One of the best places to celebrate Canada Day with friends and family used to be at Waterfront Park in the Lower Lonsdale District of North Vancouver.
Note: This article is about what Canada Day used to look like in the Lower Lonsdale District. To learn about 2025 celebrations in the area, click Canada Day in North Vancouver or visit the official North Vancouver Canada Day website.
Lower Lonsdale on Canada Day
North Vancouver’s main Canada Day festivities used to take place at Waterfront Park between noon and 4:00 pm on July 1st.
Waterfront Park is just a 5-minute walk west of Lonsdale Quay and the SeaBus terminal. At the park on Canada Day there used to be free entertainment, live music on the outdoor stage, kid-friendly activities, birthday cake, hot dogs and lots of people having fun.
Also in the Lower Lonsdale area, at the Shipyards (and so just a 10-minute walk from the park), a car show happened in previous years. At Lonsdale Quay, there was also free live music in the plaza in the late afternoon.
Canada Day at Waterfront Park
In previous years, the Canada Day festivities at Waterfront Park were exceptional and highly recommended. Except for the food and vendor products for sale, pretty much everything was free! That included the balloon animals, face painting, climbing wall, bouncy castle and other fun activities. It also included some great bands and other live entertainment.
Performers at the Waterfront Park venue in 2019 included Marcus Mosely (of The Sojourners) and The Day Trippers.
The 2021 event happened in an online format. Virtual performers included Andrea Superstein, Adam Woodall, The Benders, Brockton World Music, Melanie Dekker and Joel Eddington.
Canada Day Video
The following video was taken on Canada Day at Waterfront Park in 2019. As you’ll see, it was an event full of food, music and family-friendly activities.
Featured in the video are the Marcus Mosely Chorale, a dance group from Pro Arté and the JP Fell Pipe Band.
THANKS ROTARY AND EVENT SPONSORS!
The Canada Day festivities at Waterfront Park were proudly hosted by the Rotary Club of Lions Gate which is a great service club based on the North Shore.
Some of the event sponsors of the past online event included Vancouver’s Best Places, Adaptive Marketing, Lonsdale Quay, Re/Max Crest Realty, Neptune Terminals and Western Stevedoring, among others. The Federal Canadian Government, City of North Vancouver and District of North Vancouver were also very important financial supporters, both in 2020 and in the past.
Canada Day at the Shipyards
In addition to all the afternoon festivities at Waterfront Park, on Canada Day there was sometimes a car show at Shipbuilders’ Square. In 2019 there was also a Canadian naval ship at Burrard Dry Pier for people to explore.
The car show celebrated its 7th anniversary at the Shipyards in 2019 and ran from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. HMCS Winnipeg, meanwhile, is a Canadian naval frigate. It happened to be in town on July 1st that year and offered free tours between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Note: Canada Day activities at the Shipyards were not related to the Rotary Club of Lions Gate-hosted festivities at Waterfront Park.
Canada Day at Lonsdale Quay
Not only were there cool things to see and do at both Waterfront Park and the Shipyards, but there was also live music at Lonsdale Quay on Canada Day.
Karen Fowlie & The Originals performed at the last event from 1:00 until 3:00 pm. The VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir then took the stage from 3:15 until 5:15.
Note: Canada Day activities at Lonsdale Quay were not related to the Rotary Club of Lions Gate-hosted festivities at Waterfront Park.
Tips and Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions that were especially useful in previous years.
TIP #1: North Vancouver also has a Canada Day Parade most years. When it happens, the parade usually starts at 10:00 am and goes west along 13th Street from Grand Boulevard, north up Lonsdale Avenue and then west again along 17th Street to Mahon Park. It’s a great parade and fun for young families.
TIP #2: In previous years, we recommended heading to either the parade or the Shipyards first and then to Waterfront Park in the afternoon. The city’s main festivities used to take place at Waterfront Park and the headliner bands were always great. Especially if you had young children, Waterfront Park was definitely where you wanted to spend the afternoon.
TIP #3: The public market at Lonsdale Quay closes at around 7:00 pm, so it was a good place to check out after the festivities finished elsewhere.
TIP #4: Fireworks used to take place across the water by Canada Place in Vancouver starting at about 10:30 pm. Great locations to watch from included Waterfront Park, Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards in North Vancouver. The views were good and the crowds were much less crazy than in downtown Vancouver.
Other Information
To learn more about the festivities at Waterfront Park, see the official North Vancouver Canada Day website.
For information about the virtual event, click Canada Day Reimagined.
For more information about July 1st celebrations in the area in a typical year, see our main article about Canada Day in North Vancouver.
To learn more about the area see our articles about Lower Lonsdale, Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver and the North Shore.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- North Vancouver Bars & Restaurants
- Canada Day Events in Metro Vancouver
- Festivals & Events Calendar
- Vancouver’s July Calendar
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Free Summer Concerts
