WASAGA BEACH – Wasaga Beach is thrilled to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top Ten Beaches by Lonely Planet, a leading travel authority. Additionally, Lonely Planet has named Wasaga Beach the best beach for swimming in Canada.
This new ranking showcases Wasaga Beach’s warm and shallow waters, its vast shoreline, and the iconic summer vibe along Georgian Bay, solidifying its status as one of Canada’s favorite beach spots.
The acknowledgment comes just as Wasaga Beach gears up for another bustling summer season, with only 100 days left until Victoria Day-the unofficial kick-off to summer in Canada.
A Growing Destination – and a Thriving Community
The Lonely Planet ranking arrives at a time when Wasaga Beach is experiencing growth and change, as the Town pushes forward with Destination Wasaga-a vision and long-term strategy to evolve from a seasonal beach town into an iconic year-round hub for recreation and nature.
Wasaga Beach’s evolution is backed by the Province of Ontario’s nearly $38 million investment aimed at launching Destination Wasaga and revitalizing the Nancy Island Historic Site.
In 2025, construction began along Beach Drive to create a safer, more accessible waterfront corridor that can withstand climate changes. This project, along with other public improvements near the beachfront area, is attracting new investments in Beach Area 1 and throughout the Town’s most popular tourist zones. This includes a $65 million premium Marriott hotel and around $100 million worth of commercial and residential development led by Stonebridge Building Group.
Even with ongoing construction, tourism remains robust in Wasaga Beach. From January to August 2025, the Town welcomed 2,060,833 visitors-marking a 15 percent increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024. The surge in attendance is partly due to an expanded lineup of festivals and events over recent years.
In 2023, Wasaga Beach’s event season helped boost tourism back to pre-pandemic levels. It set a new record by attracting over 12,000 residents and visitors from across Ontario to its annual Memories of Summer concert on the beach featuring April Wine as headliner.
In 2024, the Town celebrated its 50th anniversary with a week-long bash filled with major concerts featuring Burton Cummings, Blue Rodeo, Tom Cochrane, The Strumbellas, The Carpet Frogs, among others.
In 2025, Wasaga Beach introduced the Official Soundtrack of Summer while hosting more than 30 live music performances alongside a family-friendly Fun Zone at Beach Area 1.
The Town is set to announce its festival lineup for 2026 next month.
QUICK FACTS
· Wasaga Beach holds the title of longest freshwater beach in the world at over 14 kilometers across eight different beach areas.
· It continues to receive accolades from prominent travel publications including Lonely Planet, Narcity Canada, and Destination Canada as one of Canada’s top beach destinations.
About Wasaga Beach
For over one hundred years now, the Town of Wasaga Beach has served as Ontario’s quintessential summer playground-a place where people gather for fun and make lasting summer memories. Today we aim to transform into an iconic four-season destination focused on recreation and nature. By developing Destination Wasaga-investing in year-round festivals/events-and reimagining our downtown area at Beach Area 1-we’re working towards diversifying our economy while boosting tourism efforts that create jobs within our community. Destination Wasaga aligns with our goal of being leaders in sustainability through creativity innovation all while having fun! We’re fostering vibrant businesses alongside safe inclusive neighborhoods that celebrate our rich history cultural diversity natural beauty including Nottawasaga River Georgian Bay plus hosting this stunning lengthy freshwater beach! Check out Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Beaches List. Learn more about Destination Wasaga. Dive into exploring all eight beach areas here at Wasaga! Your visit awaits planning! -30-
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For over one hundred years now, the Town of Wasaga Beach has served as Ontario’s quintessential summer playground-a place where people gather for fun and make lasting summer memories. Today we aim to transform into an iconic four-season destination focused on recreation and nature. By developing Destination Wasaga-investing in year-round festivals/events-and reimagining our downtown area at Beach Area 1-we’re working towards diversifying our economy while boosting tourism efforts that create jobs within our community. Destination Wasaga aligns with our goal of being leaders in sustainability through creativity innovation all while having fun! We’re fostering vibrant businesses alongside safe inclusive neighborhoods that celebrate our rich history cultural diversity natural beauty including Nottawasaga River Georgian Bay plus hosting this stunning lengthy freshwater beach! Check out Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Beaches List. Learn more about Destination Wasaga. Dive into exploring all eight beach areas here at Wasaga! Your visit awaits planning! -30-
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