Cities and towns in Central and Eastern Canada have spent a long time preparing for a short event: a total solar eclipse that will make parts of the country completely dark.
Many cities and towns in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island are preparing to welcome thousands of visitors from all over Canada and beyond, hoping to see a rare alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon on April 8.
And municipalities are taking advantage of this opportunity to welcome lots of tourists.
Visitors might feel like the busy travel season has come early, with hotels full and seasonal attractions, like live music and food trucks, open before their usual summer hours.
For Miramichi, N.B., the solar eclipse will be the highlight of the year's tourism season, according to Paul McGraw, the city's economic development officer, located about 180 kilometers northeast of Fredericton.
“We realized the opportunity early in 2023, but then it was like: ‘How can we take advantage of this?'” recalled McGraw.
Miramichi will have solar eclipse-themed events from Wednesday (April 3) to the weekend, including a drone light show, astronomy conference, music festival, and an innovation fair, with 2,500 students from Atlantic Canada.
The city has ordered 20,000 eclipse eyewear for its population of about 18,000, while also letting local businesses sell equipment.
Enthusiasts can go to the Miramichi-Chatham Airport parking lot for a clear view of the eclipse for free on the day, said McGraw.
“We’re upwards of 800 (bookings) right now and we have a capacity of 1,500 (cars),” he said, adding an estimated 6,000 people can be gathered for the eclipse.
“It’s pretty optimistic.”
Elsewhere, demand and prices for hotels and short-term rentals for the solar eclipse weekend have gone up.
Niagara Falls and Montreal are the two most booked destinations for that weekend, according to a report from Airbnb.
“This eclipse makes Montreal attractive, especially for those living north of the trajectory, so it’s this clientele that we’re expecting to see more of on April 8,” said Montreal public affairs spokesperson Aurélie de Blois in an email.
In the Niagara region, many hotels are fully booked, and some have charged up to twice their normal price for the weekend. The city is expecting over one million visitors during the eclipse weekend.
“We have 14,000 hotel rooms,” said Janice Thomson, president and CEO of Niagara Falls Tourism. “The hotels are almost completely booked up.”
She added travelers had made reservations months in advance for the special event, while many locals from nearby regions are expected to come by train or car for the historic moment.
There will be more GO Transit trains running to and from Niagara Falls that day, as the regional transit operator expects a surge in travelers. It is also adding more cars to its trains to accommodate as many people as possible.
Ontario has several other places where the full eclipse will be visible, like Hamilton, Belleville, and Kingston.
For those visiting Kingston, one option is to take a boat trip on Lake Ontario during the eclipse.
Ashley Bradshaw, destination development manager at Tourism Kingston, mentioned that the 1000 Islands Cruise usually doesn't open this early in the season. Major attractions in Kingston typically open later in May or into the summer season.
Kingston hotels have seen an increase in bookings since last fall and are expecting visitors from Japan, England, and Finland.
Port Colborne, located about 30 kilometers south of Niagara Falls, has prepared educational activities for visitors during the eclipse.
The day will feature an inflatable planetarium with astronomical projections, telescope tours to observe sunspots and flares, as well as Let’s Talk Science with experts from Brock University.
Scott Luey, chief administrative officer of Port Colborne, mentioned there is something for everyone during the eclipse.
According to Luey, visitors can choose to be on the lake or at one of Port Colborne's parks during the eclipse.
PortColborneis in a great position to observe the eclipse, offering a front-row seat to the event.
