Moms, dads and kids said goodbye to summer at Laval’s Fête de la famille

September 10, 2025

This year’s party at Centre de la nature ran two days for city’s 60^th anniversary

Although many kids who visited the Centre de la nature for the city’s Fête de la famille on Labour Day weekend were probably still primed for action by the end of the day, a lot of parents were more likely to have been exhausted and ready to hit the sack by the time it was all over.

It is a measure of the sheer vastness of the city’s largest outdoor park in Laval’s Duvernay district that it’s difficult to visit the place from end to end over the space of a few hours without coming away in a state of at least partial exhaustion.

Unless, of course, you have the inexhaustible energy of a growing child.

Animated “plant people” walking the grounds at Laval’s Centre de la nature in east-end Duvernay during the Fête de la famille on Labor Day weekend attracted hundreds of children like bees drawn to colorful flowers. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

The Zip Line at this year’s Fête de la famille at the Centre de la nature attracted children as well as adults. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Saturday a washout

Among the many moms, dads and kids taking in the ambience on Sunday afternoon were Jason and his two pre-school kids from Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée district. While it was not their first time visiting the nature park, it was their first foray onto the vast grounds during a Fête de la famille celebration.

One of the many wandering acrobatic performers at Laval’s two-day celebration of families at the Centre de la nature. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

While Saturday may have been a rainy washout for some who’d planned to attend the first day of the outdoor celebration, the good news was that all-day sunshine prevailed on Sunday.

The city decided to stage a two-day celebration this year, instead of a single day as usual, given fact that 2025 is the 60^th anniversary of the City of Laval’s founding in 1965. With an emphasis on sports and games, there was a multitude of activities, shows and hosted activities for children as well as adults.

Fun for everybody

Among the many fun things to do were an overhead Zip Line, a climbing wall, a dance workshop, sports challenges, an exposition of public works heavy equipment, members of the Laval Rocket hockey team, officers from the Laval Police with their mascot Flair, BMX stunt bike riding and an initiation to pumptrack cycling.

There were also science workshops, nature talks and exhibits, a mobile library, giant games, digital challenges with the Laval public library’s Espace numérique, an exposition of archeological artifacts, and a section about animal protection.