The maple syrup festival season in Durham Region is officially underway as the popular Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival opens this weekend in Oshawa, welcoming visitors to celebrate one of Ontario’s sweetest spring traditions.
Held annually at the Purple Woods Conservation Area, the festival has been a springtime favourite for more than 50 years. The 41-acre property, located on the Oak Ridges Moraine, features a sugar maple forest that has been tapped for maple sap for over 150 years.
Each year the event attracts families from across Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and other parts of Durham Region who come to experience how maple syrup is made and to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities.
Visitors to the festival can explore the conservation area through self-guided tours, take a horse-drawn wagon ride through the forest, and learn about the maple syrup production process.
Guests will also have the opportunity to see a modern evaporator in action, where collected maple sap is boiled down into syrup. Demonstrations show how sap from more than 800 sugar maple trees on the property is transformed into the sweet syrup many Canadians enjoy each spring.
One of the most popular attractions is the chance to try maple syrup poured over ice, a traditional treat that turns the syrup into a soft maple candy.
Families can also take part in games and seasonal activities, making the festival a fun outdoor experience for visitors of all ages.
For those looking for a classic maple-themed meal, the festival offers an all-day pancake breakfast served with Purple Woods maple syrup and locally produced Halenda’s sausages.
Visitors can also stop by the Heritage Store, where a variety of maple products and treats are available to purchase and take home.
The Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival begins this weekend and will run daily from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. until March 22, before returning for its final weekend March 28 and 29.
Tickets cost $8 per person when purchased online, which organizers recommend to guarantee entry, or $11 at the gate. Children aged two and under can attend for free.
Each day of the festival is divided into two visitor sessions: 9:30 a.m. to noon and noon to 2:30 p.m.
The event also highlights the long cultural history of maple syrup production in North America.
Maple syrup was first produced by Indigenous peoples, including the Anishinaabe, who discovered methods of collecting sap from maple trees long before European settlers arrived.
The Anishinaabe word “Zhiiwaagamizigan” refers to maple syrup, which was valued both for its sweet flavour and medicinal properties.
Purple Woods is just one of several maple syrup festivals happening across the region this spring.
Other events include Pefferlaw Creek Maple Festival in Uxbridge, Brooks Farm Maple Fest in Uxbridge, and the well-known Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival scheduled for April 11 and 12.
The maple festival season will conclude with Bowmanville Maple Fest on May 2, giving residents across Durham Region multiple opportunities to celebrate the arrival of spring.
