The Shipyards on Canada Day

On July 1st each year there are Canada Day festivities throughout the Lower Mainland including in the Shipyards and Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver.

For the past three decades the Rotary Club of Lions Gate has hosted North Vancouver’s main Canada Day celebrations. The local service organization was back at it again in 2023. Last year’s celebrations took place at the Shipyards and they likely do so again in 2024. It’s a great event, at a fabulous venue, and highly recommended!

Cates Deck on Canada Day — Cates Deck on July 1st

Canada Day at the Shipyards

In the past, North Vancouver’s main Canada Day celebrations used to happen at Waterfront Park. That’s where the Rotary Club of Lions Gate hosted an afternoon of live music and family-friendly activities. In 2022 the Rotary Club hosted free Canada Day activities at the Shipyards instead and it did so again in 2023 at this new location.

In Shipbuilder’s Square there is live music in the afternoon including with a couple of Indigenous bands. Along the waterfront and in front of the Polygon Gallery there are other things to see and do too. In Shipyard Commons (where the skating rink is in winter), there is a splash park. Also in the area are a number of food trucks. Kid-friendly activities happened in 2023 in front of the Polygon Gallery on Cates Deck.

Last year’s North Vancouver’s Canada Day event happened between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm. It’s a free event with live music and other performances. There are also food trucks, art displays and a variety of family-friendly things to see and do.

Mostly Marley on Rotary Canada Day Stage — Mostly Marley on the Rotary Stage

Canada Day Entertainment Lineup

A couple of local Indigenous bands entertained the crowd at the 2023 event, along with Canadian singer-songwriter Melanie Dekker and the band Mostley Marley, both of which performed the year before too.

Live entertainment on the Rotary Stage at the event in 2023 included the following:

12:00 pm – Melanie Dekker
1:00 pm – Blazing Eraz
2:00 pm – Randy Swallow
3:00 pm – Mostly Marley (a North Shore classic Reggae band)

In addition to the above, the J.P. Fell Pipe Band started the day off with some bagpiping. There was also an official welcoming by representatives of both the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Other local dignitaries gave short speeches too, and the Indigenous groups Eagle Song Dancers (Spakwus Slolem) and Bitterly Divine also performed.

North Vancouver Canada Day Video

For an idea of what the Canada Day celebrations look like, check out the video below. It shows scenes of the event from 2022.

As you’ll see in the video, the festivities were spread out all over the Shipyards District, from Cates Deck in front of the Polygon Gallery to the Burrard Drydock Pier. Some years (but not all) there are a couple of Canadian naval ships that people can board and explore. Artists also have displays along the dock.

Canada Day Sponsors

North Vancouver’s Canada Day celebrations are hosted by the Rotary Club of Lions Gate. The Canadian Government and City of North Vancouver are also primary financial supporters, as are organizations like Seaspan and Neptune Terminals. Other community businesses and organizations are also sponsors including the Rotary Club of North Vancouver, Vancouver’s Best Places, Adaptive Marketing, RE/MAX Crest Realty and Western Stevedoring, among others.

About the Rotary Club of Lions Gate

The Rotary Club of Lions Gate is a club of professionals, business people and folks who like to make a difference in their community and the world. A focus of the Club is Youth at Risk and many of the club’s projects reflect that dedication to youth both locally and abroad.

The Rotary Club of Lions Gate is a service club that meets at the Delbrooke Rec Centre in North Vancouver at noon three or four times a month.

For more information about the service club behind North Vancouver’s Canada Day event, see the Rotary Club of Lions Gate website. Interested in meeting a dynamic group of people and making a difference? Then check them out. Rotary is an incredible organization and the Rotary Club of Lions Gate is an exceptional club.