Journal · Guide · 31 October 2026
Celebrate Canada 2027: apply by 23 November.
Free one-day events from 21 June to 1 July 2027, Multiculturalism Day included: apply in the Funding Portal until 23 November 2026, 4 pm ET.
In short
- Events covered
- One-day, free events from 21 June to 1 July 2027 that celebrate one of four days.
- Deadline
- 23 November 2026, 4 pm ET. The intake opened on 1 October 2026.
- How much
- A grant of up to 100% of eligible expenses, up to $100,000 per fiscal year.
- How to apply
- Online, in the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal.
What Celebrate Canada funds.
Celebrate Canada is the Canadian Heritage program for community celebrations of National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day and Canada Day. For events in June and July 2027, not-for-profits apply in the Funding Portal between 1 October and 23 November 2026, 4 pm ET.
Canadian Heritage · Celebrate Canada
The program pays for community activities on four days: 21 June, 24 June, 27 June and 1 July. An eligible event lasts one day, takes place in Canada between 21 June and 1 July, and is free of charge and open to the general public, and promoted that way (application guidelines).
Canadian not-for-profit organizations can apply, including corporations, trusts, cooperatives and unincorporated associations, along with educational institutions, municipal governments, Indigenous organizations and band or tribal councils, and business corporations whose project is non-commercial. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are left out (canada.ca, Celebrate Canada).
An organization may celebrate several of the days if each event is held on its own date. The guidelines give priority to events held on the designated day itself, and for 2027 they add the celebration of Canada's 160th anniversary.
Four days, four dates in 2027.
The weekday decides a lot for a volunteer-run event. In 2027 only Canadian Multiculturalism Day falls on a weekend.
Celebrate Canada · the designated days
| Day | Date | Weekday in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | 21 June | Monday |
| Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day | 24 June | Thursday |
| Canadian Multiculturalism Day | 27 June | Sunday |
| Canada Day | 1 July | Thursday |
How much, and what it pays for.
Grants cover up to 100% of eligible expenses, up to $100,000 per fiscal year. A project over $100,000 is funded through a contribution agreement. Support from all levels of government together stays at or under 100% of eligible costs, and administration at or under 15%.
Application guidelines · Celebrate Canada
Costs the program can cover
- Promotion and communications
- Entertainment, supplies and equipment rental
- Ceremonial and traditional food, on National Indigenous Peoples Day and Canadian Multiculturalism Day only
- The costs of a designated day held inside a festival
- Travel within Canada, and administration up to 15%
Costs it leaves out
- BBQ, general food and beverages, alcohol
- Food for the planning team and volunteers
- Equipment purchases and major infrastructure
- Rent for a property the organization owns
- Prizes, lobbying and advocacy
Approved expenses can be counted from 1 April of the event year; anything spent before the written approval is at the organization's own risk. Recipients acknowledge the federal support in English and in French in their communications, and send a final report after the day (application guidelines).
Events of more than one day, events that are mainly religious, political or commercial, fundraisers and contests, and workshops closed to the general public fall outside the program.
How a board applies, step by step.
Five steps from the portal to the decision, as the guidelines set them out.
Application guidelines · Celebrate Canada
- 01Open or create the organization's profile in the Funding Portal
- 02Attach the business number, proof of legal status and the direct deposit form
- 03Submit the application before 23 November 2026, 4 pm ET
- 04Acknowledgement of receipt within two weeks
- 05Decision standard: 20 weeks
An unincorporated association sends an acceptance-of-responsibility form in place of incorporation papers, and a request of $100,000 or more adds the latest financial statements. Canadian Heritage publishes a decision standard of 20 weeks for this program; counted from the 23 November close, that is mid-April 2027, around the 1 April date from which approved expenses count (decision standards). Questions go to info@pch.gc.ca or 1-866-811-0055; applications go through the portal only.
Celebrate Canada or MARP Events?
Both are Canadian Heritage programs that community associations use for multicultural events. For a June 2027 event, only one window is still open.
canada.ca · both programs' pages
| Celebrate Canada | MARP Events | |
|---|---|---|
| Events it funds | One day, 21 June – 1 July, free and public | Events bringing communities together, through the year |
| Window for June 2027 | Open until 23 November 2026 | Closed on 27 October 2026 |
| How to apply | Funding Portal | By email to the regional office |
| Decision standard | 20 weeks | 26 weeks |
| Food | Ceremonial and traditional food on 21 and 27 June | Food and beverages ineligible |
Events from 1 August to 30 November 2027 have their MARP Events window from 13 January to 24 February 2027, so a September event looks there. The dates, the rules and the documents are in MARP Events funding for 2027.
Where 27 June 2027 fits.
Canadian Multiculturalism Day falls on a Sunday in 2027, and the program favours events held on the day itself.
For Ottawa community associations
A community planning its own Multiculturalism Day event for 27 June 2027 has until 23 November 2026 to apply. One that would rather share a bigger day can join its hosts: Capital Cultures Day, on Sunday 27 June 2027 in Major's Hill Park, has seven open host community places, each with a table of two workshops, two sets on a shared stage and a speaker in a public conversation.
And for the two-day festival in September 2027, a community runs its own pavilion: how pavilions work.
Questions.
The ones community boards ask first about this program.
Answers from the published guidelines
When is the Celebrate Canada deadline for 2027 events?
23 November 2026 at 4 pm ET. The intake opened on 1 October 2026 at 8 am ET, and a deadline that falls on a weekend or a statutory holiday moves to the next working day.
Does Celebrate Canada fund Canadian Multiculturalism Day events?
Yes. Canadian Multiculturalism Day, 27 June, is one of the four days the program funds, with National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Canada Day.
Who can apply for Celebrate Canada funding?
Canadian not-for-profit organizations, unincorporated associations included; educational institutions and municipal governments; Indigenous organizations and band or tribal councils; and business corporations with a non-commercial project.
How much funding can an event get?
A grant of up to 100% of eligible expenses, up to $100,000 per fiscal year. Above $100,000, funding comes through a contribution agreement, and support from all governments together stays at or under 100% of eligible costs.
Can the grant pay for food?
Ceremonial and traditional food is eligible on National Indigenous Peoples Day and Canadian Multiculturalism Day only. BBQ, general food and beverages, alcohol and food for volunteers are ineligible.
Can a two-day festival apply?
Events of more than one day are ineligible. The costs of one designated day held inside a festival are eligible.
How long does a decision take?
Canadian Heritage publishes a decision standard of 20 weeks for Celebrate Canada and acknowledges receipt within two weeks. Approved expenses count from 1 April of the event year.