Manitoba Day

{{Infobox holiday|type=default|holiday_name=Manitoba Day|observedby=Manitoba|date=May 12|frequency=Annual|significance=Celebrating the founding of Manitoba|longtype=Provincial holiday}}

Manitoba Day ({{Langx|fr|Fête du Manitoba}}) is the official anniversary of the founding of Manitoba, Canada, and is celebrated annually on May 12.

The province of Manitoba was created by The Manitoba Act, which received royal assent on May 12, 1870, and was officially incorporated into Confederation on July 15 that year—the only to enter Confederation under Indigenous leadership (that of Louis Riel).{{vcite web|title=Board Of Directors : Manitoba 150|url=https://manitoba150.com/en/board-of-directors/|accessdate=2021-05-09|website=manitoba150.com}} Nearly a century later, Manitoba's official flag was dedicated and raised for the first time on May 12, 1966. Celebrations on May 12 began to grow into an annual community event since the province's centenary in 1970.{{vcite web|title=Manitoba Day |publisher= Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage|url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/manitoba_day.html|accessdate=2021-05-09}} Because of the double importance of May 12 in the history of the province, the Government of Manitoba designated it as Manitoba Day in 1986.{{vcite web|url=http://yourmanitoba.ca/caucus2010/whatsNew?q=newsArticle&articlePageID=518|title=Manitoba Day -- Ministerial Statement by the Honourable Eric Robinson|date=2010-05-12}}{{vcite web|url=http://www.museumsmanitoba.com/news/manitoba_day_events.html|title=May 12 is Manitoba Day!|publisher=Associations of Manitoba Museums|accessdate=2011-03-30|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510132246/http://www.museumsmanitoba.com/news/manitoba_day_events.html|archivedate=2009-05-10|url-status=dead}}

Despite the official government celebrations, a 2009 survey by Prairie Research found that less than 4% of people surveyed were aware of the importance of May 12 in the province's history.{{vcite web|url=http://www.chrisd.ca/blog/9299/manitoba-day-139th-birthday/|title=Did You Know Today is Manitoba Day?|website=ChrisD.ca|accessdate=2010-05-07}} It is also not considered a statutory holiday (or general holiday) and does not mean that Manitobans have the day off work or school.{{vcite web|url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/jec/invest/busfacts/workforce/stat_hols.html|title=Manitoba Statutory Holidays|publisher=Government of Manitoba|accessdate=2018-05-11}}

May 12, 2020, marked the 150th anniversary of Manitoba's founding; accordingly, commemorative events, activities, projects, initiatives, and so on were planned to take place throughout 2020 under the banner of Manitoba 150 (#MB150).{{vcite web|title=Manitoba 150|url=https://manitoba150.com/en/home/|accessdate=2021-05-09|website=manitoba150.com}}{{vcite web|title=MANITOBA DAY|url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/education/manitoba_day.html|accessdate=2021-05-09|publisher=Government of Manitoba}}