When is Alberta Heritage Day?
Heritage Day is an optional general holiday in Alberta celebrated on the first Monday in August.
Although it is not a statutory holiday, and businesses can choose whether or not to recognize the day as a general holiday, many Albertans use this day as an optional holiday to celebrate the province's heritage.
History of Alberta Heritage Day
In 1974, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta made the first Monday in August an official provincial holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans, known as Heritage Day by passing the Heritage Act of 1974.
With the introduction of Family Day in 1990, Heritage Day was downgraded from a statutory holiday to an optional civic holiday.
Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Louise was married to John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, and a Governor-General of Canada.
Though it should be noted Alberta's cultural heritage doesn't begin and end with British princesses and Heritage Day is intended to celebrate the province's heritage right from the Indigenous peoples through to the modern-day diversity that enriches the daily life in Alberta.
Heritage Day has proved to be an inspiration for events such as the Edmonton Heritage Festival and the Crowsnest Pass Doors Open and Heritage Festival; popular festivals that take place in Alberta over the Heritage Day weekend, highlighting local culture and traditions.
Nova Scotia also celebrates a Heritage Day, but that takes place on the third Monday in February.
