Waterfront Cinema at Canada Place

Waterfront Cinema is a series of free summer outdoor movies at Vancouver’s Canada Place. They used to take place once a week in July and August.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, outdoor movies at Canada Place didn’t happen for the fourth consecutive year in 2023. Unfortunately, as of early April 2024, the outdoor movies don’t appear to be happening this year either (or at least no information is currently available). Whether the films take place or not again in the future is to be determined.

For a list of other outdoor films that happen in the region, see our article about Vancouver Outdoor Movies.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following:

Waterfront Cinema at Canada Place

In 2019 Waterfront Cinema took place on the far northern end of the promenade deck at Canada Place on Thursday evenings from July 11th until August 29th. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They didn’t happen in 2022 either.

The movies at Canada Place usually (but not always) featured at least one prominent Canadian actor and they started at dark, which meant sometime between 8 and 9 pm.

Canada Place’s address is at 999 Canada Place. It’s at the waterfront in Downtown Vancouver near the corner of Howe and West Waterfront Street. The venue for the movies is outside at the far northern tip of Canada Place.

Canada Place Movies and Dates

In 2019 Waterfront Cinema took place every Thursday evening from July 11th until August 29th. Show times began between around 8 am and 9 pm depending on when the sun set. For an idea of what to expect in future years, check out the films listed below.

(Note: Dates and movie details were subject to change.)

July 11, 2019 – Captain Marvel: the newest hero introduced to the Marvel Universe. This film follows Carol Danvers, an air force pilot, who gains super powers after a freak accident.
July 18, 2019 – Crazy Rich Asians: a romantic comedy based on a best-selling book. The story follows Chinese American Rachel Chu as she travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family after which chaos ensues.
July 25, 2019 – Elf: this film follows Buddy, a child raised by elves, who adventures out into the world to find his real parents.
August 1, 2019 – Shazam: the story of Billy Batson, a foster kid who is bestowed with super powers, which are activated by saying the word Shazam!
August 8, 2019 – Beauty and the Beast: starring Emma Watson, this classic fairy tale follows Belle on her adventures to save her father and find true love with an unlikely character.
August 15, 2019 – How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World: an adventure following Hiccup and Toothless on their journey to find the hidden world of dragons.
August 22, 2019 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse: Miles Morales becomes a new Spider-Man and meets many different Spider-Men on his journey through dimensions to save his city.
August 29, 2019 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: the adventure that follows Indiana Jones on his quest to find the Holy Grail is again on the big screen.

Tips & Advice

Below is a list of tips to help you make the most out of your Waterfront Cinema experience.

TIP #1: Take a lawn chair to sit on, plus a blanket and warm sweaters to keep warm after the sun goes down.

TIP #2: Arrive early to claim a good spot to sit. It can get pretty crowded, and sometimes people are turned away.

TIP #3: If going in a group, have one or two people save your spot and watch your belongings. If you do that, then the others can go explore the area until show time. Heading west, the seawall around the Convention Centre and along the Coal Harbour waterfront is a beautiful place for a stroll. In the other direction, past Waterfront Station, is Gastown.