Festival FAQ

Date and Time of Festival

 Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival presented by Chapman's is on June 14, 2025 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. 

Check back here for the 2025 Maps

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 bank ATMs are open if you run out.

Entertainment Stage

Enjoy live music at the entertainment stage from 10:00am – 5:00pm. Check out the music line-up here.

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. Check out the contest details here.

Shuttles

Save yourself the hassle of trying to find a parking spot downtown and take The Great Canadian Meat Shuttle for no cost! 

The shuttles run from 8:45am and the last shuttle will leave downtown Midland at 5:30pm. 

Check back here for the 2025 Shuttle Map

Accessibility

We strive to ensure barriers to accessibility have been removed. Our downtown core has been revitalized with curb-free streets. Ample room on each side of the vendor booths have been maintained to allow wheelchairs and strollers to move freely. Please note: the large crowds may cause some congestion and difficulties navigating for those with mobility devices and strollers.

Accessible Parking

  • 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.

Accessible Washrooms

  • Accessible washrooms are available at the Midland Cultural Centre, 333 King Street Midland.
  • Accessible Port-a-potties are available

Click to view our website for all parking related inquiries.

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.

  • 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.

Check back here to view the 2025 Festival Map, and for the Road Closure Map.

Transit

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. Check back here for the Festival's 2025 Transit Map.

Cycling

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

Festival Information Booths

Have a question on festival day? Visit our information booths at King Street and Hugel Avenue or in front of David Onley Park along Bayshore Drive. Festival Maps are located at each intersection for your convenience.

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, including accessible washrooms, 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 and the Midland Public Library 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 accommodation options available in Midland and the 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 outside of Scotiabank at the festival.

Other Fun Things to Do 

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

  • The Midland Cultural Centre presents: Ontario's Best Butter Tart Judge - Joseph DeBenedictis Eh! Comedy Feast. Join Emmy Award winner Joseph DeBenedictis for Comedy Feast - a one-of-a-kind show that mixes stand-up, videos, and even a dash of food humour.
  • 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.
  • The Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre is hosting their annual Butter Tart Classic Pickleball Tournament.  This 3-division tournament guarantees you 4 games of pickleball while supporting the Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre.  Visit their website for more information. 

Banks/ATMs

If you run out of cash while at our festival, the following banks and ATMs will be available. In Midland:

  • Desjardins, 9293 County Road 93 (ATM only)

  • Scotiabank, 291 King Street (ATM only)

  • TD, 295 King Street (Tellers 9am-4:00pm, plus ATM)

  • BMO, 243 King Street (ATM only)

  • CIBC, 274 King 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, and through Town of Midland's website. 

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Non-GMO Butter Tarts

Check back here for the list of Ontario's Best Butter Tart Festival 2025 list

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, 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!