It’s the first statutory holiday of the year, a day off of work for most and a perfect excuse to spend the day with your loved ones – Family Day! This year on February 19, the City of Mississauga has arranged several festivities for you to take part in with your kids, significant other, parents and closest friends. The following list features a variety of activities for everyone, from those who love the outdoors to those who prefer to stay inside and away from the winter weather. This Family Day will definitely be one to remember with these fun activities! 

1. The Living Arts Centre

The Living Arts Centre will be hosting several free activities for the whole family from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.! They will also have a variety of unique festivities to celebrate the Chinese New Year, focusing on how this year is the Year of the Dog! For instance, first up at 11am and continuing until 3pm, is the ‘Lunar Fest Moon Crawl Experience’ located in Hammerson Hall, which encourages families to work together to find the hidden moon in the ball pit! Additionally, families can watch or volunteer to take part in the live game show ‘Just Like Mom & Dad’ located in the RBC Theatre at 12:00 p.m.! Another exciting show that will take place shortly after in the RBC Theatre is the Family Talent Show! In terms of outdoor activities, there will be fire building demonstrations and marshmallow toasting hosted by the 1st Meadowvale West Scout Group throughout the day to keep families warm! 

2.  Free Skating at Celebration Square

For those who are brave enough to take on the frigid winter temperatures, Celebration Square will be hosting their ‘Big Family Day Skate’! From 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the free event will include a DJ skate party complete with a photo booth for families to snap fun photos in before hitting the ice. They also have skate rental available for those who need it at a nominal fee.  Delicious snacks will also be served by The Big Bite Cafe and a Maple Candy Station will be providing skaters with sugary treats! 

3. Community Centre Activities  

Families who prefer to avoid the cold but still wish to take part in the Family Day fun can visit their local community centre! Throughout the day, community centres across the City will be hosting a variety of free activities for families of all ages to take part in! These activities include Fun Swims, Lane/Leisure Swim, Fun Skate, Family Zumba and much more! Some centres, such as the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre, also feature outdoor activities.

4. Kids Fest

The International Centre in Mississauga will be hosting ‘Kids Fest Toronto’ from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. all throughout Family Day weekend (from Saturday, February 17th to Monday, February 19th)! This event promises to be fun for the whole family with plenty of live entertainment, inflatables, carnival games, rides, and much more! In fact, the event features over 30 inflatables that range in size to allow children of all ages to play on! This year, the event will also be featuring Exotic Animals and Mad Science exhibits! 

5. Visit the Movies

Families who love the cinema can enjoy their Family Day together by going to one of the City’s many movie theatres! It also seems as though that Hollywood has saved some of their most anticipated movies to be released just in time for the Canadian holiday! For instance, those who relish in the thrill of action and superhero films will love Black Panther, which has already received rave reviews! Whereas families who are sci-fi fans can catch the latest instalment of The Maze Runner series, Maze Runner: The Death Cure

6. Steelheads Hockey Game

Calling all the hockey-loving families, this event is for you! Mississauga’s very own hockey team, the Steelheads, will be taking on the Flint Firebirds this Family Day at the Hershey Centre at 2:00 p.m.! If this wasn’t exciting enough, Ticketmaster has released the ‘Family Funday Value Pack’ for the day. This package includes one Food Voucher and one Program Voucher