Civic Holiday in 2025
In 2025 Civic Holiday is on Monday, August 4.
The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. The civic holiday is not a federally mandated statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country. For employees who don't get this day off there is a two month period between Canada Day and Labour Day without a statutory holiday. Do you get the day off? Let us know.
The Civic Holiday is commonly referred to as the August long weekend. It is probably the busiest day on highways as tens of thousands of families go camping, to cottages etc this weekend.
It is known by many names in different provinces and municipalities.
It's called Regatta Day in Newfoundland, Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, Saskatchewan Day in Saskatchewan, British Columbia Day in BC, Natal Day in Nova Scotia and PEI, Simcoe Day in Toronto, New Brunswick Day in New Brunswick, Colonel By Day in Ottawa, Heritage Day in Alberta, Joseph Brant Day in Burlington, ON and Benjamin Vaughan day in the City of Vaughan, Ontario.
What is it called in your region?
If you can, take Friday off and leave for your holiday on Friday morning or Thursday night and come back Sunday morning or early afternoon to avoid mile-long traffic jams on Monday.
Correction sent in by a visitor: Civic Holiday is not called "Simcoe Day" everywhere in Ontario, only in Toronto. Each municipality that opts to declare the holiday can give it a unique name. It's called the "civic" holiday because it's the holiday that cities have authority to declare.
View all holidays in 2025.
What will you do on the civic holiday long weekend? What did you do last year? Do you have any good tips for others?
One employer I had, had Civic Holiday off, but did not pay vacation pay because it's not technically a stat holiday.
Another employer I had the day off and paid vacation like any other stat holiday.
Civic Holiday Weekend in London, Ontario. It does not have a specific name.
I will go out with friends to hear a band, and otherwise relax.
I probably did the same thing last year, maybe Ribfest in Victoria Park downtown.
It is not called regatta day in NL. That is St. John’s. The rest of NL uses it as a civic holiday and call it different things. Here in our community it’s Stephenville Day.
For those wondering why QC does not honor this holiday.
Quebec get the June 24 holiday instead of this holiday.
Also heard rumors that when a province goes into a full holiday for everyone the losses economically are like billions of dollars... :/ so this is why the September 30th new federal holiday is taking a tad of time to be installed into all the provinces and for everyone etc....
I experienced traffic on a long weekend only once. That was enough to keep me away from the highways on the Friday or the Monday.
While in college and University long weekends were the perfect time to make extra funds doubling down on your shifts at two different workplaces. One of my workplaces was Provincial Unionized. Although at the time I didn't really know anything about unions and didn't really care but it was a huge benefit for the amount of pay you would get for working long weekends and extra shifts! I've always chosen to work long weekends got two different jobs to pay for school.
When older, I would stay away from the highways and travel on Thursdays back home on Sundays. As a rural person, I see too many drivers taking chances with their lives. Or night drivers when they are well aware it's the only opportunity for wildlife to be on the move.
I won't contribute to that, to unnecessary deaths, or be killed by people who do not care about anybody but themselves.
Workers of the world unite!