Home Holiday Activities BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

July 20, 2025

A lot happens on the BC Day long weekend in Vancouver in August. Lower Mainland events include boat parties, parades, community festivals and other events.

In 2026 BC Day is on Monday, August 3rd. On that day and weekend there is a Celebrate BC Festival as well as special events at Britannia Mine, Fort Langley and all over the place.

This article includes information about the following events:

Click any of the above links to jump to information about a specific topic, or continue reading to learn all about the Lower Mainland’s top BC Day long weekend events.

BC Day Long Weekend

BC Day takes place on the first Monday of August each year. In 2026 the August long weekend runs from Friday, July 31st, until Monday, August 3rd.

Events and activities that usually take place over the weekend include the Abbotsford Agrifair, Brigade Days at Fort Langley, the Vancouver Pride Parade and the Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival. The Vancouver Summer Festival also normally has concerts on the long weekend. There are also special activities at the Britannia Mine Museum most years.

Other events happening on the August long weekend typically include the Vancouver Pride Boat Party, Playland at the PNE, the White Rock Sea Festival, Tsawwassen Sun Festival, Harmony Arts Festival, Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival and so much more. There’s normally live theatre at Theatre Under the Stars, Bard on the Beach and The Improv Centre on Granville Island.

See below for details about the above and other events on the August holiday weekend in the Lower Mainland.

Celebrate BC

New for 2025, Celebrate BC is a BC Day celebration that took place on Monday, August 4th. The event was held at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park. It’s free to attend.

The first ever Celebrate BC event features food trucks, games, live music and workshops. There’s also a salmon barbeque, a zipline, and a variety of pavilions representing different cultures.

See our article about Celebrate BC or visit celebratebc.ca to learn more about the celebrations.

Britannia Mine Museum

Britannia Mine is a national historic site that used to be a copper mine. It’s one of British Columbia’s biggest, best and most interesting museums.

The museum is open every day on the BC Day long weekend. On the holiday Monday, however, the day is celebrated with live music. In 2025 The Little Mountain Brass Band performed between noon and 2:00 pm. There are also special games to play on-site. The extra fun and live entertainment are included with general admission.

Check the Britannia Mine Museum‘s website for the latest detailes about the BC Day event.

Long Weekend Pride Boat Party

A popular way to spend the long weekend for young adults is out on the water on a party boat dancing and drinking with friends. Vancouver Boat Parties hosts a nightclub-style Pride Boat Party Cruise with a 2SLGBTQIA+ theme. In 2025 it took place on the Burrard Queen on Sunday, August 3rd.

Brigade Days at Fort Langley

Brigade Days at Fort Langley is an annual event that runs all weekend, from the Saturday until the Monday. In 2026 it runs from August 1st to 3rd.

At the National Historic Site there are historical re-enactments in 19th-century-period costumes. In addition to regular summer fort activities, highlights of the weekend include demonstrations of fort-related activities and music. This past year there was also a relay race and a fur trade fashion show, plus games and crafts for all ages.

See our article about Brigade Days at Fort Langley or visit the parks.canada.ca website for more information.

Playland at the PNE

Playland is Vancouver’s favourite amusement park with rides and midway games. It runs from June until August. The attraction isn’t a special event specifically for BC Day as it takes place during most of the summer. However, it’s an exceptional place to be, especially if you like rollercoasters and other amusement park rides.

Playland is open on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August long weekend. When purchased in advance, tickets cost about $35 for access to the little kid and family-friendly rides, or $47 for all rides including the most extreme ones.

See our article about Vancouver’s Playland to learn more about this attraction.

White Rock Sea Festival

The seaside resort town of White Rock celebrates White Rock Sea Festival & Semiahmoo Days on the August long weekend. The free event typically includes children’s activities, a torchlight parade, fireworks and tons of live entertainment.

The festival typically takes place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in August.

Below are some tips to keep in mind for the next event.

TIP #1: If you can’t stay all day and evening, but you really want to enjoy the beach during your visit, try to be in White Rock at low tide when the sand seems to go out forever. When the tide is out the beach is especially spectacular.

TIP #2: If you go on the Sunday combine your trip with a visit to the White Rock Farmers Market which is a great market at 15154 Russell Avenue.

TIP #3: The torchlight parade and fireworks are well worth staying for in years that they happen.

See our article about the White Rock Sea Festival for more information about this event.

Theatre Shows and Concerts

The BC Day long weekend is also a wonderful time of year for live theatre. There are a variety of shows to check out in early August.

For example, Bard on the Beach hosts Shakespearean shows at Vanier Park on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. On the same three days, Place des Arts in Coquitlam is where you’ll find Summer Theatre Troupe performances of Munsch at Play. Meanwhile, CTORA Productions presents a musical adaptation of A Peter Rabbit Tale at the Pal Theatre Vancouver. Performances there take place on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the long weekend.

Also happening on all four days of the long weekend are the Theatre Under the Stars musicals at Stanley Park, and on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday there is hilarious improvisational theatre at The Improve Centre on Granville Island.

For people who like live music, events to check out on the Friday of the long weekend include the Live & Local Concert Series and Shipyards Night Market on the North Shore. All weekend there is also live entertainment at Kitsilano Showboat.

Chilliwack Corn Festival at Greendale Acres

Greendale Acres hosted its second ever Chilliwack Corn Festival in 2025. The event features sweet corn on the cob and other delicious corn-based dishes. There are corn shucking and eating competitions as well as live music to enjoy.

The event ran on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of August 2nd to 4th in 2025.

Click Chilliwack Corn Festival for more details about the event.

Tsawwassen Sun Festival

The Tsawwassen Sun Festival is a three-day community event that features a slow-pitch tournament and a range of other sports and family-friendly activities.

The main day of the festival is definitely the holiday Monday. That’s when the parade takes place as well as the pancake breakfast, classic car show and Main Stage performances.

In 2026 the festival runs from August 1st to 3rd.

Click Tsawwassen Sun Festival for more information.

Vancouver Summer Festival

The Vancouver Summer Festival is a music festival that features works by a variety of composers. It used to be called the Vancouver Bach Festival, but changed its name (which makes sense because there are concerts with music by Bach, but also by other composers).

In 2025 the festival ran from July 26th until August 8th, and there were shows on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend.

See our article about the Vancouver Summer Festival to learn more about the concerts and festival in general.

Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival

Vancouver and its 2SLGBTQIA+ community celebrated the 47th Pride Festival on the BC Day long weekend in 2025. In 2026, the festival will likely happen on Sunday, August 2nd, though exact details are to be confirmed.

This past year the Vancouver Pride Parade happened on Sunday, August 3rd. The parade normally begins in downtown Vancouver and concludes at Concord Community Park by False Creek. In 2025, however, the parade went in the reverse order. It started at Concord Pacific Place and finished along Davie Street.

Also related to the Pride Festival, Really Gay History Tours with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours happen on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Click Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival for more information about these and similar events.

Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival

The Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival is a music festival that takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of the BC Day long weekend. It happens at the Albion Fairgrounds in Maple Ridge on August 1st and 2nd in 2026. The festival features food trucks and fabulous outdoor music.

Click Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival for more information.

Marley Stage at the Caribbean Festival — Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival

Abbotsford Agrifair

The Abbotsford Agrifair is a community fair that includes agricultural displays and amusement rides.

In 2026 the Agrifair takes place from July 31st to August 2nd, so from the Friday to the Sunday of the long weekend. It happens at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford and includes rides, concerts and other family-friendly activities.

The Agrifair is a popular event. In a typical year it features everything from Canadian wrestling to logger shows, farm animals to look at and live entertainment. There are also amusement rides, live concerts, food vendors and all kinds of fun activities.

See our article about the Abbotsford Agrifair for further details.

Abbotsford Agrifair Midway — Abbotsford Agrifair

Harmony Arts Festival

The Harmony Arts Festival is a multi-day arts festival that usually starts on the August long weekend. The event features live music, art displays and all sorts of things for people of all ages to see and do.

General admission to the Harmony Arts Festival is free and it takes place in West Vancouver along the waterfront between Ambleside and John Lawson Park. In 2026 the Harmony Arts Festival runs from July 31st to August 9th.

TIP: If you go on a Sunday, be sure to check out the Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market at Ambleside Beach.

See our article about the Harmony Arts Festival for more information.

Squamish Days Festival

The Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival is a small-town community event featuring logging industry-related activities. For example, there is a chair carving contest and bed races through the town. Squamish Days runs from July 30th until August 2nd in 2026.

On the Saturday there is a Kids’ Festival downtown at Junction Park on Cleveland Avenue during the day. On the Sunday there is a pancake breakfast, a parade in the morning, and the Open Loggers Sports Show and Rotary BBQ in the afternoon at Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds.

TIP #1: The Squamish Farmers Market is an exceptional market on Saturdays at the corner of Victoria Street and Cleveland Avenue in Squamish. It’s worth visiting any weekend in the summer but especially when there are other activities also going on in town.

TIP #2: The Railway Museum of BC is a great museum and it’s open on the Saturday and Sunday of the BC Day long weekend (so on the same weekend as the logger sports festival). Britannia Mine is also in the area and highly recommended, especially on the holiday Monday when it hosts special activities and live music.

See our article about Squamish Days for more information about the festival.

Other BC Day Weekend Events

In addition to the above major events, there are many other great activities going on throughout the Lower Mainland on the BC Day August long weekend. Some are special events just for the holiday weekend, while others are some of Vancouver’s best events that take place every weekend in the summer.

The following events happened on the August holiday weekend in 2025 and will likely happen again in 2026, though details are to be confirmed.

Friday Events

Live & Local Concert Series – in 2025 the band Queer as Funk performed at Panorama Park in Deep Cove in North Vancouver.
Shipyards Night Market – food trucks, market vendors and live music in North Vancouver. On this night there are drag shows and other entertainment.
Munsch at Play – Place des Arts’ Summer Theatre Troupe presents a play in Coquitlam.
Bard on the Beach – Shakespearean theatre at Vanier Park.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.
Flyover at Canada Place – the attraction in downtown Vancouver where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Dance Dance Dance – free Latin Dance lessons in downtown Vancouver.
Richmond Night Market – market activities in the evening at 8351 River Road in Richmond.

Saturday Events

Flyover at Canada Place – the attraction in downtown Vancouver where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Munsch at Play – Place des Arts’ Summer Theatre Troupe presents a play in Coquitlam.
Bard on the Beach – Shakespearean theatre at Vanier Park.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.
Richmond Night Market – market activities in the evening at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
Burnaby Artisan Farmers Market – farmers, artisan vendors and live music in the parking lot at Burnaby City Hall (not far from Deer Lake Park and Burnaby Village).
Other Saturday Farmers Markets – in Abbotsford, Fort Langley, Maple Ridge, Riley Park, Squamish, Trout Lake and the West End.

Sunday Events

Flyover at Canada Place – the attraction in downtown Vancouver where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Munsch at Play – Place des Arts’ Summer Theatre Troupe presents a play in Coquitlam.
Bard on the Beach – Shakespearean theatre at Vanier Park.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.
Richmond Night Market – market activities in the evening at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market – a market at Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver.
Brentwood Artisan Farmers Market – a market at the Amazing Brentwood Mall in Burnaby.
Other Sunday Farmers Markets – in Coquitlam, Kitsilano, Steveston Village, Whistler and White Rock.
Vancouver Bandits Basketball – the professional basketball team played against Winnipeg at the Langley Events Centre in 2025.

Monday Events

A few events take place on the BC Day long weekend, but most of them are on the Saturday and Sunday. Not so much happens on the holiday Monday. Below, though, are our top picks of things to do on the Monday.

Flyover at Canada Place – the attraction in downtown Vancouver where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Richmond Night Market – market activities in the evening at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.

Other Information

Check out Vancouver’s August Events Calendar for a list of other great things to do later in the summer. Or, see the Festivals & Events Calendar for a list of major events throughout the year.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: