Community Events

Hosting an outdoor event on City property

Thank you for your interest in holding a community event on municipal property in the City of Markham.

The City’s Community & Corporate Events Team is here to help ensure the safety and success of your event.

Our team can help answer your questions and provide guidance about what municipal spaces are available, municipal bylaws that apply, permit requirements and event planning best practices.

All community events on municipal property require a permit to reserve the space and ensure the safety and success of all the event elements. Permit approval is contingent on many factors including the nature of the request, venue availability, completion and submission of all necessary event requirements.

Application Timelines

Organizers are required to submit a Community Event Application Form to request the use of municipal property for community events.

The timelines below are provided as a guideline to help ensure there is enough time to properly plan for the details and requirements of community events. Longer planning times may apply depending on the scope, size and scale of the event.

Minimum Application Timeline	Events with…
6 months before event date	Over 2,000 attendees, and/or Regional and/or city arterial road closures Secondary permits: fireworks, building permit for event structures such as stages and tents
3 months before event date	Over 500 people, and/or Regional and/or city residential road closures Secondary permits: AGCO, noise exemption, food trucks or vendors
60 days prior to event date	Over 100 people, and/or Road/sidewalk use without closures
30 days prior to event date	Fewer than 100 people, no road/sidewalk usage

Funding Opportunities

The City of Markham is pleased to share information about a selection of grant opportunities that may be of interest to your community event. Eligibility requirements vary by program.

Celebrate Markham

The City’s Celebrate Markham grant program provides annual grants to non-profit organizations for arts and culture events, festivals, sports events and seniors’ clubs. While matching funding is not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to cost-share or seek assistance from other sources such as fundraising, funding from other levels of governments, foundations and corporate sponsors.

The Celebrate Markham grant:

Supports community events and programs
Encourages community inclusivity
Enhances Markham’s reputation as a destination City for visitors and tourists

Learn more about the Celebrate Markham grant program.

Celebrate Canada

The Celebrate Canada grant program is run by the Department of Canadian Heritage and provides funding for activities organized on:

National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21)
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24)
Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27)
Canada Day (July 1)

Events funded are expected to be held on the date of the designated day.

Learn more about the Celebrate Canada grant program.

Local Festivals

The Local Festivals grant program is run by the Department of Canadian Heritage and provides funding to local groups for recurring festivals that present the work of local artists, artisans or heritage performers. This includes the celebration of LGBTQ2+ communities and Indigenous cultural celebrations.

Learn more about the Local Festivals grant program.

Locations

Events on City roads and sidewalks

The City of Markham receives applications for festivals and community events on city roads and sidewalks. All planned events, including parades, races, festivals and street parties involving or impacting sidewalks or streets require a road occupancy permit.

Events requesting to use city roads and/or sidewalks are required to submit the following documents for City review and approval:

Road Occupancy Permit Application Form
Certificate of Insurance
Event Site/Route Map
Traffic Management Plan
Public Notification of Road Use Notice/Letter

Permit fees and additional logistical requirements apply depending on the scale and scope of the event.

If your event needs a Road Occupancy Permit, please refer to the Application Timelines above to ensure the required application timelines.

Find out who owns the road before you apply

Submit a road/sidewalk closure (Road Occupancy Permit) application

Events on Regional roads

Permission to close a Regional road for a community event must be submitted directly to York Region. Visit the York Region website for more information about requesting a regional road.

Find out who owns the road before you apply

Apply for a Regional road closure

Markham Civic Centre

101 Town Centre Boulevard

Flag Raising Ceremony

The City of Markham permits the use of the Community Flag Pole(s) at Markham Civic Centre in accordance with the City’s Community Flag Raisings & Flag Protocol Policy.

Flag raising event applications will be accepted for requests on Monday to Sunday, between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. Flag raisings are not available on statutory holidays.

This space is suitable for events up to one hour in length, with a maximum of 100 people. Permit/booking fees apply and additional logistical requirements may be required.

Flag Raising Ceremony Application

Community Events - Conference/Forum/Summit

The City of Markham permits the use of the Council Chamber for Community Events (Conference/Forum/Summit) at Markham Civic Centre. Please direct any questions and return the completed application form to: specialevents@markham.ca.

Once the completed application form has been received and reviewed, an Event Lead with the City will work with you through the event planning process.

Permit/booking fees apply and additional logistical requirements may be required.

Community Event Application

Millennium Bandstand

146 Main Street Unionville

The City of Markham permits community events and entertainment performances at the Millennium Bandstand between May 1 and October 30 annually, weather permitting. This space is suitable for one-day events. Permit/booking fees apply and additional logistical requirements may be required depending on the size and scope of the request.

Unionville BIA is managing and permitting the Millennium Bandstand facility for the City of Markham in 2023.

Please direct any questions to: events@unionvilleinfo.com

Public Parks

The City of Markham is presently piloting applications for public park events, offering rentals of selected parks for community based events. Markham's public parks boast a diverse array of features, elements, and sites of varying sizes tailored to accommodate your group's needs.

The four public parks that are available for applications:

Ada Mackenzie Park - 185 South Park Rd, Thornhill, ON L3T 0B6 - Site Map (PDF)
Milne Dam Conservation Park - 8251 McCowan Rd, Markham, ON L3P 3J3 - Site Map (PDF)
Simonston Park - 15 Simonston Blvd, Markham, ON - Site Map (PDF)
Wismer Park - 980 Bur Oak Ave, Markham, ON L6E 0E1 - Site Map (PDF)

Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 5th 2024.

Applications will be reviewed by April 2024, accepted applicants will be contacted by City of Markham staff to further discuss the event and components.

Outdoor Event Season - June to October

Minimum Notice - 10 weeks.

Black out dates for 2024 season:

June 1-2, 8-9, 14-16, 29-30
July 1
August 16-18
September 6-8

Minimum Application Timeline	Events With...
3 months before the event date	350+ people, and/or Secondary permits: noise exemption Food trucks or vendors
10 weeks before the event date	100+ people

Public Park Application – Apply Now

Markham Museum

Markham Museum brings the present and past together. Learn about our city’s history and the tools we use today in our changing world. The 25-acre Museum site offers: