Year round, internationally recognized festivals like the Niagara Wine Festival, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration, and the Celebration of Nations use civic spaces to animate the city’s core.
The downtown core of St. Catharines has been the location of most civic activities since before to the City’s Incorporation in 1875. Not only were municipal and other government buildings significant architectural landmarks in the downtown, they provided close and quick access to the services needed by citizens. These locations also played host to many events and meetings held by community organizations in the years before large meeting spaces were available.
The downtown core has played host to community celebrations, festivals and events, welcoming important dignitaries, mourning and memorial activities, parades, concerts, and civic announcements and speeches.