Louis Riel Day 2025, 2026 and 2027

Louis Riel Day is observed on the third Monday of February for the Métis to celebrate their leader and their history in Canada.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday	Provinces and Territories
2025	17 Feb	Mon	Louis Riel Day	MB
2026	16 Feb	Mon	Louis Riel Day	MB
2027	15 Feb	Mon	Louis Riel Day	MB
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

Louis Riel is remembered as “the Father of Manitoba”, even though he was hanged for treason in 1885. The reason for this paradox is that Louis Riel, a Métis himself, led the Métis and other locals in the Red River Resistance against incursions into their lands by the Canadian government. The land was owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company at the time but was lived on and worked by the Métis and some early pioneers.

Canada planned an annexation that may well have destroyed the livelihood of the inhabitants of the region. In response, Riel organised a militia and declared a new province of Manitoba. The conflict continued during the winter of 1869 to 1870.

In 1870, the Manitoba Act recognised the new province, but Riel was expelled and eventually executed in 1885 for his execution of an unruly subordinate back in 1870. Before he could be brought to the gallows, however, he had already aided another Métis rebellion, the Northwest Rebellion, in 1884 in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan.

Anyone visiting Manitoba should consider planning their trip to include Louis Riel Day if at all possible. It is to Manitoba what the Fourth of July is to the U.S. or Bastille Day is to the French. It is a time of many community events and much fanfare, all piled on top of all the usual Manitoban tourist attractions.

Previous Years

Year	Date	Day	Holiday	Provinces and Territories
2024	19 Feb	Mon	Louis Riel Day	MB
2023	20 Feb	Mon	Louis Riel Day	MB