Hello Neighbours!
Mark your calendars for Neighbour Day, on Saturday, September 20, 2025!
Neighbour Day is a chance to come together, connect, and celebrate the incredible people and places that make our neighbourhoods so special.
It’s all about building strong relationships, creating welcoming spaces, and showing that Thunder Bay is a city with a giant heart!
Whether you’re planning something big or small, there are so many fun ways to get involved and make your community shine.
Neighbour Day 2025 Activities
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Celebrate Neighbour Day Your Way! — with food, fun, and activities happening all across Thunder Bay!
- Neighbour Night
- Saturday, September 20 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Kinsmen Youth Centre, Northwood Playfields (609 James St South)
- 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Pedal Forward Bike Program
- FREE Youth Move BBQ
- Arts & Crafts
- Outdoor Games & Activities
- Karaoke Party with All the DAZE Productions
- 8:00 PM
- Outdoor Film Screening: Lilo & Stitch (2025)
- Bring a comfy chair or blanket, pack some snacks, and get cozy as we close out the night with an outdoor movie.
- $2 Public Swim!
- Enjoy a discounted swim rate at:
- Canada Games Complex
- Churchill Pool (3 PM - 6 PM)
- North McIntyre Rec Centre Yard Sale
- 9 AM - 1 PM, North McIntyre Rec Centre, 2051 Government Road
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery
- Pay What You Can Admission
- Gallery For the Senses
- Drop-In Art Activities
- Treasure Exchange Day
- Search for that special something, or give away an item no longer needed. Exchange reusable items such as furniture,small appliances and toys!
- Clearly label items ‘FREE’, then place them at the curb after 5 pm on Friday, Sept. 19.
- Keep items that aren’t ‘give aways’, such as bikes, toys and tools, well away from the curb to avoid misunderstandings.
- Post your items on social media tagged #TbayTreasureDays to share and explore treasures everywhere in Thunder Bay!
- Tour your neighbourhood to check for great items at the curb.
- On Sunday, remove all uncollected items by 7 pm. Items left at the curb are subject to enforcement as per City by-laws, and will not be collected by the City.
- Treasure Exchange Days are an action item from the City's Solid Waste Management Strategy.
- Pedal Forward
- 6 PM - 9 PM, Northwood Playfields
- Pedal Forward is a pop-up bike program led by the City of Thunder Bay’s Culture & Events team, in partnership with Community Spokes and Active Transportation Thunder Bay.
- This free, drop-in program invites community members to repair and ride away with an upcycled bicycle — all while learning basic bike maintenance skills in a welcoming, hands-on environment.
- French Cafe - Club culturel francophone de Thunder Bay
- 9 AM - 11 AM, Dove Building, CLE Grounds
- Le café-causerie du Club culturel francophone de Thunder Bay est de retour après la pause estivale!
- Retrouvez-vous au marché des fermiers de Thunder Bay le samedi 20 septembre 2025 entre 9h et 11h, au deuxième étage.
- The Club culturel francophone de Thunder Bay’s coffee chat is back after the summer break! Join in at the Thunder Bay Farmers’ Market on Saturday, September 20 between 9 and 11 AM, upstairs in the Dove Building!
- Thunder Bay Museum
- Pay What You Can Admission
- Kids History Themed Crafts
- Neighbour Day BBQ at Vickers Heights Community Centre
- 2 PM - 5 PM,
- Vickers Heights Community Centre (1695 Broadway Ave)
- Bouncy Castle
- Live Music
- Free BBQ!
Here are some great ideas to celebrate Neighbour Day: |
Whatever you plan, big or small, it all adds up to a stronger, more connected Thunder Bay. Let’s celebrate our vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods together this Neighbour Day! |
Let us help promote your Neighbour Day activities! |
We have physical posters, pins, and digital marketing materials to help promote your event! Email us with your plans, ideas, or any questions! |
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Neighbourhood Walking Tour App |
Does the Tourism Thunder Bay have the perfect Neighbour Day activity for you! Their brand new Tour App has a number of neighbourhood walking tours! Download and discover the most incredible things to see and experience in Thunder Bay through detailed tours with turn-by-turn directions, local attractions, and event information all from your hand held device. The Thunder Bay Tour app is available in the Apple iTunes App Store and Google Play Store: Thunder Bay Tours |
Neighbour Day Ideas |
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New City, New Streets |
After amalgamation in 1970, the newly formed City of Thunder Bay found themselves with a problem other amalgamated municipalities have faced: multiple streets with the same or similar name. One street name in particular that held great prominence in both Fort William and Port Arthur was Arthur Street. As with many street names in Fort William, Arthur Street was associated with the Vickers family, named after son Arthur Algoma Vickers. Residents of Toronto, John Joseph (J. J.) Vickers, and his wife Catherine, were frequent visitors to Fort William and held close friendships with prominent Fort William families. Recognizing the region’s great opportunity after his first visit in 1859, Vickers began investing locally both in mining and real estate. The Vickers Park property, bordered by Arthur Street to the north, was gifted to the Town of Fort William in 1902 by Catherine Vickers in memory of her husband. Arthur Vickers himself did become a resident of Fort William, arriving in 1903, he handled the sales of family lands. In contrast, Arthur Street in Port Arthur was named in 1871 when the community was first surveyed as Prince Arthur’s Landing. Both the community and the street were named in honour of H.R.H. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. In 1977 the street was re-named Red River Road, commemorating the route to the Red River Settlement. Another set of streets sharing the same name was McIntyre Street. The Port Arthur street, named after railway executive Duncan McIntyre, retained its name after amalgamation. The Fort William streets’ namesake was John McIntyre, Clerk in Charge, and later Factor, of Hudson Bay Company’s Fort William Fur Trade Post. Upon his retirement in 1877, McIntyre remained a prominent member of the growing community along the Kaministiquia River. In 1971, McIntyre Street in Fort William’s East End, was renamed McNaughton Street after long-time city clerk Alexander McNaughton. McNaughton began his role in 1900 prior to Fort William’s incorporation as a city. He remained city clerk until 1945. Certain duplicated street names had straightforward solutions. John Street in Fort William, named after Fort William’s first Mayor, John McKellar, was simply renamed McKellar Street. These are just a few examples of Thunder Bay street name changes post-amalgamation, there are certainly many others! If you would like to learn more, contact the City of Thunder Bay Archives, archives@thunderbay.ca. Source: The Street Names of Thunder Bay by Diane Grant |
Neighbourhoods Past and Present
Neighbour Day 2024 |
Community Yard Sale & BBQ Toonie Swim IMPROVATHON! Northern Nature Trading Plein Air Painting: Gold Domed Church in Westfort BARBIE-que Movie Night in the Park – Barbie Edition French Language Café & Badge-Making Activity Thunder Bay Art Gallery Thunder Bay Museum |
Neighbour Day 2023 |
Neighbour Day Scavenger Hunt Gallery Neighbour Day (Thunder Bay Art Gallery)
Neighbour Day Drag Queen Story Time (Thunder Bay Waverly Library, 285 Red River Rd) |
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