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🎉 Unionville Festival 2026 📅 June 6 & 7, 2026 📍 Main Street Unionville, Markham 🅾 Free Admission 👪 Family Friendly

Unionville Festival 2026 — Summer Kicks Off on Historic Main Street

Every June, one of the prettiest streets in the GTA closes to traffic and fills with thousands of people. The Unionville Festival returns Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, 2026, transforming historic Main Street Unionville in Markham into a two-day celebration of community, music, food and small-town charm.

This year is a big one: the festival returns to its full scale, made even more special by the freshly completed Main Street Restoration. Expect live music, local craft vendors, great food, the beloved parade, and that easygoing, everyone’s-welcome atmosphere the festival has been known for since 1969. And it’s all free.

🎤 Live music 🎉 The parade 🎨 Arts & craft vendors 🍽️ Food 👧 Kids activities 🐶 Pet entertainment

ℹ️ Festival Info See the Parade Lineup → 🚗 Get Directions

💡 Free to attend and free to park. Bring some cash for the food and craft vendors, and arrive early on the weekend — Main Street gets busy once the crowds roll in.

✨ Why This One Is Worth Your Weekend

Main Street Unionville is special even on a quiet day — a preserved 19th-century streetscape of heritage shops, cafes and the old Stiver Mill, tucked alongside the Rouge River. During the festival, it turns into one big neighbourhood block party.

What makes it different from a big downtown event is the scale and the warmth. This is a genuine community festival run by the local BIA, where the vendors are local makers, the performers are community groups, and the parade is packed with familiar faces — dance schools, scouts, the fire department, and the Town Crier of Markham.

2026 also marks the festival’s return to full scale after the Main Street Restoration, so there’s a real sense of celebration this year. If you’ve never made the trip up, this is a great year to start.

🎪 What’s On

Two days, the whole of Main Street, and something happening around every corner. Here’s the gist of what to expect.

🎉 The 2026 Parade

The parade signals the official start of summer in Unionville, drawing thousands to Main Street for a display of floats, music and community spirit. Here’s who’s marching in 2026:

1st Unionville Scout Group · ASF Gymnastics · Beach Cheer Athletics · BMW · Bodhi Meditation Toronto · Cycling Without Age – Markham · Dance Expression · Fengcai Arts Association · Girl Pow-R · Hala on Stilts Entertainment · Kobbler Jay · Markham Fire and Emergency Services · Markham Pickleball Club · Markham School of Dance · Markham YMCA · Markham-Unionville Rotary · MPP Billy Pang Community Office · Newbeaver Shrine Club · St. John Ambulance · The Sylvia Morris Team · The Town Crier of Markham · Unionvilla Home Society · Unionville Skating Club · Wraptitude · Yiu Law Firm · York Lions Steel Band · York Region Paramedic Services · York Region Public Works · York Regional Police Ceremonial Motorcycle, Mounted & Pipes and Drums Units · York University

📜 A Festival Born From a Protest

Here’s a piece of history a lot of festival-goers don’t know: the Unionville Festival started as an act of resistance. In 1969, the widening of Kennedy Road south of Highway 7 had residents worried the project would push north and wipe out the historic homes and businesses of Main Street.

So they marched. The community banded together in protest to safeguard the street they loved — and it worked. That show of commitment saved historic Main Street, and the march itself evolved into the annual celebration we know today.

More than five decades later, the festival still fills Main Street with thousands of people every June — a fitting tribute to a community that fought to keep its heritage intact.

📍 The Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

Unionville is about 30 km northeast of downtown Toronto and easy to reach by car or transit.

⚠️ Heads up: Main Street has been undergoing restoration. Some sections may still be affected by construction — check the official site for the latest road and parking notices before you head out.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

💵 Bring cash. Admission and parking are free, but the food stalls and craft vendors are the fun part — some are cash-only, and lines move faster with it.

⏱️ Arrive early. Main Street fills up fast on festival weekend. Get there in the morning for easier parking and a more relaxed wander before the crowds peak.

🚌 Consider the GO train. Unionville GO is just 2 km away — an easy way to skip the parking hunt entirely, especially coming from Toronto.

📷 Make a day of it. Beyond the festival, Main Street has the Varley Art Gallery, historic walking tours and riverside trails — worth building into your visit.

🐶 Pet-friendly fun. There’s pet entertainment on the program, but with big crowds and a parade, keep furry friends leashed and comfortable.

❓ Common Questions