BOOM Show at Britannia Mine

BOOM! is a multi-sensory “experience” at Britannia Mine which is a historic mining museum located just north of Vancouver and south of Squamish.

The Britannia Mine Museum is a National Historic Site where you can pan for gold, go on an underground tour and learn all about what was once the largest copper mine in the British Empire. Since the summer of 2019, it is also home to an impressive new feature – BOOM!

Click Britannia Mine for general information about the museum or continue reading to learn about the attraction’s latest addition.

Click Britannia Mine for the museum’s official website.

BOOM! at the Britannia Mine Museum

BOOM! is an experiential show inside the historic Mill No. 3 building at Britannia Mine. The museum itself is located at 150 Copper Drive in the tiny community of Britannia Beach (which is just half an hour or so north of West Vancouver by car).

Britannia Mine's Mill No. 3 — Mill No. 3

Mill No. 3 is the giant landmark structure that you can see on the right-hand-side of the highway when traveling from Vancouver to Squamish.

The mill building is a massive structure that used to process the millions of tons of copper and other minerals extracted from the ground at Britannia Mine. It’s also a building that has been featured in a number of movies and TV shows including the X-Files and the Flash.

What is Boom?

The latest addition to the Britannia Mine Museum, BOOM! is a multi-sensory special effects show that takes place within the massive 20-storey Mill No. 3 building. It’s a one-of-a-kind production that brings the iconic gravity-fed concentrator mill back to life with life-like sights and sounds.

BOOM! is the result of the collaboration between the Museum and several partners, including Vancouver-based Vista Collaborative Arts – the show’s producer and designer – and Port Coquitlam-based Dynamic Attractions, which specializes in amusement park experiences and attraction structures. The resulting show allows visitors to experience what the mill was like in operation close to 100 years ago.

After 10 years of ideas, planning and construction, and a $4 million investment, BOOM! promises to be a new highlight of the Britannia Mine experience. It opened to the public in June 2019.

BOOM Film at Britannia Mine — The BOOM! Film

What Happens at the Show?

The BOOM! experience itself is about 15 minutes in length. Up to 50 visitors at a time enter the Mill No. 3 building and sit in a corner area with seating. A film starts with an actor who hosts the show and describes what took place in the mill over the years. He describes what life was like working in the mill and how the excavated materials were processed.

During the show you learn about the mill, hear mineral processing and rock grinding sounds, and see sparks, a bit of smoke and one piece of machinery actually moving. This all takes place in the actual original mill building, which is massive. Through storytelling, the film and a few special effects, the place really does come alive.

Visitors must remain seated throughout the 13-minute production. Once the show finishes, however, guests are invited to walk around and see certain areas up close.

BOOM! is both entertaining and educational, and a fabulous new feature for the museum. It’s highly recommended.

For more information about BOOM! see the Britannia Mine website.

Boom! Video

Below is a 1-minute promotional video that gives you an idea of what to expect from the BOOM! experience. As you’ll see, it looks pretty cool!

Other Information

To learn more about the National Historic Site, check out our Britannia Mine article. For more details about the museum’s exciting new exhibit, click BOOM!.

For ideas on other things to do in the area click Squamish or Sea to Sky Region.

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