Gold Cup Parade 2025 in Canada

The Gold Cup Parade is a feature event for Old Home Week, which celebrates the joys of the summer season in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. The parade is on the third Friday of August and attracts thousands of people.

Is Gold Cup Parade a Public Holiday?

Gold Cup Parade is a public holiday in Prince Edward Island, where it is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

What do People Do?

Many people travel to Charlottetown, PEI, from across Canada and from the United States to attend the parade and experience the activities during Old Home Week.  The event has a different theme each year.

The parade consists of marching bands from the Maritimes, Quebec and sometimes the United States.  There are more than 50 floats, giant helium-filled character balloons and many horse, car, and clown entries. Many businesses, communities and organizations enter floats of every size, shape, and complexity in the parade that is later awarded on different criteria, such as the most humorous float and the best overall float.

Public Life

The Gold Cup Parade is on the third Friday of August in the province of Prince Edward Island. Many employers grant their staff time off to enjoy the parade. Partial road closures may occur on the parade route in Charlottetown during the event.

Background

The first Gold Cup Parade was held in 1962 and was founded by Frank Acorn and Bill Hancox to revive the appeal of Old Home Week in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It has become an annual event since then. The parade focuses its attention on PEI’s harness racing industry.

The first Gold Cup Parade organization consisted of a close group of businessmen who assisted the Charlottetown Driving Park to organize the annual parade. As the parade’s reputation grew, the group became a non-profit company in 1986. It was named The Charlottetown Parade Committee Inc. and now owns the name “The Gold Cup Parade”. The organization consists of a board of 15 volunteers as well as an executive board that meets year-round to plan the parade. The parade’s 50th anniversary was marked for August 20, 2010.

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.