OFFICIAL BRAMPTON VISITOR GUIDE 2017 welcome to ONTARIO BRAMPTONCANADA CANADA DAY IN BRAMPTON inside » EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, FOOD & MORE T ourismBrampton.ca CITY OF BRAMPTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & CULTURE 2 Wellington St. W., Brampton, ON L6Y 4R2 tourismbrampton.ca VISITOR INQUIRIES 905.874.3601 [email protected] CITY OF BRAMPTON Director, Economic Development & Culture Bob Darling Senior Manager, Cultural Services Kelly Stahl TOURISM TORONTO – TORONTO WEST OFFICE 2560 Matheson Blvd. E., Suite 220 Mississauga, ON L4W 4Y9 TOURISM TORONTO President and CEO Johanne R. Bélanger Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Weir MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS AND SPORT TOURISM Robert Kawamoto 416.203.3810 [email protected] All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. The Brampton Visitor Guide makes every effort to LEISURE TRADE ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot 416.203.2600 be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Printed in Canada. MEMBERSHIP (TOURISM TORONTO) Christopher Barry 647.202.3042 This Brampton Visitor Guide is printed on Cascades Fine Papers [email protected] Group - Rolland Enviro100 Satin. This paper is EcoLogo, Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) BRAMPTON VISITOR GUIDE PRODUCTION certified. Rolland Enviro100 Satin is manufactured in Canada from Editorial Direction 100% post-consumer recycled material from North American Michael Ciuffini, Specialist, Film and Tourism, City of Brampton recycling programs by Cascades using biogas energy, which supplies Art Director the mill with 93% of its thermal energy needs. Production of this Candace Niquet, Tourism Toronto paper produces 85% less greenhouse gas emissions than the average 100% recycled paper and 94% less than the average 100% virgin Content Development paper. These calculations are taken from cascades.com/papers. Julie Charles Communications FSC® is not responsible for any calculations on saving resources Creative Services Contributors by choosing this paper. 5Crowd CIRCULATION: 100,000 Front cover photo: Walk Off The Earth performs onstage at Brampton Canada Day celebrations in Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park Back cover photo: Canada 150 Brampton – Find an event or list your own event at brampton.ca/canada150 YOUR CITY TO EXPLORE A VISITORS’ GUIDE TO BRAMPTON. Plan where to go and what to do with our 2017 Visitor Guide to Brampton’s attractions and activities. This Guide points you to our city’s most popular sites, things to see and local treasures to explore right here in our backyard. Find what interests you most, from a foodie’s bounty of unique restaurants and diverse cuisines, to a thrill seeker’s medley ranging from tree-top adventures to the roar of an indoor racetrack. Take in a free concert or movie in Garden Square. Visit our seasonal Downtown Farmers’ Market one Saturday morning. Go ice-skating under the stars and holiday lights. Take note of special Canada 150 exhibitions and events planned all year, and the opportunity to see distinctive historic sites. Find ideas inside, based on a range of popular interests – or you could try something for the first time! TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA | 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS / departments 4 6 8 WELCOME OUR CITY NEIGHBOURHOODS TO BRAMPTON What’s new & notable Check out great local attractions 10 58 64 DOWNTOWN TRAVEL ESSENTIALS FEATURED LISTINGS Our hub of culture How to get here and These Brampton- and entertainment where to stay: Travel focused members of tips to help you Tourism Toronto bring get around you cultural attractions, entertainment & more CELEBRATE Come to our Party! There’s a whole year to celebrate Canada’s 150th! brampton.ca/canada150 » See back cover. 2 | TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA OFFICIAL BRAMPTON VISITOR GUIDE 2017 THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW! Use our guide to discover all the sights, sounds, food, events 22 and fun things to do in and around Brampton. 28 / features 36 16 » CALENDAR OF EVENTS 22 » FOR FOODIES 28 » FOR THRILL SEEKERS 32 » FOR ART LOVERS 36 » FOR FILM & MEDIA CREATORS 44 40 » FOR MAKERS & INNOVATORS 42 » FOR SHOPPERS 44 » FOR NATURE LOVERS 50 » FOR SPORTS FANS 54 » FOR HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS 50 TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA | 3 BRAMPTON / welcome WELCOME TO BRAMPTON BRAMPTON IS ONE OF CANADA’S FASTEST GROWING, UNIQUE DESTINATIONS! Whether you are here for business or to celebrate or explore, use this guide to discover our friendly, inviting and uniquely diverse city. Celebrate Canada’s 150th year of Confederation while enjoying what makes us special – restaurants that boast an array of global flavours, cultural vibrancy that is found in our historic downtown, our beautiful parks and neighbourhoods, and our premier arts, culture and entertainment destinations. New in our city this year – a rock climbing facility and a redesigned waterpark. Our city is young, diverse and culturally active. With an expanded line-up of events, festivals and entertainment, there’s always Our city is young, something exciting to do in Brampton. The city’s well-connected public transit diverse and culturally makes it easy for you to sample attractions across the city. active. With an expanded line-up of events, festivals We hope this guide entices you to explore our city’s tourist attractions, attend or and entertainment, there’s participate in our sport tournaments, share a meal at one of our many restaurants, or always something exciting leisurely enjoy our extensive greenspace and park trails. to do in Brampton. Visit Canada’s ninth largest city! With so much to do, you will need to visit us more than once! Linda Jeffrey Mayor, City of Brampton 4 | TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA BRAMPTON / welcome ENJOY OUR ATTRACTIONS TOURISM TORONTO IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF BRAMPTON TO PROMOTE THIS DYNAMIC CITY AND ITS UNIQUE PLACE IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) AND THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO AS ONE OF OUR FASTEST-GROWING COMMUNITIES. Long known as “Flower City”, Brampton is recognized for its ample natural attractions, parks, sports and recreational facilities, galleries, museums, and family-focused activities. I hope you’ll enjoy great events and experiences here, from food to music to film and community festivals. Johanne R. Bélanger President and CEO, Tourism Toronto TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA | 5 BRAMPTON / our city ABOUT BRAMPTON THE NINTH LARGEST CITY IN CANADA, BRAMPTON CELEBRATES A DIVERSE POPULATION THAT REPRESENTS PEOPLE FROM 209 DISTINCT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS WHO SPEAK 89 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. Brampton residents and visitors have access to state-of-the-art recreation facilities and one of the fastest-growing transit systems in Canada. For more information visit brampton.ca or follow @CityBrampton on Twitter. 34.7 YEARS » YOUNGEST MEDIAN AGE OF CANADA’S LARGEST CITIES 600,000 PEOPLE & RISING! 2ND 209 CULTURES FASTEST GROWING & 89 LANGUAGES CITY IN CANADA OPENING 2017 / NEW LANDMARKS There’s more to see and do at Watch for the unveiling of the Springdale Gore Meadows Community Centre Library and Community Park mid-year and Library (10150 The Gore Rd.) thanks (Bramalea Rd. at Dewside Dr.). Its innovative to an exciting expansion. Splash around in design plans earned a Canadian the new aquatic centre that has two pools, Architect Award. a waterslide and a Tarzan rope. Seasonal outdoor attractions include a spray pad and skating rink. 6 | TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA BRAMPTON / our city Award-winning design of Brampton's new Springdale Library and Community Park All Aboard Our Innovation Corridor The supercluster of tech companies and startups that stretch from Toronto through Brampton-Guelph-Kitchener-Waterloo is Canada’s Innovation Corridor – our own Silicon Valley. Ontario has plans to link it A NEW “U” ON THE WAY with all-day, two-way GO Transit service Attention future grads: Brampton is on electric trains in the near future. gearing up for a new university. The In the meantime, existing GO Transit bus city was chosen by Ontario as the site of new postsecondary facilities focused and rail service in Brampton has already on science, technology, engineering, stepped up with more frequent trips arts and mathematics. Brampton is and station enhancements. already home to Sheridan College and gotransit.com Algoma U at Brampton. GO, CANADETTES! YOUR BIG FIVE-O In the world of women’s and girls’ hockey, Brampton is second to none. The world’s largest and longest-running female hockey tournament, the Canadette’s Easter Tournament, celebrates its 50th year in 2017! Since 1967, the Brampton Canadettes have hosted this event attracting players from around the world, including England, Switzerland, Japan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Welcome to the thousands of players and spectators who will fill our arenas for more than 600 games. April 13 – 16, 2017 bramptoncanadettes.com TOURISMBRAMPTON.CA | 7 Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park Explore Our NEIGHBOURHOODS Brampton is a city of neighbourhoods that appeals to a wide range of tastes and lifestyles, from luxury estates, to family-friendly communities, to urban condos and apartments in our vibrant downtown. Here are just a few of the areas worth exploring: MOUNT PLEASANT VILLAGE. CASTLEMORE. This suburban area in Mobility is key in this transit-focused the northeast corner of the city has several urban community built around a new new residential developments, and is Mount Pleasant GO commuter train station, known for its large and luxurious estate an inter-city rail line, transit, and great homes built on the shores and ravines recreational paths and space to walk, bike along the Humber River. and play. At its heart is Mount Pleasant Village Square, served by a library and CHURCHVILLE. This rural hamlet in community centre in a restored historic the southwest corner of the city, deep in CPR train station. DON’T MISS: Look for the Credit River Valley, has been designated unique goods sold by artisans at the Village a heritage community. First settled 200 Market every Thursday evening from years ago, a number of original timber- June 22 to October 5.