Field Notes: The Best Events for Spring 2026

Take It Outside  

Storm Adventure Race returns to Albion Hills Conservation Park May 23 to 24, featuring paddling, mountain biking, trail running and orienteering. “Albion Hills is a really nice venue and they put such great work into their trail network,” says event director Bob Miller. With short, long and advanced categories, the event is open to all skill levels. On-site camping and canoe rentals are available. And while the route is only revealed on race day, participants can expect some portage along the Humber River. “But you never know where the trail is going to take you,” says Miller. “That’s part of the fun.”

In just seven years, the annual Hike for Bethell Hospice has raised over $1.3 million to help our area’s only hospice provide compassionate, no-cost care and programs. This year’s hike on May 3 starts at the Lloyd Wilson Centennial Arena in Inglewood and continues along the Caledon Trailway. You can also complete your own independent hike anytime during May. Their goal is to raise $255,000. 

Happy Campers

Eco Camp turns 30 this year and director Greg Sol, who along with his wife, Karen, has run the camp since 2014, says kids love coming back because of fun outdoor activities like pond studies, fishing, archery, canoeing, cookouts, and a new climbing wall. The camp is held annually at Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville. Visit our Kids Camps in the Hills page to read more about kids’ camps in the Headwaters area. 

Here’s to Your 175th, Mulmur

Mulmur Township hits the ripe age of 175 this year with many ways to celebrate. The Mulmur 175 End-to-End Challenge is a 41 km self-paced hike from Primrose to Lavender with 13 checkpoints, each containing a letter or number that forms a secret message you must decipher to earn a Mulmur 175 commemorative badge. Other events include Maple Madness at 4M Maple on April 11, and the annual artisan Spring Market on May 30 at Superburger. Also watch for stylish commemorative caps, hats and sweaters that celebrate hometown pride. 

Funny Business

Big laughs are coming to the Honeywood Arena at Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Night on March 28 with comics Jeff Elliott from Prince Edward County, along with Cameron Phoenix and Anjelica Scannura, both from Toronto. “I do like performing in smaller towns; mostly the people are a bit more laid back. And maybe for a rural community it can be a big treat to have someone travel from afar to entertain you,” says Elliott, who has done stand-up all over Canada, including at major venues like Massey Hall in Toronto. 

But Elliott believes the star of the night will likely be Anjelica Scannura, who he describes as being “charming and disarming” with ”big eyed optimism and a razor-sharp wit.” As for Elliott’s own sense of humour? “I’m not nearly as optimistic as most people,” he laughs. “I prefer a bit of self deprecating.”

This event is hosted by North of 89 Alliance. Funds raised will be used to paint new lacrosse and pickleball lines on the arena floor.

Comic Timing

If you love comics, collectibles and all things related, don’t miss two upcoming comic conventions: Bolton Comicon on March 21 at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness, and Orangeville Comicon on May 17 at the Orangeville Curling Club. Vendors will offer all kinds of comic books, toys, video games, sports cards and jewelry.

Love Is In The Air, and On Stage  

Holy matrimony seems to be taking centre stage this spring, with three plays all about weddings. 

Performers weave a story about the mother-daughter dynamic and the ups and downs of getting, and staying, married in Old Wives Tales at the Blackhorse Village Players Theatre in Caledon until March 22.

Then catch Kristen Thomson’s Dora-nominated play The Wedding Party, which the Globe and Mail described as “creating so many laugh-out-loud moments” when it debuted in 2017. This tale of mistaken identity and inevitable family drama runs at Theatre Orangeville from April 16 to May 3. 

In The Second to Last Chance Ladies League, four longtime chums join forces to run a wedding venue, but find themselves embroiled in “hilarious chaos.” The play runs May 24 to June 7 at Hillsburgh’s Century Church Theatre. 

Keeping History Alive

Heritage Caledon celebrates 50 years of promoting the preservation of the town’s cultural and architectural heritage this year. The volunteer committee has helped support 145 properties to achieve designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, including icons like the Belfountain and Cheltenham general stores, the Alton Mill, the Claude Church and the Old Caledon Township Hall.

It also gained heritage designation for the Village of Bolton, and resources like steel truss bridges, stone railway culverts, early log cabins, one-room schoolhouses and an octagonal barn. “Caledon is under tremendous development pressure,” says committee chair Joanne Crease. “Raising awareness and appreciation of Caledon’s history, and sharing the stories behind our villages and rural landscapes, connects current residents with their roots and fosters an important sense of belonging.”

Shop and Swap

The annual Caledon Horse Tack Swap on April 18 at the Caledon Fairgrounds is a goldmine for equestrians to buy, sell and trade new and used horse equipment. Part of the proceeds help support the Caledon Fair.

Creative Escapes

If one of your 2026 resolutions was to try your hand at something new, there’s no shortage of artistic endeavours to explore. 

Maggiolly Art in Orangeville offers two adult classes this spring: an introductory acrylic painting workshop with Deb Menken on March 28, and a six-week coloured pencil course led by Stephanie Schirm starting in April. 

Grab a needle and learn the unique art of bookbinding at the Museum of Dufferin on April 18, where you’ll learn how books are made and follow step-by-step instructions to make your own notebook. 

Erin’s Over Here Community Arts Adventure is holding a workshop on the Japanese art of indigo shibori dyeing on May 2 at Elliott Tree Farm. “Shibori is all about folding, twisting, stitching and wrapping fabric to create intricate patterns,” explains workshop host Fabienne Good. “What I love most is its balance between intention and unpredictability. There’s room for some control, but also for surprise.” 

At Shelburne’s Streams Community Hub, Plaster & Pigment: Floral Edition on May 23 teens and adults will create floral art using pigmented plaster and palette knives.

On the Big Screen

Monday Night at the Movies is back with a new season of Canadian and international films and artists at Orangeville’s Galaxy Theatre. On April 13 don’t miss hockey drama Youngblood, a remake of the 1986 classic, which premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

At Erin Centre 2000 Theatre, Ride Like a Girl was selected as the feature film for the town’s annual Horse Heritage Fundraiser/Movie Night on April 1. The film is based on the true story of trailblazing female jockey Michelle Payne and her historic Melbourne Cup victory.

On May 23, Museum of Dufferin hosts two screenings of We Lend a Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes, a documentary about 40,000 teenage girls who volunteered to aid food production in the Second World War. 

And Purple Hills Arts & Heritage Society and The Creemore Village Green have teamed up to create the new Creemore Film Club, which will be showing select movies from the Toronto International Film Festival circuit throughout the year at the Station on the Green. Watch for details at phahs.ca.

Beyond Books at the Library

Erin has a slick new library – the Erin Village Branch – located in the revitalized 1849 McMillan Grist Mill. The renovation maintained the mill’s original stonework and timber to preserve the original character while incorporating other modern elements.

At the Orangeville Public Library at both the Mill Street and Alder Street locations, the Birding Backpack program provides visitors with bird-watching backpacks, which contain binoculars, a field guide and tools to spot and share sightings of local birds. “The Headwaters area has some great opportunities to get into bird watching – but even walking around downtown Orangeville you can spot lots of birds, especially along Mill Creek,” explains Joshua Pickering, an Orangeville resident and member of Sustainable Orangeville, who spearheaded the initiative in 2025. Pickering recommends looking for bald eagles, downy woodpeckers and blue jays year-round, and migratory arrivals like American robins in spring and summer. 

Orangeville Public Library’s Alder branch caters to STEM aficionados looking for new tools and technology with the recently opened Exploratorium makerspace. The trove includes 3D printers, textile and embroidery machines, a CO2 laser engraver, smart-cutting tools, robotics and microcomputing kits and virtual reality headsets.

Heading to the city? Borrow a pass for the Royal Ontario Museum from the Caledon Public Library that gives admission for four people. There are also passes for Ontario Parks, conservation areas, and art galleries like the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives.

Turn Up The Volume 

The Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival has released its 2026 lineup of performers playing gigs June 5 to 7, including vintage jazz and swing band Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats and blues singer Steve Marriner from Toronto, plus Quebec City jazz singer Emilie-Claire Barlow.

Festival director Larry Kurtz, who will be performing with his local band The Lawbreakers, recommends catching award-winning blues icon Paul James on Friday night, blues/roots singer-songwriter Miss Emily on Saturday, and Canada South Blues Society Hall of Fame band Blackburn Brothers on Sunday, all visiting from Toronto. Local legends to look out for include The Campfire Poets, Stan Chang and The Travelling Wannabes.

Pilates Indoors and Out

Work your core this June in some of Headwaters’ most gorgeous gardens with the Garden Pilates Series, run by Pilates instructor Hannah Sine of Towne Fitness. Each class is held in a different garden, with all proceeds going to the Headwaters Health Care Foundation. The series starts in June; contact the gym to sign up. For year-round classes, Purple Owl Pilates studio in Mono promotes flexibility and overall well-being through mindful, controlled movements, using reformer equipment to stretch and strengthen. 

Local Environmentalists Honoured for Their Work

The Ontario Headwaters Institute recently announced its annual Watershed Guardian Awards, which, according to their website, “acknowledge and celebrate people and organizations making extraordinary efforts to protect watershed security in Ontario.” Recipients included former Caledon councillor and longtime community advocate Ian Sinclair, Democracy Caledon, Forks of the Credit Preservation Group, Tony Sevelka and the late Paul Newall.

Correction: In our print magazine, we incorrectly reported that Monday Night at the Movies was screening the original 1986 version of Youngblood, rather than the 2025 version.