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About the Event

The Sweetwater Harvest Festival is a 2-day festival located in the Heart of Georgian Bay, celebrating the long standing tradition of harvesting and processing maple sap. Attendees will be treated to a full day's worth of memorable mapley experiences and sweet treats as they journey across two unique sites in both the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre and neighbouring Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, with regular shuttle service running between both sites.

Beginning at Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, take home a local treasure at the Artisan Market, relive history through story-telling and reenactments, and experience sap (or 'sweetwater') as it was used here throughout history.

At the Wye Marsh, immerse yourself in nature and wildlife with a tour of the sugar bush. See sap become syrup in the sugar shack, get hands-on through a range of family-fun activities, and enjoy talented live musicians and entertainers.

Cap off your experience by satisfying your sweet tooth at any one of our vendors offering maple-inspired food.

2026 Highlights

Two unique sites. Countless sweet reasons to explore!

Sainte Marie Among the Hurons

At Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, step back in time to experience Sweetwater through the eyes of both the French and Wendat.

Immerse yourself in historical demonstrations, rich foods, themed arts and crafts, and a vibrant artisan market

Highlights:

Swing by the artisan and food market, where you’ll connect with 29 local artisans selling one-of-a-kind products
Explore historical objects and ancient artefacts by completing our indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts
Enjoy fun crafts for the whole family:
- Play a fishing game and contribute to a large fishing net created by Sweetwater guests using traditional knotting techniques
- Plant the three sisters for your home garden: corn, beans and squash
- Make three sisters art with mosaic tiles
Taste sweetwater – delicious sap from maple trees – and maple shortbread by an outdoor fire
Watch historical blacksmithing demonstrations
Try three sisters soup, sweetened with maple sap, in the cookhouse
Timed activities:
- Listen to a teaching about Indigenous foodways at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Watch a demonstration of traditional methods of sweetwater preparation at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (they don’t all involve cooking!)
- Listen to First Nations stories in the longhouse at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

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Wye Marsh Wildlife Area

At the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, explore the sugar bush, tour the sugar shack as we boil sap down to syrup, take in live entertainment and unique maple-inspired food, and enjoy a range of engaging activities for all ages as 3,000 acres of forest and wetlands comes to life during the spring thaw!

Highlights:

Tour the sugar shack for a first-hand look at how sap becomes syrup
Test your tastebuds with the maple syrup taste challenge
Enjoy the "Taste of Sweetwater" by visiting vendors serving unique maple-inspired food and treats including:
- Maple cotton candy
- MegaMindful Living's maple inspired truffles, soup, and salad
- Tiny Farm Stand's maple granola
- BeaverTails' mEHple BeaverTail
Take in live music at the Peggy Hill Team Pavilion festuring:
- Meg Foley
- Nick Howell
- Brian Loney
Roast bannock over the fire, topped with Windlee Farms maple syrup
Enjoy kids activities including:
- 'tree tapping' with hand drills
- Create your own birch bark bookmarks
- Free face painting
Coldwater Maple's curated maple tasting experience
- Join Jamie Bliss, Maple Country's Sommelier & Ambassador for a Maple Tasting Experience, Enjoy a curated tasting discovery from Sweetwater to refined Local Maple Syrups from our Simcoe and District Region
Up-close interactions with the Wye Marsh Birds of Prey and Reptiles