Stratford announces the arrival of spring with a Swan Parade. One of Canada’s most unique events, the annual Swan Parade Celebration, is a weekend of family fun, April 1-2, 2017, culminating with a parade of our iconic feathered friends traveling from their winter quarters to the Avon River on Sunday. They know it’s time to get going when they hear the sounds of the Stratford Police Pipes and Drums who lead the way amid curious on-lookers.