A popular springtime event in Stratford, Ont., has been cancelled by the city to “reduce the stress” on the fixture’s icons.
The annual swan parade, which typically happens on the first Sunday of April, won’t happen this year, the city announced earlier this month.
The event, which has been occurring for more than three decades, drew hundreds or thousands of spectators to watch the birds waddle down Morenz Drive to Lake Victoria in the city’s centre.
The march from the swans’ winter quarters to the river was often led by a pipe band.
“At the direction of the Board of Park Management, the birds will now be returned to Lake Victoria from their winter quarters as soon as it’s appropriate. The determination will be made each year based on factors like water levels, weather and mating patterns,” the City of Stratford said in a statement on its website.
“The goal is to reduce the stress on the swans as much as possible as they make their seasonal return to the open water. We recognize that some may still want to watch the annual release, and we will provide updates as soon as they’re available.”
A few months after the swans were released last spring, five of them went missing.
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Quin Malott, a parks and forestry manager, told The Canadian Press in late August 2025 that he first noticed the dwindling number of swans earlier that month, when he went to feed the usual six floating on Lake Victoria.
He said all six swans were missing when he returned to the same area the following day. Malott didn’t know if the birds were taken, but it was a possibility since they’ve become accustomed to being fed by humans.
He added that close to a dozen Stratford residents called to report they had spotted one of the fugitive birds.
Several of the birds were eventually located in nearby ponds.
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