Join Barrie’s 2026 New Year’s Eve Celebration 
Celebrate New Year’s Eve in downtown Barrie with an evening of free family-friendly fun at Meridian Place from 5 to 9 p.m.! The new location provides an opportunity to showcase Barrie’s beautiful waterfront, our vibrant downtown core, as well as Meridian Place.
Festivities include:
- Live music on the Meridian Place stage
- Busker Performances
- Inflatables
- Interactive Games
- Face Painting
- Button Making
- Bonfire warming zone
- Food Trucks ($)
- Fireworks Finale at 9 p.m. (from Heritage Park)
For more information and announcements to come, visit barrie.ca/nye.
New Year’s hours for Barrie services 
The City of Barrie reminds residents of the following schedule changes and closures during New Year’s:
Recreation Centres: The Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, East Bayfield Community
Centre, and Allandale Recreation Centre will operate on the following schedule:
- December 31: Open 6 a.m.– 11:30 a.m.
- January 1: Closed
Visit barrie.ca/RecDropins for drop-in schedules.
55+ Centres: The Allandale 55+ Centre and Parkview Centre will operate on the following
schedule:
- Parkview Centre: Closed on January 1
- Allandale 55+ Centre: Closed at 11:30 a.m. on December 31, and closed on January 1
Visit barrie.ca/seniors for more information.
City Hall: Closed at noon on December 31, and closed on January 1.
Curbside Collection and Landfill:
- January 1: No curbside waste collection; collection moved to the next day for the rest of
the week - The landfill is closed at noon on December 31 and closed on January 1.
Visit barrie.ca/CurbsideCollection and barrie.ca/landfill for more information.
Barrie Transit:
- December 31: Free transit service starts at 5 p.m. with regular evening service
extending until 3 a.m. (excludes Highway 400 Express Route) - New Year’s Day: No transit service
Visit MyRideBarrie.ca to plan your trip.
Parking Reminders:
- Downtown parking (on-street and lots) is not enforced on statutory holidays. Waterfront
parking is enforced 24/7/365. To park for free in select waterfront areas, vehicles must
be registered with a digital waterfront parking permit. - There are exceptions to the overnight on-street parking restrictions on December 25,
26, and January 1 from 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m., unless the city declares a Winter
Maintenance Event by 4 p.m. on the previous day.
Visit barrie.ca/parking for more information.
Fireworks reminder: rules for New Year’s 
Residents are permitted to use fireworks on New Year’s Day (Thursday, January 1, 2026), as per the Regulatory Matters By-law. Fireworks are permitted only until 11 p.m. on the day of the celebration, per the Noise By-law.
Please review fireworks safety reminders at barrie.ca/FireworksSafety.
Carbon monoxide alarm requirements effective Jan. 1, 2026 
Starting January 1, 2026, changes to the Ontario Fire Code will require additional carbon monoxide alarms in houses and multi-unit residences with fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces or attached garages. A CO alarm will be required on every storey of your home and outside each sleeping area. These updates are being made across the province to improve household safety and prevent incidents caused by carbon monoxide exposure.
Barrie Fire encourages you to install the required alarms as soon as possible. In an owner-occupied residence, this is the homeowner’s responsibility. In a rental, this is the landlord’s responsibility.
For more information, visit barrie.ca/CarbonMonoxideAlarms.
Provincial recycling changes effective Jan 1., 2026 
Residents are reminded that residential recycling is NOT managed by the City of Barrie. Circular Materials is responsible for residential recycling under the provincial Blue Box Regulation, with their own contract with Emterra. Their contract is unrelated to the City of Barrie’s separate contract with Emterra for organics, garbage, and yard waste collection.
Effective January 1, 2026, Ontario residents can recycle more materials than ever before and recycle the same materials no matter where they live in the province. Materials now accepted include: paper coffee cups, flexible plastic packaging (coffee bags, chip bags, snack wrappers, etc.), and paper plates.
For recycling schedules, accepted materials, and tips, visit CircularMaterials.ca/barrie.
Real Christmas trees collected weekly in January 
Christmas tree collection begins the week of January 5. Place Christmas trees curbside by 7
a.m. (4:30 a.m. in the downtown BIA) on your regular curbside collection day. Trees must be free of plastic wrap/bags, decorations, stands, and not placed on top of, or stuck into, snowbanks. Christmas trees will be collected before end of day Friday. Trees that are larger than 6 feet must be cut in half to fit in the collection truck. Residents can also drop off Christmas trees at the landfill for free.
Apply for Barrie’s Arts & Culture Investment Program 
The City of Barrie is accepting applications for its annual Arts and Culture Investment Program, which provides funding to not-for-profit arts and culture organizations. Eligible organizations include those in performing arts (theatre, dance, music), visual arts, arts service, new media, or heritage, who are based in Barrie.
The deadline to apply is Monday, January 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
For funding details and to apply, visit barrie.ca/ACIP.
Presented by The City of Barrie
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of The City of Barrie and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of iPolitics.
