🇨🇦 The Collingwood Museum Marks 10th Annual Shipyard Social with Exciting Line-up
Collingwood, ON [27 August 2026] The Collingwood Museum invites you to celebrate, remember, and honour the men and women of the Collingwood Shipyards at the Collingwood Museum’s 10th annual Shipyard Social!
This year’s event marks the 40th anniversary of the Collingwood Shipyards’ closure, and staff have been planning a special line-up of new and familiar events to mark the occasion, happening on September 11 and 12, 2026.
September 11, 2026: Flag Raising & Docuseries Screenings
Join shipyard workers, members of Council, community members, and staff for a commemorative flag raising at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11 at the community flagpole at the Collingwood Public Library. An original COLLSHIP flag in the Collingwood Museum’s artifact collection has been reproduced for the ceremony, and the new flag will be raised as a tribute to the Collingwood Shipyards’ 103-year operation in Collingwood. Everyone is invited to participate!
Two screenings of The Last Launch: The Rise and Fall of Collship, a five-part docuseries created by local filmmaker Thomas Stubbington, will be offered at the Simcoe Street Theatre at *2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively. A Q&A session with Thomas Stubbington will follow each screening.
*Former shipyard workers and their families are invited to attend the 2:00 p.m. screening that will follow the flag raising ceremony. To reserve seats for this special showing, contact Museum Staff at 705-445-4811 Ext. 7211 until Thursday, September 10, at 4:30 p.m., or until capacity is reached.
The 7:00 p.m. screening is open to community members, and all ticket proceeds will support the purchase of the Ursula Heller Photograph Collection. Tickets are $10.00 per person, plus a service fee, and can be purchased online via TicketScene.
The Ursula Heller Photograph Collection includes 79 rolls of film and over 300 prints that offer rare glimpses into the Collingwood Shipyards in 1978. The Collingwood Museum has been accepting donations throughout 2026 to help bring this collection home.
September 12, 2026: Hard Hats March, Group Photo, Commemorative T-shirt & More
The celebration continues on Saturday, September 12, with the 10th annual Shipyard Social, celebrating the people, stories, and enduring legacy of the Collingwood Shipyards.
The day begins with the popular “Hard Hats on Hurontario” march, departing Town Hall for the Collingwood Museum at 11:30 a.m. Shipyard workers are encouraged to bring their hard hats if they still have them. Community members are welcome to join in and can pick up a hard hat from Museum Staff beside Town Hall between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
At 12:00 p.m. sharp, former shipyard employees are invited to gather at the Collingwood Museum for a special group photograph. The celebration will then continue throughout the afternoon with a community social on the Museum grounds, featuring light snacks and a special anniversary cake.
Staff are also pleased to announce the launch of the Museum’s newest T-shirt design, inspired by a 1970s-era T-shirt in the artifact collection. The new slogan, “Collingwood Built the Best”, celebrates the Collingwood Shipyards’ reputation for quality ships and lists the more than 200 steel ships constructed between 1901 and 1986. T-shirts will be available for $29.95 + HST in sizes Small through 4XL.
Parking is available at the Collingwood Museum (45 St. Paul Street) and Harbour House (31 Huron Street).
For full event details, please visit www.collingwood.ca/museum or contact Collingwood Museum staff. The Collingwood Museum is located at 45 St. Paul Street.
