Petrolia Announces 150th Celebrations List of Activities
Petrolia, ON – “A party 150 years in the making.” Petrolia is pleased to bring the community together for a series of celebrations and events and activities to highlight the Sesquicentennial milestone in the oil town.
2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Petrolia as a town and commemorates By-Law number one – the By-Law to formally create the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department.
A committee of volunteers from the community, service clubs and town staff have been working on the events and ideas since 2018, and despite a slowdown of in-person meetings in 2020 and 2021, the Petrolia 150 Committee has been able to focus on their mandate and set goals and choose projects that are both inclusive and affordable for the town to celebrate together.
Chairperson Denise Thibeault said, “We have an awesome team. This committee has met regularly and moved each of these planned events forward each month since 2018. As a committee, we are fortunate to have so many passionate and dedicated representatives from a variety of groups, clubs and community members dedicating their time to celebrate Petrolia.”
Petrolia will launch their year of celebration on January 1, 2024; and will wrap the activities on January 1, 2025.
Petrolia 150 Events by Month
JANUARY
Monday – 1 | 11:00 a.m. – Petrolia 150 Flag Raising at Victoria Hall |
Monday – 1 | Petrolia 150 Opening Gala at Victoria Hall 7:30 p.m. All are invited to purchase a ticket for this commemorative kick-off event that will feature a special performance and reception. Tickets for this event are $50, and go on sale on Monday, October 23, 2023, at the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia Box Office in person, online at www.thevpp.ca or by telephone (519)882-1221 or 1(800)717-7694. |
Sunday – 7 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Thursday, 11, 18 & 25 | The Victoria Playhouse Petrolia Foundation invites you to free movie nights at Victoria Hall. These weekly movies are free and fun for the entire family. No need to pre-register, just plan to attend. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the movies will start at 7:00 p.m. Titles: TBA soon |
Sunday – 28 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
FEBRUARY
Thursday – 1 — Monday – 19 | Annual Snow Sculpture Contest – theme for 2024 – “Petrolia!” |
Thursday, 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 | The Victoria Playhouse Petrolia Foundation invites you to free movie nights at Victoria Hall. These weekly movies are free and fun for the entire family. No need to pre-register, just plan to attend. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the movies will start at 7:00 p.m. Titles: TBA soon |
Sunday – 4 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Friday 16, Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Monday 19 | Town of Petrolia Family Fun Days |
Saturday – 17 | Petrolia Heritage Advisory Committee Open House at Victoria Hall – theme “Petrolia”. Times TBA soon. |
Sunday – 25 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
MARCH
Sunday – 3 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
APRIL
Sunday – 7 | Order of the Eastern Star hosts a Victorian High Tea at Albany Retirement Village. |
Sunday – 7 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Sunday – 28 | Order of the Eastern Star hosts a Victorian High Tea at Lambton Meadowview |
MAY
Sunday – 5 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Saturday – 11 | Band Shell Ribbon Cutting and celebration in Victoria Park. All are welcome. 11:00 a.m. – noon. |
Saturday – 18 | Petrolia Kiwanis Splash Pad Grand Opening – more details coming soon. |
Saturday – 25 | Petrolia Farmers’ Market Grand Opening |
Sunday – 26 | Order of the Eastern Star hosts a Victorian High Tea at Fiddick’s Nursing Home. |
JUNE
Saturday – 1 | Pizzafest – Victoria Park |
Sunday – 2 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Friday 7 – Saturday 8 | NEW DATE! Petrolia Townwide Garage Sales |
Saturday – 8 | Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department BBQ |
Friday 14 through Sunday 16 | The Provincial Town Criers Competition and Youth Town Criers Competition will take place in Petrolia. A full schedule of events will be shared later. |
Saturday 15 | Petrolia and North Enniskillen Open House in celebration of 150 years as a department. More information is coming soon. |
Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 | Petrolia and Enniskillen Agricultural Society welcomes a special event to Greenwood Park. Featuring two shows and much more. Details coming soon. |
Saturday 22 | Petrolia will dedicate the Indigenous Friendship Garden at the band shell in Victoria Park. All are welcome, the event and dedication will take place at 11:00 a.m. |
JULY
Monday – 1 | Canada Day in Petrolia |
Monday 1 – July 13 | Petrolia Business Association “Art Crawl” Downtown |
Sunday – 7 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Friday 12 and Saturday 13 | Art in the Park, Petrolia in Victoria Park |
Saturday – 13 | Barn Dance at Petrolia Farmers’ Market |
Friday 19 – Saturday 20 | Petrolia and North Enniskillen Firefighter Days This fun and friendly challenge will be fun to watch and will welcome firefighters from the area to celebrate with the department. More details will be available soon! |
Saturday – 20 | Petrolia Community Theatre and Petrolia United Church present a Victorian Wedding. More details will be available soon. |
AUGUST
Sunday – 4 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Thursday 15, Friday 16, Saturday 17 | Petrolia will welcome the “Hard Oil Music Festival” to Greenwood Park. This three-day music festival will bring big names to Petrolia for a party Petrolia has not seen before. Tickets go on sale in December to Petrolia residents and this is an event you will not want to miss! |
Saturday – 17 | Petrolia will host a Petrolia 150 Parade and will mark the celebrations with green and white so far as the eye can see. During the Parade, the RCAF Snowbirds will fly over the town to mark the occasion. Downtown Petrolia at 2:00 p.m. then attendees are invited to Petrolia Discovery to keep the celebration going. |
Sunday – 18 | Starting at 10:00 a.m. at Greenwood Park the community will host a nonsectarian church service for all members of the community. Following the church service, we will hand the day over to the kids for a “Hard Oil Kids Day”. |
Sunday – 18 | Starting at 11:00 a.m. the gates at Greenwood Park will open for a “Hard Oil Kids Day” with a concert, free giveaways, bouncy houses, and much more! This “kids only” event will take place from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. More information will be shared soon. |
SEPTEMBER
Sunday – 1 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Saturday – 14 | Petrolia Harvestfest |
Sunday – 29 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
OCTOBER
Sunday – 6 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Friday – 25 and Saturday – 26 | IODE Hauntings and Historical Tour – Celebrating 75 years of IODE |
Sunday – 27 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
NOVEMBER
Sunday – 3 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Sunday – 24 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
DECEMBER
Sunday – 1 | Petrolia 150 Free Swim and birthday party at the YMCA This monthly birthday party will last all year. Families are invited for a free swim and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday! Time: TBA soon |
Friday – 6 | Christmas in the Park, Victoria Park |
Saturday – 7 | Petrolia Farmers’ Market Annual Christmas Market |
Saturday -7 | Annual Santa Claus Parade with a “Celebrating Petrolia” theme. This takes place downtown at 2:00 p.m. |
Saturday – 7 | LC Optimist Santa at the YMCA |
Sunday – 15 | Petrolia 150 Free Skate and birthday party at Greenwood Recreation Centre This monthly birthday party will take place as long as there is ice in the venue. Families are invited for a free skate and cupcakes as we celebrate our birthday. Time: 1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
Tuesday – 31 | A closing party that Petrolia won’t soon forget! Bring your family to Greenwood Recreation Centre for free skating and fun and games, and of course one more birthday cake! A DJ will be there to spin your favourite tunes, and then at 8:00 p.m. the party moves outdoors for a fireworks display! |
JANUARY 2025
Wednesday – 1, 2025 | Flag lowering at Victoria Hall, with community blessings. |
In addition to the events listed above, there are several other activities and opportunities to participate in throughout the year. Students of Petrolia and area schools should be on the lookout for an activity book created by youth member Telsie Jackson, apparel is for sale and pre-order at www.petrolia150.com, the Committee is selling historic commemorative coin sets, lawn signs, flags and more to help you celebrate. There is a Petrolia 150 Mosaic Mural Project that will be announced in detail soon also.
Those celebrating a special milestone birthday or anniversary are encouraged to let the Clerk’s Office at Town Hall know all about it so that a special commemorative certificate can be issued. A special edition newspaper, activity guide and calendar will be distributed to all residents to help save the dates. The calendar will be mailed in November of 2023 so that residents will have it available as we look to the new year.
Our downtown businesses will display historical graphics and information about their storefronts and host special shopping events throughout the year. Black Gold is even offering special beer labels to help us celebrate!
To stay up to date and track any changes to scheduling or events, please connect with us online at:
Facebook – Petrolia 150th Anniversary – 2024
Instagram – Petrolia150_2024
Threads – Petrolia150_2024
X (Twitter) – @150Petrolia
Website: www.petrolia150.com
Petrolia will be home to a year full of celebrations and reminders about what makes Petrolia a special place to live and do business. On behalf of the committee, we encourage you all to “save the dates!”.