Festival FAQ

Date and Time of Festival

 Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival is on June 8, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location and Maps

The festival takes place in Midland’s downtown core between Yonge Street and Bayshore Drive and in David Onley and Harbourside parks.

Stay tuned to this page closer to the event date for maps to be posted here. 

Admission

There is no admission to our family-friendly festival.
*There are fees associated with activities at the Kids Zone.
It is recommended to bring cash for purchases as several vendors are cash-only. Many banks are open if you run out, see the bank/ATM list here.

Dairy Farmers of Ontario Entertainment Stage

Stay tuned closer to the event date for the entertainment line-up to be posted.

Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest

The Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest takes place in Rotary Hall within the Midland Cultural Centre. There is no admission cost to sit in the audience and watch our judges tackle the sweet challenge of selecting the BEST butter tart. Looking for more contest information? Click here.

Faris Team Shuttles

Save yourself the hassle of trying to find a parking spot downtown and take the Faris Team Shuttle for no cost! For shuttles on the east side of Midland, parking is available at 1000 Wye Valley Road on Hwy 12.For shuttles on the west side of Midland, parking is available at  Georgian Bay District Secondary School at 925 Hugel Avenue. The shuttles run from 8:45am and the last shuttle will leave downtown Midland at 5:30pm. 

Parking

Free parking is available in several municipal lots on Festival day.

•  Accessible parking and mothers-to-be parking - only on Festival day at the Municipal lot at Bayshore Drive and Midland Avenue.
• Accessible spots are also located throughout the downtown core.
• Hourly parking fees in effect in the parking lot at the Midland Harbour.
• Parking offences such as parking too close to an intersection, blocking fire hydrants, etc. will be enforced.

 Click to view our website for all parking related inquiries. 

Midland Transit will be running at no cost to riders (note the regular route will be impacted due to the festival). There will be a free festival shuttle running from Penetanguishene.

Cyclists will enjoy a free bike valet located along the Trans Canada Trail provided by Cycle Simcoe. 

Festival Information Booths

Have a question on festival day? Visit our festival information booths at King Street and Hugel Avenue or in David Onley Park. Festival maps are located at each intersection.

Pets

Due to the number of festival visitors and crowds, we strongly recommend leaving your dog at home. If you have your dog with you, please do not leave them unattended in your vehicle.

Washrooms

Porta-potties are located at each intersection throughout the festival and in Harbourside Park, with hand washing stations. Washroom facilities are also available on the main floor and second floor of the Midland Cultural Centre and at the Midland Harbour.

Baby Care

The Midland Cultural Centre has baby care stations in their main floor washrooms. The Midland Cultural Centre and Midland Public Library, both located at King and Elizabeth Streets, are breastfeeding friendly locations and are air-conditioned spots for moms to nurse their babies.

Cooling Stations

If you need to step out of the heat, the Midland Cultural Centre, the Midland Public Library, and the Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce are designated cooling stations.

First Aid, Security, and Lost and Found

For emergencies, please call 9-1-1.For minor injuries, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is onsite to assist with first aid. CERT is set up at both ends of the festival and they also have volunteers walking throughout the festival. The festival hires a private security company to assist with any on-site issues. They wear identifiable clothing and you’ll find them throughout the festival. Lost and found is located at our Festival Information Booths. If you lose an item at the festival, please email us or phone us at 705-526-4275. We will respond at our earliest convenience on the next business day.

Smoking and Vaping

As our festival is family-friendly, we ask that visitors refrain from smoking tobacco and cannabis and vaping within the festival boundaries. Please see the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017. 

Accommodations

Looking to stay overnight? Click here. We have a variety of accommodations options available in Midland and surrounding area. 

Free Butter Tart Tasting

That’s right! Our contest judges only cut off a small portion of each butter tart and the rest of each butter tart is cut into smaller pieces. Our volunteers circulate throughout the audience with trays with these delicious little samples, allowing festival visitors to taste the same butter tarts as our judges! You can find the Egg Farmers of Ontario Butter Tart Contest in Rotary Hall within the Midland Cultural Centre.

Buying Contest Butter Tarts 

Festival visitors will be able to purchase a six-pack of contest butter tarts for $15 each. There will be a limit of two packages per customer and tarts will be available for sale at specific times/location throughout the festival.

Other Fun Things to Do 

Events below are community events, not Town of Midland events.

Our friends at the Butter Tart Trot organize a fun-run in support of local youth charities. With butter tarts along the route for runners to enjoy, it is the yummiest run race in Ontario! Visit The Butter Tart Trot for more information. 

Families will enjoy our new Kids Zone located in Harbourside Park. Please note there are fees associated with Kids Zone activities. “Sugar Sugar Sugar” Cookie Decorating Party with Jean and Rachel, authors of the new cookbook Baking Wonderland. Young bakers will have the opportunity to decorate a “butter tart” shaped sugar cookie to take home, as well as the recipe. Sprinkles will definitely fly! 

The Southern Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre is hosting their annual Butter Tart Classic Pickleball Tournament. Click here to visit their website for more information.

Banks/ATMs

• Scotiabank, 291 King Street (Tellers 9:30am-5:00pm, plus ATM)
• TD, 295 King Street (Tellers 9am-4:00pm, plus ATM)
• BMO, 243 King Street (ATM only)
• CIBC, 274 King Street (ATM only)
• Desjardins, 9293 County Road 93 (ATM only)

• Scotiabank, 135 Main Street (ATM only)
• TD, 2 Poyntz Street (ATM only)
• Meridian Credit Union, 7 Poyntz Street (ATM only)

Don’t Forget to Bring

• Re-fillable water bottles. We have a water bottle refill station located in Harbourside Park. Stay hydrated!
• Sunscreen as our festival takes place mostly outdoors, and dress for the weather.
• Wipes for sticky hands when enjoying all of the delicious butter tarts.
• Re-usable bags for to carry your butter tarts and other purchases so we can cut down on plastic use at our event.

Rain

Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival is a rain or shine event. While the weather gods love butter tarts, our event takes place outdoors, so please bring an umbrella or raincoat if the forecast calls for rain. In the event of severe inclement weather festival organizer may need to cancel the event. Watch for details on our social media accounts, announcements on local radio stations, at www.buttertartfestival.ca and at www.midland.ca

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Keto, Non-GMO Butter Tarts

Sunday Activities

The Southern Georgian Bay Farmers Market operates on Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Many of our downtown businesses will be open on Sunday, as well as eateries and restaurants. Visit one of our local attractions or historic sites. For more information, visit Shop Midland and Heart of Georgian Bay.

Thank You

A huge thank you goes out to all of ours sponsors, our volunteers, our contest judges, our vendors, and everyone else whose hard work and dedication goes into making Ontario's Best Butter Tart Festival the sweetest day of the year. Thank you!