Celebrate BC Festival

Celebrate BC is a festival celebrating BC Day which is a statutory holiday in August. The event takes place in both Port Moody and Coquitlam.

Last year the event happened on the holiday Monday of the BC Day Long Weekend at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam. In 2026 it celebrates its second year with not just one, but two events. This year the free, family-friendly event happens once again at the park in Coquitlam on BC Day, which is August 3rd this year. New for 2026, however, the event also happens two days earlier, on Saturday, August 1st, at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.

Visit the Celebrate BC website for full details about this festival.

Celebrate BC Festival in 2026

BC Day is a statutory holiday on the first Monday in August each year. Various events take place that weekend throughout the Lower Mainland. One of the biggest celebrations is the Celebrate BC Festival. After debuting in Coquitlam last year, the event is back in 2026. This time, however, there are two events at two different locations.

The celebrations are still free to attend and open to the public. There’s a wide range of activities and entertainment. Everything about the event focuses on British Columbia, its multi-ethnic culture, foods, wine, people and history.

When and Where?

The second annual Celebrate BC event kicks off on Saturday, August 1st. Celebrations on the first day are held at Rocky Point Park, located at 2800 Murray Street in Port Moody.

Festivities continue on Monday, August 3rd, but at a different location. The Monday event happens at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, which is the same venue as last year. Located at 1299 Pinetree Way, the park is right by the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station.

Note: The BC Day Festival takes place on the traditional, unceded territories of the Kwikwetlem First Nation which is a partner in the event.

Visit the Celebrate BC website for full details about this festival.

What to Expect

The Celebrate BC event features all sorts of family-friendly activities. As of the spring of 2026, exact details about what’s happening across the two days of this year’s festival are to be confirmed.

For an idea of what to expect, last year’s one-day event was highlighted with a giant salmon barbecue featuring celebrity chefs Robert Clark and Ned Bell. Arguably, it was the largest salmon barbecue in the province. To go with it, there was a BC Wine Garden with local drinks available for purchase. The event also featured a Best of BC Pavilion with food, art and other products.

Another component of the 2025 Celebrate BC event was an Indigenous fashion show presented by Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week. There were stories to hear from the Indigenous community, as well as Heritage Walks with information about other cultures.

Children of all ages were able to enjoy the event’s Toys “R” Us KidZone. It featured a variety of games, interactive stations and crafts. There were also special appearances by popular characters.

On top of everything already mentioned above, Celebrate BC featured a zipline adventure last year. It was a great event to attend.

Zipline at Festival — Festival Ziplining Tower

Celebrate BC Entertainment

There was lots of free live entertainment at Celebrate BC in 2025. Performers included the band Venus & Mars as well as Goh Ballet and Juno Award–winning Indigenous musician and actor George Leach. Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week was also there, plus other artists and organizations.

Event and Entertainment Schedule

Below was the schedule of activities for the Main Stage in 2025. The 2026 lineup will likely be comparable.

11:00 am – Indigenous Welcome
12:00 pm – Opening Speeches
12:15 pm – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
12:30 pm – Kickoff Surprise
1:00 pm – Hidden Gem Dance Studio
1:40 pm – Goh Ballet
1:55 pm – Bao Bao Dance
2:35 pm – Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week
3:30 pm – True Blues (band)
5:00 pm – Venus & Mars (band) – First Set
6:00 pm – Venus & Mars (band) – Second Set
7:00 pm – George Leach
8:45 pm – Closing Remarks

In addition to the above, the Salmon BBQ started at 11:00 am and ran until around 2:00 pm, or until the salmon ran out. The ziplining and Kids’ Zone activities ran from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. There was also storytelling at 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm. The Beer & Wine Garden, meanwhile, was open until 7:30 pm, and the food trucks operated until 8:00 pm.

Salmon Barbeque at Celebrate BC

What food is British Columbia most famous for? Most people would say Pacific salmon. For that reason there is a massive salmon barbeque at the event, quite possibly the largest one in BC history.

TIP #1: If you want to get your salmon without having to join a big lineup (as the salmon will be super popular), pay for it in advance if possible. Skip the line and go straight to the grill with your pre-purchased Salmon in a Bun Ticket.

TIP #2: Get your salmon early, and definitely don’t wait until towards the end. It might be BC’s largest salmon barbeque ever, but also likely to sell out. If you wait until later in the afternoon the fish will likely be all gone.