Canada turns 157 years old this year and Yellowknife is doing its part to join in with the rest of the country to mark the occasion.
The festivities on July 1 will begin at 11 a.m. with the parade starting just outside the Explorer Hotel It'll make its way down 48 Street, heading south along Franklin Avenue, and ending in the parking lot housing the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool and the McNiven Tennis Courts.
The Rotary Club of Yellowknife is hosting the parade, as it's done in years past. Stewart Pallard, the parade's committee chair, said the walk to Forrest Drive should take between 45 minutes to an hour.
In terms of how many floats people can expect, he couldn't say for sure when Yellowknifer spoke to him on Wednesday, but guessed somewhere between 20 to 25.
Pallard explained that more people than expected tend to show up on the day of, which is what makes predicting the size of the parade such a challenge.
And that's not a bad problem to have.
"We don't turn anyone away," Pallard said.
Pallard added that the club has been trying to get more community groups involved. The Canadian Forces are one of those groups and while Pallard said he wasn't sure what they're planning, they are bringing in some sort of equipment.
"We're really excited about that," he said.
The Yellowknife Airport firefighters are also getting in on the fun and they'll be debuting their new toy on that day: a new snoblower.
Cultural groups are always a big part of the parade and one of those marching this year will be the Southern Cameroon Society of Yellowknife.
"They always look fantastic, so we're really excited to see them as well," said Pallard
The city said that roads along the parade route will be closed from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m with no parking at all along the parade route between those hours.
"The public should expect delays when driving downtown. Signage will be put in place 24 hours in advance, advising residents to move vehicles to avoid being towed and/or ticketed," stated an announcement from the city.
After the parade is over, the day continues at Somba K’e Civic Plaza. Festivities there are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and should last until 5:00 p.m. It's a free event, featuring a bouncy castle, a balloon artist/magician, and a variety of live performances, according to the city.
There's also the Canada Day Mile happening. As noted on the Rotary Club's Facebook page, it's a 1,500-metre run and will be leading the parade.