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Changing the Guard

Held each morning on Parliament Hill in Ottawa from late June through late August, the Changing the Guard Ceremony is a colourful spectacle of pomp, pageantry and music.

Fast Facts

• The ceremony begins on Parliament Hill at 10 am sharp each morning, rain or shine, following a march by the Guard from its Cartier Square Drill Hall just south of Parliament Hill and up Elgin Street.
• The Ceremonial Guard is assembled from two regiments - the Governor General's Footguards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards - and also has its own regimental band and pipers who perform in the ceremony.
• Most of the Ceremonial Guardsmen taking part in the ceremony are university and college students; all are primary reservists in the Canadian Forces.
• Performances are free of charge; for best viewing, arrive on Parliament Hill at 9:45 a.m.