Moon Phase Today Winnipeg

Moon Phase Today Winnipeg: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Winnipeg is a New Moon with 0% illumination. Moon age: 28.9 days.

Illumination
0%
Moon Age
28.9d
Next Full Moon
Oct 25
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
6:41 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
6:16 PM

moon-rising-winnipeg-skyline

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg sits flat on the Canadian Prairies at the meeting point of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, so its best viewpoints come from rivers and parks rather than any real elevation. The date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction; your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is actually unobstructed. One important local note for 2026: Manitoba has announced it will stay on daylight saving time permanently and will not "fall back" on November 1, so double-check the current time rather than assuming a seasonal switch. Here are six Winnipeg locations that offer different ways to experience or photograph the moon.

1

The Forks & Assiniboine Riverwalk

The historic meeting point of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, a National Historic Site drawing millions of visitors a year, with a riverwalk system running from the Manitoba Legislative Building grounds along the Assiniboine to a viewing point at the confluence itself, then on to The Forks Market. The Legislative Building's grounds and the riverwalk are open public space; the building offers free self-guided tours daily, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Address: 1 Forks Market Rd.

2

Gardens at The Leaf (Assiniboine Park)

About 30 acres of free public gardens surrounding The Leaf horticultural attraction in Assiniboine Park. Several sections — the Indigenous Peoples Garden, Sensory Garden, Performance Garden, and The Grove — are open 24 hours; the Kitchen Garden and Seasonal Garden close at dusk. This mix makes it one of the more genuinely late-night-friendly spots on this list, though always confirm which specific garden you're heading to. Address: 145 The Leaf Way.

3

English Garden & Leo Mol Sculpture Garden

Two adjoining free gardens elsewhere in Assiniboine Park — the English Garden, home to the Boy with the Boot statue and a Queen Victoria monument, and the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, showing bronze works by the Ukrainian-Canadian artist. Both are open daily 9 a.m. to dusk, which rules out a late moonrise but works well for one closer to sunset. Address: 55 Pavilion Crescent.

4

FortWhyte Alive

A 660-acre nature reserve of forest, lakes, and prairie just south of downtown, home to a free-roaming bison herd, deer, and waterfowl, with trails for hiking year-round. Specific gate hours weren't confirmed for this listing — check the current schedule, which typically differs between the trail grounds and the interpretive centre. Address: 1961 McCreary Rd.

5

Kildonan Park

A long-established park along the Red River in north Winnipeg, with mature trees, the open-air Rainbow Stage amphitheatre, and a duck pond that can work for a reflection shot. Official hours are 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. Address: 2015 Main St.

6

St. Boniface Riverbank (Provencher Bridge area)

Winnipeg's historic French Quarter, across the Red River from downtown, with a riverbank walkway near the Provencher Bridge giving a view back toward the Winnipeg skyline and the confluence area. Public streets and riverside pathway rather than a gated park; individual cafés and restaurants nearby keep their own hours. Near Provencher Blvd & Rue Notre Dame.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — brightest phase, though not necessarily the most photogenic for every landmark shot
🌔 Days before full — the moon generally rises later each evening as full approaches, eventually rising around sunset at full moon, though the exact timing varies with the date and season
🧭 Landmark alignments — the moon generally rises somewhere along the eastern half of the horizon, but its exact rising azimuth shifts substantially with the date and your latitude, so check the exact date and viewpoint rather than assuming it will rise due east

📷 Quick Photography Tips

🎯Use a sturdy tripod — the Prairies can produce steady, persistent wind even on a clear night
📷Shoot RAW and expose for the moon — it's much brighter than the surrounding riverbank, park, or prairie landscape
📏Looney 11 rule — a useful starting point for a bright full moon: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s, then check your histogram and adjust for phase, atmospheric conditions, and your equipment
🌕Low on the horizon, the moon can look strikingly large — that's the well-known "moon illusion," a perceptual effect rather than an actual change in angular size. A telephoto lens doesn't magnify the moon relative to the foreground on its own; shooting from farther away changes the angular size relationship between a distant foreground object and the moon, and a longer focal length just lets you frame that distant composition tightly
❄️Check the forecast for extreme cold in winter — Winnipeg regularly sees deep sub-zero temperatures, which affects battery life and personal safety as much as it affects visibility
🕐 Timezone

Winnipeg has historically run on Central Time — CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer. However, on September 17, 2026, Manitoba announced it will remain on daylight saving time (CDT, UTC−5) permanently and will not turn clocks back on November 1, 2026 — so confirm the current local time rather than assuming a seasonal change. PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots automatically, as long as your device's clock is correct.

Enjoy the moon over Winnipeg — a river confluence steeped in history, a 24-hour garden, and a bison-dotted prairie reserve all sharing the same lunar glow.

The moon phase today in Winnipeg is shown in detail above — complete with exact illumination percentage, moonrise/set times, and the best local spots to see it. For the moon phase today in any other city worldwide, visit our Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the home page.

◐ What the Experience Actually Feels Like

At The Forks, evenings can bring a mix of market-goers finishing up, joggers on the riverwalk, and the occasional paddler still out on the water, with the Legislative Building's dome and the Golden Boy statue visible upriver. The confluence itself — two rivers, two colors of water meeting — is worth the short walk even before the moon factors in.

Out at Gardens at The Leaf, the 24-hour sections feel noticeably calmer after dark than the more programmed parts of Assiniboine Park, with The Grove's tree cover giving a quieter, more enclosed feel than the open lawns elsewhere. It's one of the few spots in the city where a late-night visit isn't working around a closing time.

At FortWhyte Alive, the appeal is the wildlife as much as the view — bison sometimes visible from the trails even in the evening, waterfowl settling on the lakes, and the sense of open prairie despite being minutes from downtown. Check current hours before heading out, since access here isn't necessarily late-night.

"At The Forks, the confluence itself — two rivers, two colors of water meeting — is worth the short walk even before the moon factors in."

✓ Your Winnipeg Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and rise azimuth for your date — the date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction, while your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is unobstructed
  • Double-check the current time this fall and winter — Manitoba's move to permanent daylight saving time means the usual November clock change won't happen in 2026
  • Verify Site Access: the English Garden, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, and the Kitchen/Seasonal Gardens at The Leaf all close at dusk — the 24-hour sections of Gardens at The Leaf are the more reliable late-night option
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with a specific landmark on your date
  • Check the forecast for wind and, in winter, extreme cold — both are routine on the Prairies
  • Confirm current rules on tripods and photography at your chosen venue, especially for anything beyond personal use

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens, often 200mm or longer, can help frame the moon tightly with the Legislative Building or a riverside landmark
  • Genuinely warm layers outside of summer — Winnipeg winters run seriously cold, and exposed riverside or prairie spots feel colder still
  • A remote shutter release or a 2-second timer to avoid shake on tripod shots
  • Spare batteries, especially in winter, since cold weather drains them faster than usual
  • A flashlight or headlamp for FortWhyte Alive or Kildonan Park after dark

On the Night

  • As a general recommendation, arrive at your viewpoint at least 30–45 minutes early, especially at The Forks on weekend evenings
  • Focus manually on the moon's edge — riverwalk lighting and building floodlighting can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker river, garden, or prairie below
  • If the moon looks soft or hazy right at moonrise, consider waiting until it climbs higher above the horizon, when atmospheric effects are often less pronounced
  • Plan to be back at your vehicle before your chosen venue's posted closing time — don't count on staying past it
The moon over Winnipeg moves between two very different stages — the historic energy of a river confluence at the heart of the city, and the quiet, open prairie just minutes beyond it. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Winnipeg moonrise for yourself.

? Winnipeg Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Winnipeg?

The moon phase today in Winnipeg is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 25. Moonrise is at 6:41 AM and moonset at 6:16 PM.

Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in Winnipeg?

The Forks, where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, is a National Historic Site with a riverwalk running from the Manitoba Legislative Building grounds to a viewing point at the confluence. Across the Red River, the St. Boniface riverbank near the Provencher Bridge looks back toward the downtown skyline. In Assiniboine Park, several sections of the Gardens at The Leaf are open 24 hours, making them one of the city's most reliable late-night spots. FortWhyte Alive offers 660 acres of forest, lakes and prairie with a free-roaming bison herd, and Kildonan Park along the Red River has a duck pond for reflection shots.

Q. Where does the moon rise and set in Winnipeg, and how high does it climb?

At about 49.9°N, Winnipeg's moonrise and moonset points swing widely across the horizon each month, from roughly northeast to southeast for rising and northwest to southwest for setting, with an even wider swing in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs high in the south, to roughly 64° above the horizon, while a full moon near the summer solstice follows a low southern path, peaking near 17°. Winnipeg is flat prairie, so trees along the rivers and city buildings are the main horizon obstacles. From The Forks, the Red River and St. Boniface lie to the east, the direction of moonrise, while from the St. Boniface riverbank the downtown skyline lies to the west, the direction of moonset, so check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

Q. Is light pollution a problem for moon observing in Winnipeg?

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Winnipeg, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Downtown and The Forks are brightly lit, so they are light-polluted sites rather than dark-sky ones. Because Winnipeg is surrounded by open prairie rather than other large cities, skies darken quickly once you leave the city, and FortWhyte Alive's forest and lakes on the city's edge screen more direct light than the downtown riverwalk.

Q. What camera settings and phases work best for moon photography in Winnipeg?

For a full moon, start with Looney 11 (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s) and refine using your histogram, since it is a baseline rather than a guarantee. The moon is much brighter than the riverbank, park or prairie below, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. In the days before full, the moon rises later each evening until it rises around sunset at full moon, which suits twilight shots while the foreground is still lit. A telephoto lens of 200 mm or longer helps frame the moon tightly with the Legislative Building or a riverside landmark, with a sturdy tripod for prairie wind and manual focus on the moon's edge using magnified live view. The rivers and Kildonan Park's duck pond can give a reflection when the water is calm and lies between you and the moon.

Q. How do extreme cold and prairie wind affect moon viewing in Winnipeg?

Winnipeg winters regularly bring deep sub-zero temperatures, which drain camera batteries quickly and make exposure a real safety risk on open riverbanks and prairie, so dress in genuinely warm layers and carry spare batteries. Steady prairie wind can shake a tripod even on clear nights. Summers are warm, with thunderstorms and, in some years, wildfire smoke that can dim and redden the moon near the horizon. Check Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts for temperature, wind chill, cloud and smoke before heading out.

Q. What time zone are Winnipeg's moonrise and moonset times shown in?

Winnipeg is on Central Time, which Manitoba is keeping at UTC−5 year-round. On September 17, 2026, the province announced it would stay on daylight saving time permanently, so clocks do not go back on November 1, 2026, and moonrise and moonset times stay on the same UTC−5 clock in every season. In winter, Winnipeg now shares the same clock time as Ontario and Quebec. Winnipeg also sits well west of its time zone's reference longitude, so the sun and moon rise and set later on the clock than many visitors expect.

Q. Can I shoot the moon at Winnipeg's viewpoints after dark?

Access varies by site. Several sections of the Gardens at The Leaf, including the Indigenous Peoples Garden, Sensory Garden, Performance Garden and The Grove, are open 24 hours, while the Kitchen Garden and Seasonal Garden close at dusk. The English Garden and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden are open 9 a.m. to dusk, and Kildonan Park is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Forks riverwalk and the St. Boniface riverbank are public pathways. Check FortWhyte Alive's current schedule before an evening visit, and plan to leave before each venue's posted closing time.

Q. Does this page work for cities besides Winnipeg?

This page is set up specifically for Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. For the moon phase in any other city or location worldwide, use the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the moonphase.today home page.