Home Holiday Activities BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

BC Day August Long Weekend in Vancouver

July 22, 2023

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.

Most festivals and events on the long weekend happen on the Saturday and Sunday, not on the holiday Monday of BC Day itself. There are however, a few exceptions. Special events on August 7th in 2023 included live music and activities at the Britannia Mine, Brigade Days at Fort Langley, Tsawwassen Sun Festival in Delta, and Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. There are also rides at Playland and LGBTQIA2+-themed walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver as part of the Vancouver Pride Festival.

In 2024 BC Day is on Monday, August 5th.

For a list of festivals and major events that happened on the holiday long weekend in 2023, see below. For a more complete list of things to do, see Vancouver’s August Events Calendar.

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. Consequently, in 2022, the August long weekend ran from Friday, July 29th, until Monday, August 1st. In 2023 the weekend was completely in August, with the holiday Monday on the 7th.

Events and activities taking place most years include the Abbotsford Agrifair, Brigade Days, Vancouver Pride Parade and the Squamish Days Logger Sports Festival. The Vancouver Summer Festival also takes place with concerts on the Friday and Saturday of the long weekend. In 2023 there were also special activities happening at attractions like the Britannia Mine Museum and Vancouver Maritime Museum.

See below for more details about what you could do this August holiday weekend.

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. Extra activities happened between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm on August 7th. The Jocelyn Pettit Trio performed at noon that day and again at 1:30 pm. The extra fun and entertainment were included with general admission.

For details about what happened on the holiday Monday, click Britannia Mine Museum on BC Day.

Long Weekend Boat Parties

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 2023 Vancouver Boat Parties had a couple of nightclub-style events. The first was the BC Day Whiteout Boat Party which took place on the Burrard Queen on the Saturday of August 5th. A second one was the Vancouver Pride Boat Party on Sunday, August 6th.

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. It’s an exceptional place to be, however, especially if you like rollercoasters and other amusement park rides.

Playland was open on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the August long weekend in 2023. When purchased in advance, tickets cost $33 for access to the little kid and family-friendly rides, or $45 for all rides including the most extreme ones.

Note: On Sunday, August 6th, a special event took place at the PNE fairgrounds. Happyland was an LGBTQIA2+-themed event that was open to everyone. It was part of the Vancouver Pride Festival. There was lots of extra entertainment, colour and things to do that day. On the Sunday you could go to Playland or Happyland. Both happened at the same time.

For tickets and details about the LGBTQIA2+-themed event, click Happyland at the PNE. For tickets to Playland, visit the PNE.ca/playland website.

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

Mission Ribfest

A brand-new event happens throughout the BC Day long weekend in 2024. Mission Ribfest runs from the Friday until the Monday this year. Presented by the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival, the event is held at Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission.

Mission Ribfest features six different rib vendors, plus lots of food trucks and an artisan market with products from local businesses. There are also live performances to enjoy on all four days. Tickets are available online by donation.

For more information about the event, check out our Mission Ribfest article.

Abbotsford Agrifair

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

In 2023, the Agrifair took place from August 4th to 6th, so from Friday to Sunday of the long weekend. It happened at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford and it included 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

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 2023 it ran from August 5th to 7th.

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

On the BC Day statutory holiday Monday there’s usually the main event – the re-enactment of “The Arrival of the Fur Brigades” where characters in period costume paddle to the fort with their cargo. As of early July, the event schedule for 2023 was still to be confirmed.

For more information, click Brigade Days at Fort Langley.

Fur Trading Canoes in Fort Langley — Historical Re-Enactment at Brigade Days

Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival

Vancouver and its LGBTQIA2+ community celebrated the 45th Pride Festival on the BC Day long weekend in 2023.

In 2023 the Vancouver Pride Parade happened on Sunday, August 6th. It ran from 12:00 pm until around 3:00 pm. The parade began in downtown Vancouver and concluded at Concord Community Park by False Creek (and not Sunset Beach as it has happened in the past). Several other events took place on the long weekend as well, including the Vancouver Pride Festival (or VanPrideFest).

Also related to the Pride Festival, Really Gay History Tours with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours happen on the long weekend. The tours take place on Sundays most weeks throughout the summer, but also daily in the first week or so of August.

A related LGBTQIA2+-themed event is Happyland. In 2023 it took place at the PNE fairgrounds on Sunday, August 7th. That’s where people could have fun and celebrate the LGBTQIA2+ community in an amusement park-style atmosphere. At the event there are both concerts and amusement rides. For details, click Happyland at the PNE.

There was also the Vancouver Pride Boat Party with Vancouver Boat Parties that took place on Sunday, August 6th.

Click Vancouver Pride Parade & Festival for more details.

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 happened at the Albion Fairgrounds in Maple Ridge on August 5th and 6th in 2023. The festival features dozens of food trucks and market vendors, plus two stages with fabulous outdoor music.

Click Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival for more information.

Marley Stage at the Caribbean Festival — Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival

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, free nightly movies, 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.

This past year the Harmony Arts Festival ran from August 4th to 13th.

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 the first Thursday of August until the Sunday of the long weekend. Its dates for 2023 were August 3rd to 6th.

On the Saturday there is a Kids’ Festival downtown at the O’Siyam Pavilion Park 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: 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.

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

White Rock Sea Festival

The seaside resort town or White Rock celebrates its Sea Festival on the August long weekend. The free event includes children’s activities, fireworks and tons of live entertainment.

Most years the festival takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in August (but in 2022 it was the last weekend in July). The festival in 2023 took place on August 5th and 6th. On the Saturday night there are fireworks and on the Sunday there is a car show.

Below are some tips to keep in mind for the 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.

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.

Click White Rock Sea Festival for more information about this festival.

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, Kids Fun Zone, Antique Fair and Main Stage performances.

In 2023 the festival ran from August 5th to 7th.

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 has recently changed its name (which makes sense because there are concerts with music by Bach, but also by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and other composers).

In 2023 the festival ran from July 27th until August 5th.

To learn more about the concerts, see our article about the Vancouver Summer 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 also take place on the August holiday weekend.

Saturday Events

Shipyards Night Market – a fabulous event with food trucks, market vendors and live music in North Vancouver.
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.
Saturday Farmers Markets – in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Fort Langley, Haney (Maple Ridge), Lonsdale Quay, 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.
Sunday Farmers Markets – at Ambleside, Coquitlam, Kitsilano, Mt. Pleasant, Steveston Village, Whistler and White Rock.

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 in a typical year.

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.
Lower Mainland Parks – these will be popular places to be, so head out early before they fill up (and several of them will).
Vancouver Beaches – these too will be popular, so if you hope to find parking get there early in the morning!
Outdoor Swimming Pools – most (but not all) of the Lower Mainland’s outdoor pools should be open.
Vancouver Water Parks – all three of the Lower Mainland’s water slide attractions should be open.

Other All Long Weekend Events

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

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: