It’s that time of year again! As winter winds down, the longer days and rising temperatures mean that the maple syrup harvest has arrived. Events kick off in March and run through May—giving families and friends ample time to get a taste of the sweet maple season, and a chance to enjoy fresh, local maple syrup, pancake breakfasts, and syrup demonstrations. To help you make the most of maple season in Durham Region, check out our list of upcoming festivals and events.
Pefferlaw Creek Farms Maple Syrup Festival
12300 Concession Road 6, Uxbridge
Dates: Saturdays and Sundays from March 2 to April 21 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Price: Pricing for admission and the pancake meal will be updated soon.
Soak in the sights, sounds, and sweet smells of the beautiful farm at Pefferlaw Creek! Visit the sugar bush to enjoy a tapping tour, a sugar shack tour, hiking, taffy, live music (on select dates), and a delicious pancake meal—made with a beloved family recipe, whole ingredients, local farmers’ sausages from Willowtree Farm, and fresh maple syrup in abundance!
View Pefferlaw Creek Farms Maple Syrup Festival updates.
Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival
Dates: Grand opening March 8, Saturdays and Sundays from March 9 to April 7, and March break from March 13 to 15
Price: $8 per person (children aged two and under are free) for online tickets purchased in advance. On-site tickets ($11 per person) are limited by capacity.
Take a self-guided tour to visit a modern evaporator, enjoy games, activities, horse-drawn wagon rides, and watch as sap is collected from the sugar maple trees and boiled into delicious maple syrup. Enjoy all-day breakfast pancakes with Halenda’s sausages and Purple Woods Maple Syrup! Gluten free pancakes are also available. Plus, don’t forget to stop by their Heritage Store before you go and take some sweet maple treats home!
On April 5, from 7 to 9 p.m., enjoy a tasty treat served with real maple syrup, then head out with a lantern to explore the sugarbush by candlelight. The history of this liquid gold will be told by firelight along the way, and you will have a chance to taste-test different grades of maple syrup. Registration for the Lantern Walk is required.
Learn more about the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival and purchase tickets.
Brooks Farms Maplefest
Dates: March 9 to 17 (tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Price: $12.99 plus HST (children under the age of two are free). Tickets can be purchased in advance online.
Visit Brooks Farms for a festival so sweet, you’ll want to come back year after year! Enjoy a train or wagon ride, self-guided and guided educational tours, evaporator demonstrations, maple syrup tastings, and a campfire in the sugar bush with marshmallows. The barnyard playland is also opened (weather permitting) with animals, a pirate ship and more. Maple Sugar Products and/or Pancakes in The Barn are also available for an additional cost.
Learn more about Brooks Farms Maplefest and purchase tickets.
Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival
Dates: April 6 to 7
Price: Free admission and parking
In its 27th year, this well-loved event offers a great opportunity to discover the many things that make Sunderland special, while celebrating the Canadian tradition of making maple syrup. Enjoy the local sugar shack tour, a historical bus tour, live entertainment, air bounce adventures, bathtub races, and—of course—a delicious pancake breakfast!
Bowmanville Maplefest
King Street East, from Scugog Street to George Street, Bowmanville
Date: May 4 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Price: Free admission and parking
This highly anticipated festival showcases local syrup producers who offer up the best of the region. You’ll be delighted to find maple treats including doughnuts, cheese, candy, nuts, fudge and much more. Stroll along four city blocks to explore unique items from craft and food vendors, and browse the many independent shops and restaurants in historic Bowmanville.
Learn more about Bowmanville Maplefest.
Maple Syrup’s Sweet History
Did you know that Indigenous Peoples living in northeastern North America were the first to produce maple syrup? Zhiiwaagamizigan is the Anishinaabe word for maple syrup, and it’s prized for both its medicinal properties and sweet taste. The earliest method of sap collection was done by cutting a ‘v’ shape into the bark of a maple tree, then placing a wedge at the bottom of the cut and letting the sap flow into a bucket at the base of the tree. Today, the collection process has changed, yet the result is that same sweet liquid gold. You can discover this original method of processing maple syrup by visiting Harlaine Maple Products during the Sunderland Maple Festival.
While you’re there, capture and share your photos with us by tagging @DurhamTourism on social media!
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