{"id":11373,"date":"2026-02-28T15:23:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T20:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/?p=11373"},"modified":"2026-03-03T11:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:30:30","slug":"sugar-season-is-upon-us-once-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/sugar-season-is-upon-us-once-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar season is upon us once again!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>February means maple syrup season at Vanier Park Museum. <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/\">The Vanier Sugar Shack<\/a>, the only urban sugar shack in the country, has officially launched its 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p>Several activities are offered throughout the sugar season, which runs from mid-February to the end of April each year. Here are the dates to remember for the 2026 sugar season at Vanier Park Museum.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Saturday, February 14, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.:<\/strong> Community maple tapping<\/li>\n<li><strong>February 15 to April 19, 2026:<\/strong> Vanier Sugar Shack open for maple syrup meals<\/li>\n<li><strong>March 23 to 29, 2026:<\/strong> 41st edition of the Vanier Maple Festival, presented by Caisse Desjardins Ontario<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cSugar traditions have been rooted in the Vanier community for many years, thanks in large part to the White Fathers, who in 1939 quickly recognized the maple syrup potential of what is now Richelieu Park and built the first sugar shack there,\u201d says Madeleine Meilleur, Executive Director of the Vanier Museum Park. Our season starts earlier than other sugar shacks because we are located in the heart of the city. We are expecting an excellent sugaring season this year, so we really hope the community will come out! &#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tapping maple trees in the city: A unique and successful experience<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, February 14, 2026, the Vanier Museum Park invited community members to lend a hand to its team as they tapped maple trees in the Richelieu Forest. This year, Vanier Park Museum was once again included in the Winterlude program. This renewed partnership is part of the launch of maple syrup season. This fun and unique experience allows people to reconnect with the traditions of yesteryear while ensuring the intergenerational transfer of knowledge about traditional maple syrup production.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of the day was to make 500 taps in the urban maple grove, and it was easily achieved! The volunteers who participated were rewarded for their efforts with pea soup, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at the sugar shack.<\/p>\n<p>For more details on tapping, visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/maple-season\/tapping-and-harvesting-maple-sap\/\">https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/maple-season\/tapping-and-harvesting-maple-sap\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We hope to see many of you again next year, but more importantly, harvest time is approaching and we will need your help again, so stay tuned!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eating at the Cabane: A delicious and unique experience, just a stone&#8217;s throw from downtown!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The day after the community tapping event, on Sunday, February 15, 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/\">The Vanier Sugar Shack <\/a>has\u00a0welcomed its first customers. Rapha\u00ebl, the chef at the Vanier sugar shack, added his own touch to the menus. This season&#8217;s featured dishes are Le b\u00fbcheron (The Woodcutter) and Le randonneur (The Hiker), each priced at $25 per person. Children&#8217;s portions of each dish will also be available for kids 10 and under ($12 per person).<\/p>\n<p>Quality food sourced from local producers in an enchanting setting where old-world charm meets modernity\u2014that&#8217;s the experience you&#8217;ll enjoy at the new Vanier Sugar Shack!<br \/>\nCheck out the menu here:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/maple-season\/eating-at-the-sugar-shack\/\">https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/maple-season\/eating-at-the-sugar-shack\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Opening hours during maple syrup season: February 15 to April 19, 2026<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open to the general public: admission to the cabin is on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/li>\n<li>We do NOT take reservations on weekends (Saturday and Sunday).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Wenesday, Thursday, Friday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>By reservation only, for groups of 15 or more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To make a reservation at the Vanier Sugar Shack, email cabane@museoparc.ca or call 613-842-9871, ext. 1.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about the Vanier Sugar Shack and its history, please visit the Mus\u00e9oparc website: <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/vanier-sugar-shack\/\">https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/cabane-a-sucre-vanier\/.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Vanier Sugar Festival: A 41-year tradition in the neighborhood!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The highlight of the Vanier Mus\u00e9oparc&#8217;s public programming, the <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/programming\/sugar-festival\/\">Sugar Festival<\/a> celebrates the sugar season while allowing local, national, and international visitors to reconnect with or learn about artisanal maple syrup production.<\/p>\n<p>The Mus\u00e9oparc is proud to announce that the 41st Sugar Festival will be held from March 23 to 29, 2026. Details about the Festival program will be announced in the coming weeks. This edition of the Sugar Festival is presented by <a href=\"https:\/\/coop.desjardins.com\/votre-caisse\/ontario\/index.jsp\">Caisse Desjardins Ontario.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Happy maple syrup season!<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Vanier Mus\u00e9oparc<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Vanier Mus\u00e9oparc is a non-profit organization located in the heart of Vanier, a popular neighborhood near downtown Ottawa. It celebrates the rich heritage and history of its community. Through its exhibitions, talks, workshops, school programs, and interpretive tours, the Vanier Museum &amp; Park allows curious visitors of all ages\u2014and all cultures\u2014to discover and learn about the customs and traditions of the local Francophone community. It is the only Francophone museum in Ottawa and one of the few Canadian museums dedicated entirely to Francophone culture outside Quebec. The Vanier Mus\u00e9oparc also operates an authentic sugar shack in the heart of an urban maple grove, the only one of its kind in the world. It also hosts the Sugar Festival, an annual event that showcases maple syrup culture and local artists, while promoting itself as a must-see family activity. Proud of its roots, the Vanier Mus\u00e9oparc has been anchored in the community since its creation in 2004. <a href=\"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/\">www.museoparc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The highlight of the Vanier Museum Park&#8217;s public programming, the Sugar Festival celebrates the sugar season.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February means maple syrup season at Vanier Park Museum. The Vanier Sugar Shack, the only urban sugar shack in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"post-alt-category":[63],"class_list":["post-11373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sugar-shack","post-alt-category-press-release"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11373"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11378,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11373\/revisions\/11378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11373"},{"taxonomy":"post-alt-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museoparc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-alt-category?post=11373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}