The festival is located at Kelso Conservation Area, 5234 Kelso Road in Milton, Ontario.
As an outdoor event, the Halton Children’s Water Festival runs rain or shine. The festival may be cancelled in the event of inclement weather, serious incident or other potential hazards. Festival staff regularly monitor weather forecasts and will notify all organizers, vendors, teachers and volunteers of cancellation by 6:00 a.m. on any given festival date. There are no make-up dates for festival days that are cancelled.
Yes. Our program aims to be accessible and to accomodate all students. We offer a variety of accommodations such as all-terrain wheelchairs or shuttle, private restrooms and changing pads to ensure students have a positive field trip experience. The festival coordinators will connect with participating teachers about available accomodations in the fall.
Please wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe footwear. The festival happens rain or shine, so please dress for the forecasted weather. Sunscreen and insect repellent are recommended.
Not all buses have a side-bin for storage. Coolers are permitted if they fit on the bus seat and do not block the aisle. Please contact the festival coordinators if you have questions about specific items.
The following items are prohibited:
- Non-collapsible wagons
- Skis/Ski Poles/Snowboards
- Hover-boards
- Hockey and other sport equipment (e.g., hockey/lacrosse sticks, golf clubs, curling brooms, Javelins)
- Long-boards/Scooters/e-Scooters/Roller Blades
- Animals (service animals accepted)
- Large musical instruments under (18 inches by 10 inches by 10 inches)
- Alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, illegal drugs and cannabis (unless medically prescribed)
- Ammunition
- Explosives/firecrackers or any flammable object or substance
- Firearms or any weapons, including pocket knives
- Laser pointers
- Lighters
- Matches
- Toboggans
9:30 am - High school students arrive
10 a.m. - Elementary students start to arrive
10:30 a.m. - Morning activity rotations begin
11:30 a.m. - Lunch
Noon - Afternoon activity rotations begin
1:30 p.m. - Activities conclude, elementary students depart and volunteers close their stations
2 p.m. - High school students depart
Teachers within Halton Region can register their classes for the festival on our Elementary School Teachers page. Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025. Spots are limited, so we encourage teachers to register early.
While teachers are encouraged to register all students in their classes, festival staff must divide bookings into 14-18 groups, with roughly 15-20 students per group. Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Teachers will be notified if students are placed on a waitlist. Group schedules will be available one week before the festival begins.
Yes. The deadline for making changes to registration is Friday, September 12, 2025. The festival coordinators will do their best to accomodate changes, but large increases in numbers may not be accomodated.
Teachers will be charged based on the student numbers provided by September 12. Please contact waterfestival@hrca.on.ca to change registration information.
Yes. If teachers do not receive a registration confirmation email for a group or grade of students, they have likely been waitlisted. Teachers will be notified of the grade and number of students on our waitlist via email. Should space for participants become available, we will contact teachers within the first two weeks of September.
If you were unable to register for the in-person event, please consider registering for our Virtual Field Trip.
The Halton Children’s Water Festival costs $12 per student. This cost includes a full day at the festival and busing to and from the event. Busing is organized and paid for by the event.
Elementary schools will be invoiced after the festival based on the confirmed numbers they provide by Friday, September 12, 2025. There are no refunds for absent students on the day of the trip.
We request a 10:1 student to adult ratio. Some teachers may need to recruit additional volunteers to attend the event. All groups will require at least one adult group lead to supervise students throughout the day of the festival. There is no cost for adult chaperones or teachers to attend.
Food and drink are not available for purchase on-site. Student lunches should be packed in reusable containers when possible. Water bottle refill stations are available on-site.
