Geese and guests share a spring Victoria Day moment at Nikka Yuko as weather turns in Lethbridge

By Lethbridge Herald on May 19, 2026.

Herald photo by Joe ManIO
Geese, ganders and guests shared the lawns at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden on Victoria Day, where several families of Canada geese moved calmly across the grass and garden paths as visitors wandered through the grounds.

By Joe Manio

Lethbridge Herald

The small gaggle of geese didn’t seem to mind the holiday visitors one bit.

At Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden on Victoria Day, there were plenty of visitors enjoying the spring reopening—although not all of them came through the front gate. Some arrived in steady streams along the pathways, others paused at the entrance to take in the still-cool air and the first full feel of the season settling back into the gardens. 

And then there were the feathered guests who didn’t need a ticket at all but instead flew in.

In typical Southern Alberta May long weekend fashion, Saturday brought a mix of snow and cold rain across parts of the region, with overnight temperatures dipping back below freezing by Sunday night. It was the kind of reminder that winter rarely exits quietly here, often circling back for one last appearance before finally conceding the season. 

Monday, however, told a different story entirely. By midday, the clouds had thinned and the gardens were sitting under noticeably warmer conditions, the air softening just enough to invite unhurried wandering and lighter layers.

A few sets of Canada geese drifted across the lawns and garden paths, slipping in and out of view as guests moved through the grounds. People paused for photos along the narrow walkways and pointed out the birds, while the birds in turn appeared just as curious about the steady stream of human guests.

Even with visitors passing within a few careful steps of the often territorial honkers, there were no goslings in sight and none of the usual hissing, wing-spreading or warning displays. Just a quiet, shared occupation of the same green space, geese, ganders and guests observing one another in passing.

It made for an unexpectedly fitting backdrop to a day built around tradition, transition and the long-awaited return of outdoor season in Southern Alberta.

Victoria Day, observed across most of Canada on the Monday preceding May 25, dates back to 1845 when it was first established in what was then the Province of Canada to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday. 

After Confederation, it gradually shifted from a strictly imperial commemoration into something more familiar and seasonal, often seen as the unofficial start of summer. 

For many Canadians, it now signals backyard gatherings, open campgrounds, garden centres, road trips and that first real stretch of warm-weather routines after a long winter that always feels a little longer than it should.

In larger centres such as Toronto, the day is often marked with parades, waterfront crowds and fireworks that light up the night sky. Across the country, interpretations vary, but the thread is the same: a shared pause that feels less about history and more about stepping outside again, sometimes for the first time in months without a jacket within reach.

In Lethbridge, that outdoor focus was on full display, with families taking advantage of a mild holiday Monday to visit parks, pathways and seasonal attractions now fully back in swing. Conversations carried easily across benches and walkways, and there was that familiar mix of sunscreen, sweaters and cautious optimism about what the weather might do next.

At the centre of it all was Nikka Yuko, where Victoria Day doubled as both celebration and seasonal kickoff. 

The garden offered a full slate of programming throughout the afternoon, starting with the deep, resonant sound of Hibikiya Taiko drummers at the gate, drawing visitors into the grounds with rhythmic energy that carried across water and stone. 

The beats seemed to echo off bridges and carefully shaped landscapes, pulling people further into the experience with every cadence.

Inside the Bunka Centre, the mood shifted to something quieter and more reflective. Youth performer and origami instructor Lev Zienchuk filled the space with a live piano set; while later joining his mother Laurie for an origami demonstration that turned simple sheets of paper into delicate folded forms, watched closely by families gathered along the hallway. 

There was a sense of pause here, of people slowing down just enough to watch something small become something deliberate.

Taken together, the programming reflected what Victoria Day has become for many communities across Canada, a hybrid of cultural showcase, family outing and seasonal reset. Less about formality now, and more about momentum toward summer.

That sense of seasonal change was visible everywhere on the grounds, even in the quieter moments between performances, as visitors wandered garden bridges, paused beside koi ponds and shared space with wildlife that seemed unusually at ease.

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