Last weekend of Niagara's 75th Grape & Wine Festival

QEW alert: Niagara-bound lanes on the Burlington Skyway drop from four to two, nightly from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., through Friday, September 25. The bridge stays open, but late Friday arrivals should add time.

Parade day: last year, downtown St. Catharines roads closed from 7 a.m. for staging. Check stcatharines.ca/paraderoadclosures before you drive Saturday.

Harvest watch: expect slow farm vehicles on rural roads around Jordan, Vineland and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Grande Parade and Wine Village, St. Catharines. Saturday. The free parade starts downtown at 11 a.m. The village at Montebello Park opens at noon. Entry is free; food and drink cost extra.

Monster Trucks All Out, Niagara Falls. Saturday, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Adults $35, kids 3 to 12 $20, plus taxes. Runs rain or shine.

Ghost Tours, Old Fort Erie. Saturday, 7:30 to 8:10 p.m. Adults $15, plus taxes. Outdoors, reservations required. Spooky for younger kids.

Niagara Brain Teaser: Old Fort Erie, home of Saturday's ghost tours, is called Canada's bloodiest battlefield. In August 1814, what turned a British attack on the fort into a disaster?

(Answer at the bottom of today's email!)

The Falls are packed from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Arrive around 6 p.m. and stay for the 10 p.m. fireworks. Parking is easier once day-trippers leave.

Niagara-on-the-Lake meters full? Park at Fort George National Historic Site, a 10-minute walk from lower Queen Street. Veterans Memorial Park is metered.

Sunday: kids' parade and Mayor's Grape Stomp, free entry. One listing says 4 p.m.; confirm.

Cicada Music & Arts Festival, October 2 and 3, Henley Island, St. Catharines. Ticketed; check the site for prices. (cicadafestival.ca)

SIP Niagara, October 3 and 4, Jordan Station. Adults only (19+), ticketed, free onsite parking listed. (sipniagara.com)

Ball's Falls Thanksgiving Festival, October 9 to 12, Lincoln. 150+ vendors, live music, tickets $9 to $12. (thanksgivingfestival.ca)

Know someone trying to figure out their weekend plans? Forward this email to them—it's how most new readers find us!

👉 See the full Niagara Events list for this week

Till next week…

Tim

Niagara Digest

Trivia Answer: An explosion in the fort's northeast bastion on August 15, 1814. It wrecked the assault and cost the British more than 1,000 men, according to Niagara Parks. The British gave up the siege on September 21, 1814.