The 2019 Festival Events
Click on Map Image Below To print your own event map for Festival Day
Unless otherwise noted, events run the duration of Festival Day. Events subject to change as required.
The Main Drag

EMSF Pancake Tent 2019 Devour Our Pancakes
7 a.m. – while supplies last
$4 per pancake
$1 per sausage patty
$1 per drink
Try our golden-brown pancakes and famous maple syrup. You will find us just off the Mall on Hampton Street. Get yours before they’re gone!
Browse the Mall &
Excite your Tastebuds!
Browse handmade crafts and other unique goods; taste apple fritters, baked goods, maple syrup other delectables! All this and much more await you and your appetite along the half-mile-long outdoor Mall. Plus, mouth-watering, home-style meals are featured at the local churches.
Savour Old-Fashioned Toffee
$1 per sample
See the old-fashioned way of boiling down the sap and sample unforgettable maple syrup toffee!
Live musicians downtown Gore Park in the Gazebo
10 a.m. – Song
11:15 a.m. – David Flack & the Paradigm Shifters
12:30 p.m. – Raphael Keelan
1:45 p.m. – David Flack & the Paradigm Shifters
The Resting Place
8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Free
Zion Mennonite Fellowship, 47 Arthur Street. Enjoy a rest from all the action or meet up with friends before exploring the festival.
Saw A Log
$2.50
Have some fun near the Mall! Join the Venturer Scouts of the 1st Elmira Scout Group to test your sawing skills. Take your branded slice home as a souvenir!
The Mobile Sugar Shack
Free
Can’t make it to the Sugar Bush on Festival Day? Then join the Waterloo Wellington Maple Syrup Producers at their miniature Sugar Shack and Evaporator. You can see how maple syrup is made and check out their collection of spiels, tubing and old-fashioned buckets.
Visit Old MacDonald’s Farm
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$0.50 adult/child
See the animals, find your way through the straw maze and climb on the tractor in the buggy shed by the pancake tent.
Sponsored by Elmira Pet Products
Go for a Pony Ride
$5
Your little tots can take a ride around the ring on ponies that are just their size!
Ride the Train
Three round trips from the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market to Elmira on Festival Day. Not wheelchair accessible. “Owned & Operated by Waterloo Central Railway”. Details and tickets here. Full day schedule here.
Breastfeeding Comfort Zone
8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Free
St. James Lutheran Church, 60 Arthur Street. Get comfortable in this indoor breastfeeding zone hosted by volunteers from the Community Breastfeeding Alliance of Waterloo Region, including lactation experts.
Hitch a Ride on the Mini-Train
One way: $3 adult, $2 child 3-12, 2 & under free
Catch a ride on the mini-train running on South Street from the Arena to the MALL on Arthur Street. Give your legs a rest or ride it just for fun!
Meet Flapjack
Free
Keep your eyes peeled throughout the day, for our festival mascot! Say “Hi” and take your photo with Flapjack. Want to share your photo online? Great! Use #EMSF19
8:00 a.m. Pancake Tent
10:00 a.m. Pancake Flipping Contest Ar the Arena
12:30 p.m. Gore Park
1:30 p.m. At arena/kid zone
The Arena Area
Truck Over to the Toy
Show & Sale
Friday 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday $3, Saturday $2 adult
12 & under free
Toys of the past and present plus the official “Limited Edition Maple Syrup Bank” are featured at Lions Hall beside the arena.
Venture out to a local sugar bush by bus to experience all of the maple syrup preparations. Bus is not wheelchair accessible.
Check out a Stack of Events
in the Woolwich Memorial Centre
FREE – for most events
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
FREE – Mennonite Quilt Sale & Quilting
Demonstration
In the Seniors’ Centre
Friday 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
A Snyder Arena
Cheer at the Pancake Flipping Contest
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Watch this wacky relay at the Arena. Plan to be there to cheer on your favourite team!
B Snyder Arena
Kids Inflatable Zone
Enjoy the bouncy tents and more. (Cost varies – purchase tickets at location)
Enter outside by back of arena
C In Arena By The Pool
Meet Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Beast and Prince Charming
Take a photo with your favourite costumed characters (Free)
Times you can meet them:
- 8:00-9:30 am
- 10:00 -11:30 am
- 12:00 -2:00 pm
Get Your Backyard Maple Syrup Kit ($10)
Pick up a kit for $10 with everything you need, including instructions. Also available at Festival Headquarters, at the South end of the Mall.
Admire the Maple Syrup Contest Display
Take in a Concert
11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Stop by the community room in the arena to enjoy live music, schedule and names pending.
Check out the tractors, food trucks & visit the Bank of Montreal info truck
NEW Location!
Explore the Crafts & Collectibles Market
This year the Crafts and Collectibles Market will be at a NEW LOCATION at Elmira District Secondary School, 4 University Ave. W., (facing Arthur St. & across the street from arena). Enjoy the crafts from the skilled artisans. Place your bids in the silent auction.
$3.00 per person (Children under 12 are free – must be with an adult)
Friday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Buses are allowed to drop passengers off at the high School. bus can park all day at Emerson Electrical’s parking lot.
EMSF Parking and Shuttle Tickets
FAQ: What is the difference between parking shuttle and mini-train?
The mini train is a small train that runs from the mall to the arena on south street whereas the wagon rides/parking shuttle act as the shuttle service from the parking lots outside of the festival to the main outdoor mall at the south end.
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