Home Holiday Activities BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

June 30, 2024

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 2024 BC Day was on Monday, August 5th. In 2025 the day falls on Monday, August 4th.

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 2025 the August long weekend runs from Friday, August 1st, until Monday, August 4th.

Events and activities that usually take place over the weekend include the Abbotsford Agrifair, Brigade Days at Fort Langley, the Chilliwack Corn Festival, 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, both Playland and Happyland at the PNE, Mission Ribfest, White Rock Sea Festival, Tsawwassen Sun Festival, Summer Discovery Days at the Fraser River Discovery Centre, 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. 2025 details for most events are to be confirmed.

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 was open every day on the 2024 BC Day long weekend. On the holiday Monday, however, the day was celebrated with live music. Extra activities happened between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm on August 5th last year. Rachel Lewis performed at noon, 1:00 and 2:00 pm that day. The extra fun and entertainment were included with general admission.

For the latest details about the next BC Day event, check the Britannia Mine Museum‘s website.

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. In 2024 Vancouver Boat Parties hosted a nightclub-style Pride Boat Party Cruise with a 2SLGBTQI+ theme. It took place on the Burrard Queen on Sunday, August 4th. Hopefully a similar event happens in 2025.

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 2024 it was held from August 3rd to 5th. 2025 details are to be confirmed.

At the National Historic Site there are normally historical re-enactments and interpreters in 19th-century-period costume. In addition to regular summer fort activities, highlights of the weekend also typically include demonstrations of fort-related activities and music.

For more information, see our article about Brigade Days at Fort Langley or visit the parks.canada.ca website.

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 was open on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August long weekend in 2024. When purchased in advance, tickets cost $35 for access to the little kid and family-friendly rides, or $49 for all rides including the most extreme ones. 2025 dates and prices are to be confirmed.

Note: On August 4th last year, a special event took place at the PNE fairgrounds. Happyland is a 2SLGBTQIA+-themed event that was open to everyone. There was lots of extra entertainment, colour and things to do that day.

For tickets and details about last year’s 2SLGBTQIA+-themed event, click Happyland at the PNE. For information about Playland, visit the PNE.ca/playland website.

To learn more about the attraction, see our article about Vancouver’s Playland.

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 includes children’s activities, a torchlight parade, fireworks and tons of live entertainment.

Most years the festival takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in August. The festival in 2024 happened on the Friday as well, so on August 2nd, 3rd and 4th. 2025 details are to be confirmed.

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 #2: The torchlight parade and fireworks are well worth staying for.

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

Chilliwack Corn Festival at Greendale Acres

Greendale Acres hosted its first ever Chilliwack Corn Festival in 2024. The event featured sweet corn on the cob and other delicious corn-based dishes. There were corn shucking and eating competitions as well as live music to enjoy.

The inaugural event ran on the Saturday and Sunday of August 3rd and 4th. 2025 dates are to be confirmed.

Tickets last year included access to the farm’s corn maze, pedal cart track and other family-friendly activities. Guests had the option to pay extra and participate in a corn hole tournament.

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 usually takes place as well as the pancake breakfast, classic car show and Main Stage performances.

In 2025 the festival runs from August 2nd to 4th.

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 Beethoven, Mendelssohn and other composers).

In 2024 the festival ran from July 25th until August 8th. 2025 dates are to be confirmed.

To learn more about last year’s concerts and the festival in general, see our article about the Vancouver Summer Festival.

FRDC Summer Discovery Days

The Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster hosted a series of interactive workshops called Summer Discovery Days from August 3rd to 5th in 2024. They were all about micro-organisms and the environment.

Visitors who took part in Summer Discovery Days last year created their own terrarium, checked out tiny organisms using microscopes and took part in some arts and crafts activities. Access to these workshops were included with general admission to the FRDC.

Details about Summer Discovery Days in 2025 are to be confirmed.

To learn more check out our article on the Fraser River Discovery Centre.

Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival

Vancouver and its 2SLGBTQIA+ community celebrated the 46th Pride Festival on the BC Day long weekend in 2024.

Last year the Vancouver Pride Parade happened on Sunday, August 4th. The parade began in downtown Vancouver and concluded at Concord Community Park by False Creek. Several other events took place on the long weekend as well, including VanPrideFest.

Also related to the Pride Festival, Really Gay History Tours with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours happened on the long weekend last year.

A related 2SLGBTQIA+-themed event is Happyland. In 2024 it took place at the PNE fairgrounds on August 4th. That’s where people had fun and celebrated the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in an amusement park-style atmosphere. At the event there were both concerts and amusement rides. For details, click Happyland at the PNE.

Other pride celebrations took place at The Improv Centre on August 1st. There were two special shows to enjoy on the Thursday before the long weekend. Bard on the Beach also hosted its Bard Pride Night on Sunday, August 4th.

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 usually takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of the BC Day long weekend. It happened at the Albion Fairgrounds in Maple Ridge on August 3rd and 4th in 2024. Last year’s festival featured dozens of food trucks and market vendors, plus two stages with fabulous outdoor music. 2025 will likely be similar, although exact details are to be confirmed.

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 2025 the Agrifair takes place from August 1st to 3rd, 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.

For further details, see our article about the Abbotsford Agrifair.

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 2025 the Harmony Arts Festival runs from August 1st to 10th.

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 31st until August 3rd in 2025.

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.

For more information about the festival, see our article about Squamish Days.

Other BC Day Weekend Events from 2024

In addition to the above major events, there were many other great activities going on throughout the Lower Mainland on the BC Day August long weekend in 2024. Some were special events just for the holiday weekend, while others were some of Vancouver’s best events that took place every weekend in the summer.

The following events happened on the August holiday weekend last year. 2025 details are to be confirmed.

Friday Events

Shipyards Night Market – food trucks, market vendors and live music in North Vancouver. On this night there are drag shows and other entertainment.
Mission Ribfest – at Fraser River Heritage Park.
Chilliwack Corn Maze – a famous corn maze and family-friendly activities at Greendale Acres.
EMV Summer Festival: Bach Untamed – a festival with Early Music Vancouver.
Really Gay History Tour – a tour around Vancouver’s West End with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.
White Rock Sea Festival – live entertainment and family-friendly activities including an outdoor movie tonight.
Winnie the Pooh Play – Place des Arts’ Summer Theatre Troupe presents its Winnie the Pooh play in Coquitlam.
Squamish Days – a logger sports festival in Squamish.
Abbotsford Agrifair – an agricultural fair that includes a midway, amusement rides and animals at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford.
Bard on the Beach – Shakespearean theatre at Vanier Park.
The Improv Centre – live comedy theatre at Granville Island.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.
Dance Dance Dance – free Latin Dance lessons in downtown Vancouver.
Harmony Arts Festival – an arts festival in West Vancouver.

Saturday Events

Flyover Canada – the attraction at Canada Place where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Playland – Vancouver’s amusement park at the PNE.
Vancouver Street Dance Festival – the big dance festival features workshops and prelims at the BMO Theatre today.
Mission Ribfest – at Fraser River Heritage Park.
Brigade Days at Fort Langley – at Fort Langley National Historic Site.
Chilliwack Corn Festival – at Greendale Acres Farm in the Fraser Valley.
Abbotsford Agrifair – an agricultural fair in Abbotsford.
White Rock Sea Festival – live entertainment and family-friendly activities.
EMV Summer Festival: Bach Untamed – a music festival with Early Music Vancouver.
Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival – a music festival at the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds.
VanPrideFest – a Vancouver Pride Festival event at Concord Community Park.
Tsawwassen Sun Festival – a community festival that features a softball tournament in Delta.
Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival – family-friendly activities and logger competitions in Squamish.
Harmony Arts Festival – an arts festival in West Vancouver.
Really Gay History Tour – a tour around Vancouver’s West End with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.
Korean Cultural Heritage Festival – a free festival at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby.
Summer Discovery Days at the FRDC – family-friendly activities at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster.
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

Playland – Vancouver’s amusement park at the PNE.
Flyover Canada – the attraction at Canada Place where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Vancouver Street Dance Festival – the big dance festival features workshops and prelims at the BMO Theatre today.
Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market – a market at Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver.
Brentwood Artisan Farmers Market – a new market at the Amazing Brentwood Mall in Burnaby.
Other Sunday Farmers Markets – in Coquitlam, Kitsilano, Mt. Pleasant, Steveston Village, Whistler and White Rock.
Mission Ribfest – at Fraser River Heritage Park.
Chilliwack Corn Festival – at Greendale Acres Farm in the Fraser Valley.
Brigade Days at Fort Langley – at the Fort Langley National Historic Site.
White Rock Sea Festival – a family-friendly festival. There are fireworks at night!
Squamish Days – a logger sports festival in Squamish.
Abbotsford Agrifair – an agricultural fair at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford.
Harmony Arts Festival – an arts festival in West Vancouver.
Tsawwassen Sun Festival – a community festival that features a softball tournament in Delta.
Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival – a two-day festival at the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds.

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.

BC Day at Britannia Mine – the museum has special activities including live music.
Chilliwack Corn Maze – a famous corn maze and family-friendly activities at Greendale Acres.
Flyover Canada – the attraction at Canada Place where you can fly across the country in a multi-dimensional film.
Playland – Vancouver’s amusement park at the PNE.
Vancouver Street Dance Festival – the main and final day of the big dance festival with final rounds at Robson Square.
Brigade Days at Fort Langley – celebrations featuring people in period costume and various activities at the National Historic Site.
Mission Ribfest – a long weekend of live music, food trucks, rib vendors and more at Fraser River Heritage Park.
Vancouver Street Dance Festival – a free event with lots of dancing at Robson Square.
Tsawwassen Sun Festival – a community festival in Delta.
Harmony Arts Festival – an arts festival in West Vancouver.
Really Gay History Tour – a tour around Vancouver’s West End with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.

Other All Long Weekend Events

The following events took place either every day or most days of the BC Day long weekend last year:

Richmond Night Market – market activities and dinosaur displays all weekend in the evenings at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
Theatre Under the Stars – outdoor musical theatre in Stanley Park.
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival – Shakespearean theatre at Vanier Park.

Other Information

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

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: