The Ilderton Fair Board year round work toward an annual event that has been going for a long time…read more In 2011 the Ilderton Fair had its 160th anniversary. The Fair is a big event over multiple days. It typically runs on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday near the end of September or beginning of October. The fair has a nice website that lists the activities that happen on the various days. That website is listed in the above information section. A non-exhaustive list of activities: o Afternoon Entertainment - local bands, talent competitors o Ambassador, Prince & Princess - the winner represents Ilderton at the CNE in Toronto o Demolition Derby - cars that smash into each other in a sort of automobile sumo wrestling match o Firemen's Breakfast - great value for your money, get bacon/ham/sausage/eggs etc served by volunteers o Midway - lots of rides of the tilt-a-whirl sort to turn your stomach in different directions o Parade - favourite of thousands of kids and kids at heart. The streets are lined by onlookers as floats created by volunteers ride through the heart of downtown Ilderton o Agricultural Exhibits - The Ilderton Agricultural Society, 4-H Club and others keep every year fresh with various displays o Animal Displays - The Horse Shows bring in competitors from around Ontario. Mutton Busting is small children riding sheep - its a must see full of laughs. The Calf Scramble is young adults attempting to wrestle/coral aggressive cows. Come on over to Ilderton. From London's downtown via automobile, take Richmond north to Oxford. Then take Oxford west until Hyde Park Road. Take Hyde Park Road about 15 minutes drive until you get to Ilderton Road. Take Ilderton Road west until you can find a place to park.

This was my very first time at FoamFest and it was an amazing experience. I had my mom and sister…read moreand her friend with me and we all had a great time! We are definitely coming every year it's so much fun for the entire family and it's for a great cause!!!!

Had a stop in at the Nigerian food booth. My theory is that an multicultural music festival…read moredeserves multicultural food. I had the Suya Beef Combo complete with Hibiscus drink. Spicier than I am used to, it was delicious. The beef kabobs were nicely flavoured!. The coleslaw was a nice crisp touch. Hibiscus drink...well you just need to try it!!! See pictures for info on the catering business that supplied this dish!

For me, Sunfest is THE festival that starts off summer and festival season in London. With great…read moremusic, awesome food, and unique vendors, this festival is full of fun for everyone. There were lots of different local food options at this festival. From your typical festival food (fries, funnel cakes, etc), to Indian, Thai, and even Ethiopian. There was plenty of healthier options if that is more your taste. Keep in mind, the food section was rammed during dinnertime. Lots of lines and people trying to get through. It isn't easy and can be frustrating. There are multiple stages scattered throughout the park which offer a wide variety of music styles all weekend. I got to see a bit of Five Alarm Funk and the Samba Squad, both really great acts. People were dancing and having a great time. I really love the vendors at Sunfest. There are a lot from the Toronto area which adds a bit of variety in comparison to other festivals in Victoria Park. There are still tons of local vendors too which is nice because there are a ton of locally made products available. I don't get out to the markets as much as I should so its nice to see their wares displayed in the park. While this festival is super busy, it brings a welcome, positive buzz to the downtown core. Good vibes all around, I highly recommend!

We recently visited the children's museum with 2 families and 4 kids. The children's museum is…read morelocated on the upper levels of the building. Parking lots are located all around the the large building (that houses the children's museum but other stores and shops as well). Parking lots do start filling up fairly quickly but there was more than enough spots. Inside the play museum, there is a free area to hang your costs with ample space. There's tons of stuff to do for kids in the children's museum. Some highlights: Stepping in, there's a giant tree house type play ground where kids can climb up and explore. There's a kid sized town that includes a fire station, dentist/medicL area, ice cream shop, school, home, grocery store, farm. There's even little apron/hats for different areas for dressing up. There's a "sand area" to give up dinosaurs, a space area up on another floor. Perhaps one of the key defining features is the huge water play area that includes a giant fountain to shoot balls up, a fishing area, Lego area to build a dam. They even provide aprons to try to reduce wet shirts on kids. There's a dry off area with hoses that shoot air. There's also an area at the back that changes from time to time - the theme this time was Winter Olympics. There are shows that occur throughout the day like a star show and a fossil show. There are places to eat, a microwave to heat up food and vending machines. Overall, a great day trip for people in the area with young kids!

We had such a great time at the London Children's Museum! It's an amazing hands-on space where kids…read morecan truly learn through play. The water play table is huge and thoughtfully designed, allowing kids to experiment, discuss, and learn basic physics concepts while having fun. The farm area is very educational -- my child loved learning about animals and how chickens lay eggs. There are also lab programs for older kids, which is a great bonus for families with children of different ages. Other highlights include the supermarket role-play area, corn factory (harvest, make, and pack corn), fossils and dinosaur sand digging, light-up puzzles, hospital, fire station, and a packaging station that teaches how factory systems work in a fun way. Everything was clean and well maintained. A big plus for parents: large, clean washrooms, plus smaller washrooms designed for older kids, which made the visit much easier. Admission is very reasonable at $15.50 per person for adults and children aged 1 and up. Overall, this is a fantastic destination for families, especially on rainy days or weekends. Highly recommend if you're visiting London, Ontario with kids!

Such an incredible time. Whether I went with my son alone, or with the grandparents, had fun with…read moreall ages.

What a fun and nostalgic experience!…read more Be sure to arrive early enough to park and visit the concession stand. The concession stand is clean and has a pretty good selection of snacks. The popcorn was fresh when we visited. My only comment would be to hire a few more teens to work behind the counter, the wait is very long.

I recently came back here after many many years for the Maple Harvest Fest, and overall it was a…read morevery pleasant experience. The Museum itself is quite small, but they do offer activities for groups and educational sessions for students. On the particular day that I attended, I thought it would be something similar to attending a Maple Sugar Bush; however, I was a bit surprised. Inside the museum, there were a few vendors selling homemade jewellery and clothing, and by the time I arrived, the majority of the maple offerings and treats had sold out. There was an option to do a virtual reality tour of a longhouse, although I preferred to experience the 'real' thing. There was a reconstructed longhouse outside where there was a brief, 2-station demo and introduction to the housing structure itself, as well as the preparation of maple sap by the heating of rocks and boiling down of the syrup. The staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable at the Museum. It would be a great session for young students and families with young children.

This was such a money pit. The animals were sparse so you basically pay $20 for a rickety…read moreplayground.

Excellent from start to finish! Went during COVID times (September 2020). Online ticket booking…read moresystem. Get there in a 3h slot (9a-12p or 12p-3p, etc.) Walk around as much as you want. They have giant bouncing areas/pillows, a small animal farm for kids to enjoy (emus, goats, pigs, rabbits, birds) along with tons of little rides that kids can enjoy. A couple of really enjoyable slides for the kids and a go kart (pedal bikes really) track. The bathrooms are super clean and way beyond what I expected - automatic sinks, no touch entry and saw that staff was cleaning them regularly. Moreover, staff was on top of cleaning all the rides every few minutes! This was fantastic to see and reassuring. There's a nice little market/giftshop where you can buy fresh pies, jams, etc. Pizza and other basic food also available for the kids if you want to grab a quick lunch for the little ones. All in all, a fantastic activity for the kid and highly recommend it!

The Oxford Renaissance Festival offers fun activities, food, vendors and entertainment, all based…read moreon a re-creation of a Renaissance Faire. Avast, here there be Pirates (arrrr)! There are historically inspired musical and theatrical performances, Vikings, Fairies, LARPers, magicians, dancers, a children's area, vendors galore, knights and jousting, and much more! It was my second year coming to the Festival, and there have been improvements since last year: more washrooms, more frequent washroom checks (this year the toilet paper was always there!), and an extra ATM area. I was there helping a vendor who had a sales booth at the Faire. As one of three helpers, I spent a lot of time taking in the Festival, rather than staffing a booth. Here are some of my observations: first, shopping is plentiful, as there was hundreds of vendors; food offers many choices and is expensive; the line ups for the ATMs were often very long (cash only is recommended due to lack of connectivity); cosplay is abundant, and all vendors wear their historic garb; entertainment is diverse and ongoing. There are specific activities for children and adults. The evening pub, The Boar's Head, is full of music and fun, with plenty of sea shanties and singalongs. This is strictly adult-only, as some of the musical entertainment and humor is not child appropriate. This year, they offered shooters, and the mix of each one was determined by the roll of a D & D dice, which was fun. Its very LGBTQ+ friendly, with vegan and vegetarian food truck options. There are, however, a few aspects to the even that may be challenging for certain people. There is a lot of walking involved. The Festival takes place in a large field (used for local equestrian and 4-H events), and the terrain is sometimes uneven. That makes it feel more true to the actual historic period, but not so easy for people with mobility issues, although I saw plenty who were able to manage it. A second challenge is that, at peak times, you will likely have to wait for a washroom. Finally, many vendors are unable to secure a reliable connection to handle payment by card or e-transfer, and need cash (hence the constant flow of people at the ATM). Finally, if you need a break from the walking, it can be difficult to find a place to sit down. Recommended activities: shopping at the vendor market; going to the joust and axe throwing; watching anything that the pirates are doing; and getting dressed up in historically-inspired garb. In summary, I can recommend the Oxford Renaissance Festival as a fun, historically-inspired, event for people of all ages.

Pretty lame. If you…read moreare expecting to watch some really good jousting, look elsewhere. Basically it was a bunch of small people (probably ex-jockey's) playing joust. If you are interested in jousting at all, you should probably check out full metal jousting and the knights of valor. Overall the price is ridiculously high. They charged $20 at the door, the vendors we're all pretty much selling the same wares. The only saving grace was the other performers like the splatter guys, men in tights, and flying freak show. Sadly I got excited for this festival but suffered a major let down.