Canada Day for Expats: How to Celebrate July 1 in Germany

Do you miss Canada? Here’s your plan for July 1.

It’s July 1. In Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, the streets are aglow with red and white. Somewhere, someone is grilling; somewhere, fireworks are going off; somewhere, someone is sipping a cold beer on a porch and thinking: This is Canada. And you? You’re in Germany. Maybe in Berlin, Frankfurt, or Munich. Maybe in Vienna. Maybe this morning you asked a German colleague if he knew what Canada Day was—and he looked at you as if you’d asked him about a Norwegian king’s birthday.

Every Canadian living abroad knows this. And that’s exactly why you have to take Canada Day into your own hands.

Here’s how to do it.

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1. Drink the Right Things

Let’s start with the most important thing. Canada makes wine. Real, good, surprising wine—and hardly anyone in Europe knows it. The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia produces Cabernet Franc that leaves every Bordeaux connoisseur speechless. The Niagara Peninsula in Ontario produces ice wine that ranks among the best in the world. And a delicately sparkling Riesling Secco from Niagara that needs no further justification for a midnight toast.

At cellardoor24.de, you’ll find Canadian wines that you can’t find anywhere else in Germany:

• Fresh Wines Secco Sparkling – a finely sparkling Riesling from the Niagara Peninsula. Perfect as an aperitif, for a toast, or for that moment when someone asks, “Is there actually such a thing as Canadian sparkling wine?”
• Backyard Vineyards Social Cabernet Franc—a full-bodied red wine from the Okanagan Valley, BC. For that glass at a barbecue that nobody expected but everyone wants.
• 2017 EastDell Black Cab – a Niagara red wine aged for nine years, silky and deep. For that moment when the evening slows down and the conversation gets better.
• Pillitteri Family Reserve Cabernet Franc Icewine 2019 – a rosé-colored icewine with notes of raspberry and cherry and 208 g/l of residual sugar. The perfect way to finish a meal. Every Canada Day dinner needs this.

→ Order now: cellardoor24.de/kanada

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2. Cooking the Right Way

You don’t need a restaurant kitchen. You just need the three ingredients that make Canada Day what it is: maple syrup, poutine ingredients, and a good pie.

In Germany, you can find maple syrup at DM, Rewe, Edeka, or Amazon—preferably Grade A, dark (formerly Grade B), which has the richest flavor.

Poutine is doable. The curd is the hardest part—real curd cheese is hard to find, but young mozzarella (coarsely torn) or Polish tvark (from a Polish supermarket) come pretty close. You make the gravy yourself: butter, flour, good beef broth, Worcestershire sauce. Done.

Butter tarts—Ontario’s unofficial national dessert—require only shortcrust pastry, brown sugar, butter, an egg, maple syrup, and pecans. All of these ingredients are available at any German supermarket. Recipe at cellardoor24.de.

Tourtière—the meat pie from Quebec—is the quintessential Canada Day dish. Pork, beef, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves wrapped in a buttery crust. It sounds complicated, but it’s not. You can also find the recipe at cellardoor24.de.

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3. The Right Atmosphere

A few things that help:

Music. Drake, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Weeknd, Arcade Fire, Shania Twain—Canada has quite the musical history. A good Canada Day playlist runs for three hours.

Decor. A red and white tablecloth, a maple leaf somewhere—and you’re all set. You’re a Canadian in Germany—you don’t have to go overboard. Just do it with style.

Prepare the question. Someone might ask, “Why do you celebrate Canada Day, anyway?” The answer: Canada was founded as an independent confederation on July 1, 1867. In 2026, that will be the 159. Birthday. That’s a good reason to have a glass of ice wine.

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4. Meet other Canadians

You’re not alone. There are Canadian communities—and Canada Day events—in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Vienna. Check out:

• Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Germany (CCGD)
• (DKG) Deutsch-Kanadische Gesellschaft
• Facebook-Gruppen: „Canadians in Germany”, „Canadians in Berlin”
• Meetup.com: Canada Day Events in Your City
• Canadian Embassy in Berlin – hosts an official celebration every year

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5. The Most Important Thing

Canada Day isn’t a national holiday that you can simply explain. It’s a feeling. The vastness of the country, the silence of the forests, the water that’s everywhere. The feeling that someone is always holding the door open for you. That summer is short—and that’s why it matters.

You can celebrate it in Germany—with the right wine, the right food, and a few people who understand why July 1 deserves to be celebrated.

Einen schönen Canada Day. 🍁

→ All Canadian wines: cellardoor24.de/kanada → Canada Day recipes: Maple Salmon, Tourtière, Deluxe Poutine, Butter Tarts – all on cellardoor24.de