Happy Anniversary All-Round!

From the Canadian Tulip Festival to the historic Fairmont Château Laurier and the War of 1812, 2012 is a year of celebration and commemoration.

Each May, Ottawa celebrates the Canadian Tulip Festival, the largest of its kind. From May 4 through 21, 2012, the event will mark its 60th edition with special programming and over 3,000,000 tulips on display throughout the region – one park alone features 300,000 tulips!

Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier hotel celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012. Originally scheduled for an April 1912 opening, the official launch was delayed till June after the hotel’s owner, Charles Melville Hays, died in the sinking of the Titanic.

A series of celebrations are planned for 2012 including a 100-day countdown package, weekly culinary journeys through the decades at Wilfrid’s restaurant, a special centennial tea service, participation in the annual Doors Open Ottawa event with tours (June 2 and 3), and more!

The Canadian War Museum will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The exhibit, Four Wars of 1812, explores that conflict from the British, American, Canadian and First Nations perspective. June 15, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Did you know? The Rideau Canal was built in response to the War of 1812 in order to have an alternate supply line that didn’t involve the St. Lawrence River. If the Americans blockaded the river, troops and supplies would still flow (through Ottawa, or Bytown at the time) between Montréal and Kingston/Toronto.