Annual Events
Each year, we host a roster of signature events that we have become known for.
Learn a little bit more about these events below...
June Day
Join us in June for a sunny summertime celebration as we kick off the summer season! Experience rich local heritage while enjoying an afternoon filled with fun for the entire family. Explore our heritage buildings and park grounds, try your hand at crafts, witness captivating blacksmithing, woodworking, and baking demonstrations, and enjoy live instrumental performances both inside the Sharon Temple and outside from the Newmarket Citizen's Band. Bring a picnic lunch to savor on the beautiful grounds!
WHEN: June 6th, 2026
Canada Day Community Celebration
Each year, we welcome hundreds of residents to the museum to celebrate Canada Day in a place that is so important to the history of our country.
Featuring games, bouncy castles, BBQ, live entertainment, and more, this is a must attend family event. Fireworks will be put on by the Town of EG at Mount Albert Lions Community Park at 6pm!
WHEN: July 1st, 2026
Classic Car Show
In 2021, we first partnered with Highway 11 Cruisers Car Club to host a classic car, truck, and bike show at the Sharon Temple. This event brings hundreds of vehicles ranging in make, model, and year to the site. Featuring a BBQ, prizes, and awards, this is the biggest event in East Gwillimbury. You don't want to miss this one! All proceeds from this event support the preservation of the Sharon Temple.
WHEN: August 16th, 2026 and September 20th, 2026
Illumination
Beginning in 1831, the Children of Peace welcomed people to a celebration on the first Friday in September. They lit all of the candles in the Temple, and held a concert and Alms Giving service.
Today, we still light the main floor of the Temple with beeswax candles, and the incredible building is still filled with glorious music. We continue the evening with refreshments on the lawn afterwards, and guests can enjoy the breathtaking view.
WHEN: September 11th, 2026
Old Fashioned Christmas
Wintertime and the holiday season breathes a whole new life into the museum site! Celebrate Christmas with us on our magical and historic landscape.
Our yearly Old Fashioned Christmas event features a vendors market in the Temple, pictures with Santa, horse and carriage rides, holiday crafts, hot mulled wine, an outdoor scavenger hunt, and more! Nonperishable food donations are collected during the event.
WHEN: December 6th, 2026
Inactive Events
Heritage Celebration
Experience a unique evening of interactive gourmet dining featuring locally sourced product, be entertained by music in the Temple, and take in a historical tour of the museum grounds all while supporting one of Canada’s most important architectural sites of democracy.