Brantford residents of all ages indulged in some family-friendly activities during the City’s second annual Winter Fun Fest, held downtown in Harmony Square, on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
While last year’s Family Day event was postponed to March due to a major snowstorm and was ultimately held in cold, windy conditions, Lori-Dawn Cavin, Manager of Community Recreation and Events for the City of Brantford, said this year’s sunshine was a welcome change.
“We deserve this weather after last year’s struggle,” she said with a laugh. “Today feels very different and I think a lot of that has to do with the sunshine; people are happy and we’re very lucky to have this beautiful park where people can come, celebrate and be with their families.”
During the event, attendees huddled around fire pits at the s’mores station and took part in games of Hungry Human Hippos, a high-energy, life-sized version of the classic game hosted by Jam Sport on Harmony Square’s outdoor ice rink.
Also on the schedule were two-dollar horse-drawn trolley rides. Many youngsters and adults were left in awe at the sight of Cliff and Cassie, the two large Belgian horses from Evergreen Hill Farm, as they pulled the trolley throughout the streets of the downtown.
During the opening remarks, Councillor Richard Carpenter, serving as Mayor of the Month, recited a land acknowledgment, spoke about the history of the Two Row Wampum and also acknowledged the recent tragedy that happened in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
“I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the terrible loss of life in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Our hearts are with the families, the friends and the entire community who are facing unimaginable grief. When tragedy happens anywhere in our country, it reminds us how deeply connected we are as Canadians, and how precious and fragile life truly is,” he said. “Tomorrow is Family Day and today we gather and open Winter Fest; a celebration of families, of community and of togetherness. We’re reminded not to take those moments for granted. Family Day is about spending time with people who matter most, supporting one another, being present with one another, and in light of this tragedy, I’d ask that we pause in honour of those who have lost their lives, and to stand quietly in solidarity with those families and the community of Tumbler Ridge.”
Shortly after the moment of silence, Adriel Harjo was then brought up to bestow an Indigenous blessing, and David McKee made one of his declarations.
For those who were looking for a bit of indoor fun for their young ones, many residents headed over to One Market for Wilfrid Laurier University’s second annual Purple and Gold Party.
Within minutes of opening the doors, more than 100 people were inside exploring the various activities, and by the end of the day, those numbers reached over 1,400.
While there, attendees got to enjoy the Crock A Doodle painting station, inflatable attractions, a giant Jenga game, face-painting, colouring stations, taking pictures with superheroes, Marco the Clown and his balloon animals, and interacting with Doug “The Great” Hunt.
Student volunteers from Laurier’s Master of Applied Computing program were also there to help children craft their own beaded bracelets with their initials in binary code.
Stacey Toun, who attended the free event with her three children, said it was nice to be spending the Family Day long weekend doing something fun.
“It’s a really good way to bring people together,” she said. “The kids get to meet new friends and experience things they don’t experience every day, so that’s been really nice. So far they’re really liking the bouncy castle, the two older ones have already been on them a couple times; I could barely get them out.”
Liz Brown, Laurier’s Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives, said she and the faculty were happy to have the community visit the university.
“We love bringing the community onto campus so they can see what we’re doing here downtown. We even have some booths set up so people can learn a bit more about the work that our faculty, staff and students do within the community,” she said. “It’s especially nice to have the little ones here, and hopefully this helps build an affinity for the university. For many of them, this might be the first time they’ve ever been on campus and who knows, hopefully they’ll end up coming to Laurier in the future.”
Speaking about the party being a free event, Brown said it wouldn’t have been possible without the City’s partnership with the university.
“It’s really great because we’re both invested in making this a vibrant community, especially downtown,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do this event without them. We’re also just grateful to be in Brantford. We love it here and we now have more than 10,000 alumni, as well as a lot of graduates who are working in the community as teachers, social workers, entrepreneurs and more.”
Cavin also had similar sentiments about the partnership with Laurier.
“The City is very thankful for the partnership that we have with Laurier University with this event because if the weather was miserable and we couldn’t do much here, then families would have had a nice indoor spot to go to to have some fun. We’re very lucky that they have come on board,” Cavin said.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
