Brockville's November Hangs on Two Saturdays: Miracle on King Street, Then the Parade
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The gates at 1 Water Street closed on Thursday, Oct. 22, and the Brockville Railway Tunnel's season ended with them. For months it was open free, every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The tunnel has also been the easy answer to "what should we do Saturday?" all year, since it costs nothing and needs no plan. From now until the holiday lights come on at Blockhouse Island, that answer is gone. Most November weekends don't have a replacement. Two of them have more going on than they can hold.
The rest of November moves to weeknights. Shows at the Brockville Arts Centre, Friday Braves games and a midweek history talk fill the gaps. The month is easier to plan if you treat it as a weeknight calendar with two big Saturdays, Nov. 14 and Nov. 28.
The tunnel isn't the only change. Several downtown attractions close or cut their hours at the same point in the fall.
| Place | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brockville Railway Tunnel, 1 Water St. | Closed for the season since Oct. 22 | Brockville Railway Tunnel |
| Brockville Museum, 5 Henry St. | Saturday hours end Oct. 31. Nov. 1 to 28 it is open Monday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m. | Brockville Museum |
| Brockville Museum | From Nov. 29 to Dec. 22 it opens only Wednesday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m. | Brockville Museum |
| Fulford Place, 287 King St. E. | Closed for the season. Tours can still be booked by phone or email | Ontario Heritage Trust |
The museum's schedule is the one to note. Its October hours include Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which makes Saturday, Oct. 31, the last Saturday it opens this year. Admission is by donation, and the museum suggests allowing about an hour for the galleries. If you've meant to bring the kids or a visiting relative on a weekend, this is the last chance in 2026.
The Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing, 6 Broad St., stays open year-round, according to Brockville Tourism. Its hours change by season, though, so check the Aquatarium's own site for November hours before you go.
Saturdays get thinner, and the weeknight calendar gets busier. The Brockville Arts Centre's events page lists something nearly every few days in November:
The event listings don't give curtain times, so check each show's page before planning dinner around it.
On Friday nights the Brockville Braves play at the Brockville Memorial Centre, 100 Magedoma Blvd. The CCHL's 2026-27 home schedule has November home games against Ottawa on Nov. 6, Cornwall on Nov. 13, Hawkesbury on Nov. 20 and Renfrew on Nov. 27. There's also a Sunday game against Smiths Falls on Nov. 22 and a Saturday game against Navan on Nov. 28. Every game starts at 7:30 p.m.
The museum has a weekday program too. Its November History Talk, "Three Brockville Soldiers (WWI)," is on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. It runs about 45 minutes and costs $6 including HST, according to the museum's adult programs page. The day after Remembrance Day is a good fit for a talk about the First World War.
The first big Saturday is daytime and happens outdoors. Miracle on King Street is what Brockville Tourism calls the city's annual kickoff to the holiday season. King Street closes to cars, shops set up out on the street, and there's holiday music, entertainers, live music, carriage rides, food and drinks.
The two published listings give different hours. The Downtown Brockville BIA lists 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on King Street between Perth Street and Bethune Street. Brockville Tourism lists 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both cover 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so plan around that window, and arrive early or stay late only if your favorite shops confirm their own hours.
Perth to Bethune is the stretch of King Street that closes, so it's the stretch you'll walk. Parking off King and walking in will be easier than looking for a spot on a closed street.
The evening is as busy as the day. Solitary Man: A Tribute to Neil Diamond and Phantoms of Yore are both at the Arts Centre that night. Phantoms of Yore also plays Friday, Nov. 13, the same night the Braves host Cornwall. If you want the street event and a show in one weekend, you can split them across both days.
The month's second big Saturday comes two weeks later and happens after dark, with three events packed into one evening.
The parade ends half an hour before puck drop, so going from one to the other takes some planning. If you're doing both, decide ahead of time where you'll park so you can leave as the last float passes, rather than parking close to the parade and waiting for the crowd to clear.
That Saturday also ends the museum's November schedule. Nov. 28 is its last day on the Monday-to-Friday pattern. It's a Saturday, so the museum is closed that day anyway, and from Nov. 29 it opens only Wednesday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m., through Dec. 22. It then closes from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3, 2027.
The weekend continues into Sunday, Nov. 29. Brockville Tourism lists the FFPA Christmas at Fulford Place Open House that day at 287 King St. E., a one-day event at a house that is otherwise closed for the season. The listing doesn't give hours, so check the Fulford Place programs page closer to the date.
The River of Lights on Blockhouse Island hasn't announced its 2026-27 dates yet. The City of Brockville's River of Lights page still shows last season, which opened Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 and ran every night until Jan. 4, 2026. The full light and sound show ran from 6 to 10 p.m., with sensory-friendly lights-only hours from 5 to 6 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. Those were last year's dates, and nothing has been published for this year. The show is free and you watch it from your car, tuned to a radio frequency posted on signs at the site. Once it starts, it gives the city something to do every evening again. Until the city posts this year's dates, check that page for the opening night.
The Downtown Brockville BIA has already posted what follows. Downtown in December runs Dec. 1 to 23, with themed days, special shopping and prize draws at participating businesses.
If you're out on King Street on Nov. 14 or along the parade route on Nov. 28 and find yourself wondering what your own downtown home might be worth, Gerard Fox can give you a clear, local answer. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and start with a number based on this market.
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