The ceremony will feature a fanfare, the Fort Frederick Guard - a reenactment team that demonstrates the infantry tactics of RMC during the late 19th century, around the time of the original first 18 cadets of RMC known as the "Old Eighteen" - using original Martini-Henry Mk1 rifles firing blanks in addition to a Naval Field Gun, a Silent Drill demonstration, Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year drummers, performances by Highland dancers and colour party demonstrations with RMC’s prestigious band, an honour guard performing a ‘feu de joie’, and a lone piper on the top of RMC’s clock tower, leading spectators to the event finale: a seven-minute fireworks show at sunset.
Exceptionally this year to mark the 150th anniversary of RMC, 436 Transport Squadron from 8 Wing Trenton is scheduled to conduct a two CC130J Hercules tactical airlifter flyby, before and after a demonstration by the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team, the SkyHawks.
Many of the activities presented in this ceremony benefit from ongoing financial support from the RMC Alumni Association.
Thursday, May 14, 2026 from 7 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m. on the Parade Square, 15 Valour Drive, Kingston.
Vehicular Restrictions: All assigned reserved staff parking is suspended and staff are to park in the Sawyer Parking Lot from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on May 15: Parking is not allowed in the parking area located along Navy Bay, next to the Aquatic Center and to the Sawyer Parking Lot. Parking is authorized in designated areas, and parking attendants will be on site to guide visitors.
Note: Violators will be ticketed and/or towed at their cost.
Dress: Spectating CAF members and DND employees: Appropriate attire for environmental conditions.
The Sunset Ceremony could be cancelled due to inclement weather.
Members of the news media are asked to contact the RMC Public Affairs Officer the day before to make arrangements for parking and to arrive with photo identification at the Southwest corner of the Currie Building at 6:45 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, you will be informed should the Sunset Ceremony be cancelled.
To mark RMC’s sesquicentennial, two unique, rich, and comprehensive historical displays of RMC’s past will be open to the public on Thursday, May 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.: The History of RMC in 100 Objects and Surroundings: Shaped by Us, Shaping Us and Currie Hall. Entry is at 15 Valor Dr. (Currie Building); elevator access is available via the northeast side of Currie Hall.
The 100 Objects exhibit
For 150 years, RMC has assisted in the defence of the nation and produced outstanding military officers who have shaped history at home and abroad. This exhibition traces the history of the College from archaeological material used by Indigenous Peoples on Point Frederick thousands of years ago, to the 19th century as our country was established, to today as the College embraces inclusive values that define modern Canada.
The Surroundings
In a 1943 speech to the British Parliament about rebuilding the House of Commons after the Blitz, Winston Churchill said “We shape our buildings and afterward our buildings shape us.” This quote was the inspiration for Surroundings: Shaped by Us, Shaping Us.
As RMC marks its 150th anniversary, we find ourselves thinking about the spaces around us.
This collection of photographs and artworks explore the changes we have made to our surroundings, and how we in turn, have been shaped by them.
The photographs on the top half of the walls are from the RMC Museum’s collection. The photographs on the bottom half are recent and show the changes that we have made to the buildings on Point Frederick.
The quotes interspersed with the photos reflect how the buildings and spaces affected staff and cadets.
The models of Fort Lasalle Dormitory and the Stone Frigate, made by Artist, Nancy Douglas, using written reflections by naval and officer cadets, and historical photos and documents, show the relationship between people and their surroundings here at RMC.
The First Dictionary of Canadian English exhibition by Dr. W.S. Avis will also be opened in the Currie Building (right inside the main door) and at the Massey Library, on Thursday, May 14 from 5 to 7 p.m.