The birthday of Queen Victoria was selected to be transformed into a public holiday, as it was a date that appealed to both English and French Canadians.

At the time, loyalty to the Crown was seen as a key trait that distinguished Canada from the United States and the monarchy was viewed as a "guarantor of minority rights" in the colony.

[7] On Victoria's 35th birthday, in 1854, some 5,000 residents of Canada West gathered in front of Government House (near present-day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen".

[8] An example of a typical 19th-century celebration of the Queen's birthday took place on May 24, 1866, in Omemee, also in Canada West: The town mounted a day-long fête, including pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, a torch-light procession, and a gun salute at midnight.

[1][9] By Canadian Confederation in 1867, Victoria Day celebrations were held in communities in Ontario and Quebec and would later spread to other parts of the country as it expanded.

[5] Even as the inhabitants of the Red River Colony, in the then-British territory of Rupert's Land, resisted Canadian expansion, clashing with agents of Canada's government in 1869 and 1870 as Canada negotiated the purchase of Rupert's Land from Britain, the Red River Colony's provisional government celebrated Victoria's birthday with a show of skill at the militia's drill.

[2] Amid the Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, the Senate passed a bill that aimed to fix the Queen's birthday in perpetuity as a holiday in her honour.

The name Victoria Day was selected by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, who wanted to avoid an imperialist name that would antagonize French Canadians.

[5] In 1952, the date for Victoria Day was made variable, changing from May 24 to the last Monday before May 25 each year, ensuring that most Canadians would receive a long weekend.

The boat departed in the evening with 600 to 800 people on board—three times the allowed passenger capacity—and capsized partway across the river, drowning some 182 individuals, including a large number of children who had been with their families for Victoria Day picnics at Springbank Park.

Other celebrations include an evening fireworks show, such as that held at Ashbridge's Bay Beach in the east end of Toronto, and at Ontario Place, in the same city.

In Ottawa, the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony takes place on Parliament Hill or occasionally at Rideau Hall.

[46] Banff, Alberta's Sunshine Village ends its lengthy ski season on Victoria Day and,[47] likewise, it is during this long weekend that many summer businesses—such as parks, outdoor restaurants, bicycle rentals, city tour operators, etc.—will open.

[48][49] Gardeners in Canada will similarly regard Victoria Day as the beginning of spring,[7][49] as it falls at a time when one can be fairly certain that frost will not return until the next autumn.

[60][61] A traditional, short song about Victoria Day went as follows: "The twenty-fourth of May / Is the Queen's birthday; / If they don't give us a holiday / We'll all run away!