Abbotsford celebrates Canada Day with a morning parade and then festival activities including free concerts and fireworks at Abbotsford Exhibition Park.

This article contains the following information about the Abbotsford celebrations:

Abbotsford on July 1st

The city of Abbotsford hosts a number of great events throughout the year including the Abbotsford Agrifair (on the August Long Weekend) and Abbotsford Airshow (in mid-August). Another great event is the Canada Day parade and festival on July 1st each year.

Canada Day celebrations in Abbotsford normally begin with the parade along South Fraser Way. Local residents then make their way to Abbotsford Exhibition Park for live entertainment and family-friendly activities.

Canada Day in Abbotsford

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Festivities in 2021 took place as a drive-through event at the Abbotsford TRADEX Centre. Canada Day celebrations in Abbotsford returned to normal in 2022 and continued so in 2023.

The day begins with market vendors at 8:00 am at Abbotsford Exhibition Park. Performances on the Community Stage start at around 10:00 am and the parade kicks off at 11:00 am. Fun family-friendly activities at Abbotsford Exhibition Park continue from 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm. There are interactive play zones, food trucks and live music and entertainment to enjoy. Festivities conclude with a laser light show at 10:00 pm.

Venue Location

Except for the parade, everything takes place at Abbotsford Exhibition Park which is located at 32470 Haida Drive.

Abbotsford Exhibition Park is a big venue bordered by Haida Drive, Trethewey Street and Maclure Road. Most of the festival activities usually take place in the south half of the park (so closer to Maclure Road than to Haida Drive).

Abbotsford Parade Crowds — Parade Crowds Along South Fraser Way

Abbotsford Canada Day Parade

Abbotsford Canada Day parade begins at 11:00 am at Bourquin Crescent West and South Fraser Way. The parade route goes west along South Fraser Way and finishes at Trethewey Street.

The parade typically includes classic cars, vintage farm equipment, street performers, clowns, local politicians waving at the crowd, marching bands and the occasional float. It’s a relatively large parade, with entries fairly spread out along the route. The parade and its participants always have a distinctly agricultural and “farm community” flavour to it.

Canada Day Festival

After the parade, from 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm, Abbotsford Exhibition Park is usually filled with people, vendors and community organization stalls, and activities for all ages.

Last year, the venue was divided into a number of areas that included the following:

Abbotsford Canucks – fun hockey-related activities.
Blackwood Sand Zone – an area where folks could make their own sandcastles and play in the sand from 1:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
Go Play Outside – organized games, art and other activities.
Recycle Zone – an area to learn and participate in recycling and composting activities.
Twisters Gymnastics – drop-in activities for all ages.
Unitech Slide Zone – a fun slide open to all from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Other areas on the festival grounds included the Misting Tent, Sensory Friendly Zones, Dog Show, The Reach Gallery, and booths by Abbotsford Libraries, the Fraser Valley Auto Mall, and Tourism Abbotsford.

2024’s Canada Day festivities will likely look similar.

Canada Day at Abbotsford's Exhibition Park — Abbotsford Exhibition Park Before the Crowds Arrive

Entertainment Schedule

In addition to the above festival activities, the Canada Day celebrations at Abbotsford Exhibition Park feature free outdoor entertainment on two stages. Below were the schedules for both stages in 2023. The schedule for 2024 is to be confirmed.

Community Stage Schedule (in 2023)

10:00 am – Storytime and Crafts
11:00 am – Skipping Sensations
12:00 pm – Dog Show
1:00 pm – Anmol
1:30 pm – Kinjal Dance Group
2:00 pm – Jam Dance
2:30 pm – Yogi’s Karate Demo
3:00 pm – Abby Arts Academy
3:30 pm – Bhangra Dance School

Main Stage Schedule (in 2023)

1:00 pm – Thomas McNulty
2:00 pm – Black Eyed Susan
3:00 pm – Out of Many
5:00 pm – Learning Stars Academy + TTF
6:30 pm – Welcoming Remarks
7:00 pm – Jimi
8:00 pm – Richard Tichelman
9:00 pm – Becca Hess

Abbotsford Canada Day Fireworks

A number of Canada Day celebrations in the Lower Mainland feature evening fireworks. There are usually July 1st fireworks in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey.

Abbotsford also normally finishes its Canada Day event with its own fireworks starting at 10:00 pm. However, last year there was a laser light show that happened at the same time instead.

Other Information

For further details about the July 1st event at Exhibition Park, click Abbotsford Canada Day.

To learn more about the town and surrounding area, click Abbotsford or Fraser Valley.
For a list of August long weekend events in other parts of the Lower Mainland, click Vancouver Canada Day Events.

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