Canadians celebrated the nation’s 150th anniversary with fireworks and poutine — here are the photos

It’s Canada’s birthday!

July 1, also known as Canada Day, marks the 150th anniversary of the confederation. An estimated half a million people are expected to attend celebrations in the capital Ottawa, where the government spent approximately half a billion Canadian dollars (US $386 million) on the festivities.

See how Canadians and a couple of royal visitors celebrated.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off the festivities in a visit with Prince Charles, whose mother, the Queen, remains Canada’s head of state 150 years after its independence.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla spent the last several days visiting museums, monuments, and even startups in Canada. July 1 marks the end of their royal tour.

The Duchess of Cornwall greeted onlookers outside the Canadian Museum of History.

Meanwhile, Canadians poured into the streets surrounding Parliament Hill.

On the Hill, astronauts, politicians, royalty, and stars such as Shania Twain and Bono are expected to appear. The rain did not stop hundreds of thousands from turning out.

On stage, Trudeau congratulated Canada on its reputation of inclusivity and diversity.

“For thousands of years, in this place, people have met, traded, built, loved, lost, fought and grieved. They built strong communities, they worked hard to build better lives for their kids and learned to lean on their neighbours,” Trudeau said on stage, according to CTV News.

The whole Trudeau clan showed up!

There were no shortage of Mounties on display.

Canadians threw parties and parades across the Great White North on July 1.

An annual Canada Day parade in East York, a borough of Toronto, drew small, but no less joyful crowds. It culminated in a midway complete with carnival rides and fireworks.

Proud Canadians showed their colors.

The celebrations didn’t end at the Canadian border.

Citizens living in the UK gathered for a “Canada 150” celebration, which included an exhibition hockey game and an early morning yoga class, in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Soldiers in the Canadian-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup played street hockey while donning their maple leaf hats at the Adazi Military Base in Latvia.