having a special event to kick off July 1st, with a special show on Thursday, June 30th. "we'll be having the Canine Stars for three bonus performances in the afternoon on Thursday, June 30th.  And then on Canada Day, things get going around 9:45 am with our first band, followed by the Canine Stars again, and a world-renown magician, juggler, comedian.  So, the day is going to be fantastic right through to 11 pm with the fireworks!"

Added to this year's list is helicopter rides over the City of Brandon, taking off from right there at the Discovery Centre. Live entertainment, Food Trucks and helicopter rides are just some of the things happening at the Discovery Centre grounds on July 1st.

In 2019, they had approximately 20,000 visitors over the course of 11 hours of entertainment.  Montgomery says they're expecting at least 10,000 people this year, enjoying children's activities and games, bouncy castles, and a farmer's market, and more.

"We have a full market, which we have every Saturday here, but we're having a full Made in Manitoba Market which will be enticing for a lot of folks, and the bands we have are very family-friendly and a little bit for everyone.  I think people will be very happy if they come out to Brandon for Canada Day!" he adds.

The entire day is free to the public, except for purchases at the Discovery Centre, eating at the Food Trucks, and helicopter rides are $50 for a 10 minute ride over Brandon (cash), or $55 if paid by debit or credit card.