Festival of Flight at Rondeau: A Birder’s Guide to Planning Your May Trip

The Festival of Flight at Rondeau Provincial Park is a 16-day spring birding festival held every May on the north shore of Lake Erie, timed to the peak of songbird migration. Guided bird hikes leave the park’s Visitor Centre twice a day in search of warblers, thrushes, and the endangered Prothonotary Warbler, a bird found in only a few places in Canada. The 2027 festival is expected in the first half of May.

With 334 bird species recorded in the park, Rondeau rewards birders who plan. This guide covers the expected 2027 dates, how the guided hikes work and what they cost, which trails to walk, and how Rondeau compares with Point Pelee.

We’re Skye Hotel Ridgetown, just off Highway 401 in Chatham-Kent. Our kitchen suites, free breakfast, and free parking make early festival mornings easier. You can reserve your May dates now, before the park posts its schedule.

What Is the Festival of Flight at Rondeau Provincial Park?

The Festival of Flight is an annual May event at Rondeau Provincial Park, built around guided bird hikes during spring migration. It is supported by the Friends of Rondeau, a registered charity formed in 1986. The Friends hire an expert bird guide to lead the hikes and offer breakfast and lunch to visiting birders.

During the festival you’ll find:

• Guided bird hikes twice a day, led by an experienced birder and starting from the Visitor Centre.
• A Birder’s Breakfast hosted by the Friends of Rondeau, with refreshments by donation.
• The Visitor Centre, open with displays on the park’s plants, wildlife and history.

Rondeau’s location is the reason the festival exists. Ontario’s second-oldest provincial park, established in 1894, sits on a peninsula that reaches into Lake Erie, where the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways overlap, according to the Friends of Rondeau’s birding page. Songbirds crossing the lake in spring land here to rest and feed before continuing north. Ontario Parks reports 334 bird species recorded in the park, 134 of them breeding.

The festival draws a crowd. During the 2023 festival, park staff told CTV News Windsor that Rondeau was seeing as many as 1,000 visitors a day.

When Is the Festival of Flight in 2027?

The 2027 dates haven’t been announced yet, but the festival follows a steady pattern. Every recent year, it has started on the first Saturday of May and run for 16 days. That points to about May 1 to May 16, 2027.

Book your room now, register for hikes later

You don’t need the official schedule to start planning. The festival always falls in the first half of May, when spring migration through Rondeau is at its best. Choose your days in that window and reserve your room now. When the park posts the hike schedule on Rondeau’s events calendar in spring, register for the hikes that match your stay. In 2026, the details came out in early April.

Booking early also gives you first choice of suite and dates, before spring travel picks up along Lake Erie.

Reserve your Festival of Flight stay at Skye Hotel Ridgetown

How Do the Guided Bird Hikes Work?

Hikes run twice a day during the festival and meet at the Visitor Centre. In 2026, they cost $20 per person, with a limit of 15 people per hike, according to Ontario Parks’ spring birding festival listing.

A few things to know before you go:

• Register ahead. With only 15 places per hike, it pays to book early. Call the Visitor Centre at 519-674-1768 to ask about registration.
• Park entry is separate. The hike fee doesn’t cover your vehicle, so you’ll also need a daily vehicle permit. Fees vary by park and season. Check Ontario Parks day-use fees before your trip. An annual vehicle permit is also available if you’re planning several park days.
• Beginners are welcome. The hikes are designed to introduce you to Rondeau’s spring birding. You don’t need to know your warblers before you arrive.
• Dress for the lake. May mornings on Lake Erie can be cold. One festival hike leader told CTV that a stretch of north winds and cold weather once slowed the birding for a week, then the following days were excellent. Pack layers and waterproof footwear, and stay flexible with your plans.

What Birds Can You See at Rondeau in May?

In May, the park fills with migrating warblers, thrushes, flycatchers and other songbirds. The bird many visitors travel for is the Prothonotary Warbler, an endangered golden-yellow warbler found in only a few places in Canada.

Ontario Parks names the Tulip Tree Trail as the best place to see the Prothonotary Warbler in May. The trail runs through mature Carolinian forest with rare trees such as tulip tree, sassafras and shagbark hickory. Most of it is boardwalk.

Rarities turn up too. Ontario Parks lists Townsend’s Solitaire, Yellow-throated Warbler, Blue Grosbeak and Painted Bunting among the unusual birds that often appear on the peninsula during migration. Rondeau also has breeding birds that keep things interesting between migration waves. Hike leader Kevin Gevaert told CTV that the park’s broad, teardrop-shaped peninsula holds species such as Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers.

These are the trails birders use most, all rated easy by Ontario Parks:

Is Rondeau Better Than Point Pelee for Spring Birding?

Both are among the best spring birding sites in Canada. Many birders find Rondeau quieter and easier to move around, while Point Pelee draws larger crowds.

A Burlington couple at the 2023 festival told CTV News they prefer Rondeau because it’s less crowded and every trail stays open. They felt it had just as many birds and species. That same week at Pelee, crowds stopped them from reaching the tip on several mornings. Rondeau’s shape also plays a part. Pelee is a narrow point, while Rondeau is a broad peninsula with more room for breeding birds.

You don’t have to pick one. Point Pelee National Park holds its own Festival of Birds in May, so plenty of birders split their trip between the two parks. Highway 401 runs across the region, so a base just off the highway keeps the driving simple, whichever park you’re heading to.

Where Should You Stay for the Festival of Flight?

Stay somewhere that makes early starts easy. Skye Hotel Ridgetown is right off Highway 401 in Chatham-Kent, with kitchen suites, free breakfast, and free parking, so you can get to the park early and come back to a comfortable room at the end of the day.

Our One King Kitchen Suite suits couples and solo birders. The Two Queen Kitchen Suite gives birding friends or families more room. Both have a kitchen, which helps on festival days. Make your coffee and pack a lunch the night before, and you’re ready to go when the morning hike starts.

When the morning activity slows, there’s more birding nearby. Blenheim Lagoons, just west of Blenheim, has recorded more than 235 species and is often busy with waterbirds and shorebirds. You’ll need a permit and a lock box code from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, so apply before your trip. Erieau, at the mouth of Rondeau Bay, is another easy stop. Walk the pier and scan Lake Erie for gulls, terns, and waterfowl.

For more about the area, see our page on finding a hotel near Rondeau Provincial Park.

Book Your Festival of Flight Stay

The festival lasts just over two weeks, and the best migration days come and go quickly. Once you know when you’re coming, lock in your room.

Check availability at Skye Hotel Ridgetown

Or call us at (519) 914-3779, and we’ll help you choose the right suite for your Festival of Flight trip.