What’s open, what’s closed this Victoria Day long weekend

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2016 (3490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Victoria Day, the federal holiday marking the official birthday of Canada’s reigning sovereign, is celebrated on the last Monday before May 25 in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday. 

(Queen Elizabeth II was born April 21 and celebrated her own 90th birthday earlier this year in style.)

Victoria Day also marks the unofficial start of summer for Manitobans, which is definitely worth celebrating.  It’s when many gardeners figure the risk of frost has mostly passed, so gardening begins in earnest. (If you’re skeptical, you can check on that weather here — it looks pretty good!) And with a nickname like “May two-four” you know there will be a lot of celebratory activities going on.

The Free Press does not publish a print edition on Victoria Day, but visit winnipegfreepress.com for the latest news and information throughout the weekend, including the holiday Monday.

Many businesses and government services change their hours over the Victoria Day weekend.

Here’s a selection:

SHOPPING

Most malls are open 11 a.m to 6 p.m. on Victoria Day.

The Forks Market is open regular hours on Monday (9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.).

Most grocery stores, including Safeway, Sobeys, Superstore and Walmart, are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Victoria Day.

Manitoba Liquor Mart stores in Winnipeg operate with extended hours leading up to the Victoria Day long weekend. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, most Liquor Marts in Winnipeg (with a few exceptions) are open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday and Monday, most are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For details on exceptions and rural Liquor Mart hours, visit www.LiquorMarts.ca/hours.

Beer vendors and private wine stores set their own hours for the holiday, so Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries suggests the best way to find out if the one near you will be open Monday is to call. 

There are 48 beer vendors in Winnipeg and the Free Press summer interns have not yet arrived, so we won’t be calling every vendor. However, we can confirm the beer vendor at the Osborne Village Motor Inn (160 Osborne Street) is open 365 days a year — even Christmas Day — from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.  How do we know this? Let’s just say journalism is thirsty work.

You can find phone numbers for the other 47 vendors online here.

Before you stock up, though, a reminder if you’re planning to spend the weekend in the great outdoors: Alcohol is not permitted in provincial park campgrounds during the May long weekend.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend. The new Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit — featuring 15 life-size, animatronic dinosaurs located along a forested trail in the northwest area of the zoo — is scheduled to open Saturday, May 21.

The Manitoba Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend. It features a new Dino Dig Discovery Room, where visitors can help choose a name for the museum’s incoming 90-million-year-old pliosaur skeleton, expected to arrive in August.

The Children’s Museum is open regular hours on Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend. Inuit art from the government of Nunavut’s collection is on display until May 29. This weekend is also the last weekend to see the Through the Eyes of a Child exhibit, which features work from former students of the WAG Studio art classes. 

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all weekend. Its most recent exhibits include The Witness Blanket, which pays tribute to residential-school survivors, and Sight Unseen, which features photography from blind artists.

Late Sunday and early Monday the forecast looks a bit grim, but SilverCity has you covered. Movie theatres are open all weekend.

Looking for more things to do? Here are some suggestions from Winnipeg Free Press staff in this week’s What’s On column.

 

RECYCLING AND TRASH

Recycling and garbage will be collected as normally scheduled on Victoria Day for those with Monday as their regular collection day.

The Brady Road landfill is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 5:30 am. to 8 p.m. on Monday.  The Brady 4R Winnipeg Depot is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

All leisure centres are open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday, but closed on Monday.

The Crescent Drive, Harbour View, John Blumberg, Kildonan Park and Windsor Park golf courses will be open all weekend, including Monday from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

All City of Winnipeg swimming pools will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday. 

On Monday, all pools will be closed, except:

• The Pan Am Pool will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex will be open 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

 

WINNIPEG TRANSIT

On Monday, buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. For route and schedule details, visit Winnipeg Transit or contact 311.

 

LIBRARIES

All Winnipeg Public Library branches are closed on Monday.

The Winnipeg Public Library switches to summer hours after Victoria Day. That means weekend hours change and all branches; for details see the library website.  Regular hours resume after Labour Day.

 

CEMETERIES

Brookside, St. Vital and Transcona cemetery grounds are open to the public seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., regardless of the holiday.  Cemetery offices will be closed on Monday.

 

GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Civic, provincial and federal offices are closed Monday.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority closes at 1 p.m. Friday, May 20 to accomodate staff moving following a renovation. The parking authority is closed on the weekend, and will be additionally closed on Monday.  Starting Tuesday, hours will be Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Winnipeg Animal Services Agency keeps regular hours Saturday and Sunday, but is closed Monday.

There is no mail delivery on Monday. Canada Post offices are closed, but post offices operated by the private sector will be open according to the hours of service of the host business.