CBC plans cross-country New Year's Eve party to kick off Canada 150 programming

A rollicking cross-countryNew Year's Eve party featuring Carly Rae Jepsen, The Strumbellas, The Sheepdogsas well as a spectacular fireworks show will kick off CBC's ambitious lineup of programming celebratingCanada's 150th anniversary in 2017.

On Dec. 31, the countdown to 2017 begins on CBC News Network with a live special from Parliament Hill hosted by Heather Hiscox that will include special guests, musical performances, a smudging ceremony, a message from Queen Elizabeth IIand more.

At 11 p.m. ET, Rick Mercer takes over on CBC-TV and cbc.ca with a star-studded, music-filled show featuring Jepsen, The Strumbellas, Brett Kissel, Scott Helman, Walk Off The Earth,The Sheepdogs and The Bros. Landreth featuring Begonia all combined with footage of Canadians across the country ringing in 2017.

"It's in us Canadians that we love arts and we love music," Strumbellaslead singer Simon Wardtold CBCNewsearlierthis week. "We don't have a lot of people in our country, but I think obviously we make up for it with how we love the arts."

Whenyou come back to Canada, you realize kind of how special it is.- Simon Ward, The Strumbellas

The Juno-winning band doesn't usually do much to ring in the New Year, Ward admitted,but playing this year's celebration is meaningful, especially as the band has been touring internationally for much of 2016 with its latest album Hope.

"Just from travelling around everywhere this year,whenyou come back to Canada, you realize kind of how special it is," he said.

The New Year's Eve show "will totally be a friendly, awesome, classic Canadian night. You miss that when you don't have it all the time. You come back andit's special."

• CBC: Canada 150 programmingguide

Looking at Canada:then, now and beyond

In the New Year, CBC will unveil a host of major projects across its various platforms that explore and celebrate Canada's past, present and future.

Highlights include:

• TheWild Canadian Year, a five-partTheNature of Thingsseries examining Canada's extraordinary wildlife across our four seasons.
• Sesqu-whatever, A 22 Minutes Special,athemedinstalment of the long-running comedy and variety show that will go back in time to cover the most important news stories in Canadian history.
• Canadoodaday, a 13-part CBC Kids digital series offering historical highlights and fun facts about Canada.
• The prime-time documentary series We Are Canada.
• Train 150, a digital and TV series set on a train travelling across Canada in real time.
• A special edition of Canada: A People's History featuring new instalments delving into the past 25 years.
• Canada: The Story of Us, an epic 10-part history series about how Canadians built the country and influenced the world.
• Becoming Canadian, a digital and TV series that delves into the story of newcomers taking the oath of citizenship.
• What's Your Story?, following millennialCanadians telling the story of our country today.
• The culinary video seriesWe are the Best, hosted by chefRicardoLarrive.
• Short Docs: Emerging Indigenous Doc Makers, a short documentary series spotlighting Indigenous storytellers
• Walrus Talks Conversations about Canada: We Desire a Better Country, a three-month national speaking tour matching up 50 distinguished members of the Order of Canada and 50 youth leaders.

For a full list of all of CBC programs and 2017 stories check out cbc.ca/2017