Canada Day at Canada Place

Metro Vancouver’s largest Canada Day event usually happens downtown at and around Canada Place. The party includes concerts and loads of fun!

The Canada Day event returns with in-person concerts and celebrations in 2026. However, the event is different from what it was pre-COVID-19. There are no fireworks anymore as Vancouver’s annual July 1st pyrotechnic show has been permanently cancelled.

See our articles about Canada Day Fireworks and Fireworks in the Lower Mainland for information about events that still have patriotic fireworks. Although Vancouver doesn’t have them any more, you’ll find events with fireworks on July 1st in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Harrison Hot Springs, Surrey and White Rock. Later in the summer there is also the Summer Music & Fireworks Festival in late August in New Westminster.

See below for information about the following topics:

Canada Day at Canada Place | Canada Day Boat Parties | Canada Day Fireworks | Other Information

Click on any of the above links to jump to specific information, or continue reading to learn all about Vancouver’s July 1st celebrations at Canada Place.

Canada Day at Vancouver’s Canada Place

On Canada Day there are family-friendly activities by the waterfront all day, including at Canada Place and around the Convention Centre and Jack Poole Plaza.

The event was re-named Canada Together in 2022. Activities are organized with local Indigenous communities and the theme is “Weaving together the fabric of a nation.”

In years past, the Canada Day celebrations at Canada Place were arguably the largest July 1st celebrations in the country after Ottawa. There have been tens if not up to hundreds of thousands of people at the festivities (at least in the years when there were fireworks). There is great music and a festive atmosphere. It’s smaller than it used to be, and smaller now than the July 1st event that happens in Surrey.

Continue reading for information about Canada Day events at Canada Place and downtown Vancouver. Or, click Lower Mainland Canada Day Celebrations for information about July 1st events throughout the region. See our article about Granville Island on Canada Day to learn about festivities elsewhere within the City of Vancouver.

Canada Day at Canada Place — Canada Day by the Vancouver Convention Centre

Activities at Canada Place

Canada Place hosts family-friendly activities from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm on July 1st to celebrate the country’s birthday.

The Canada Together event features live performances throughout the day. The entertainment lineup in 2025 included Dear Rouge, John Welsh & Los Valientes, Ramen Fog, Hotel Mira, and Blue Rivera.

On this celebratory day, food trucks are along Canada Place Way between Howe Street and Thurlow. There is a Kids’ Zone in Jack Poole Plaza with family-friendly entertainers, a dance party and other fun activities. The event also features an Indigenous marketplace and displays made by local artists.

Live Entertainment at Canada Place

Below was the lineup of entertainment on the Main Stage and in the Kids’ Zone this past year.

On the Canada Place Main Stage

11:00 am – Indigenous Welcome
11:20 am – Native Thunder First Nations of the Territory
12:00 pm – Kaya Ko & A Force of Nature with Kathara Filipino Indigenous Arts
12:45 pm – John Welsh & Los Valientes
1:30 pm – Ramen Fog
2:15 pm – Blue Rivera
3:00 pm – Sadé Awele
3:50 pm – Hotel Mira
4:55 pm – Dear Rouge

On the Kids’ Zone Stage at Canada Place

11:00 am – Welcome
11:25 am – Canada Day Drumming
12:15 pm – School of Rock Vancouver (Junior House Band)
12:50 pm – Squamish Nation Storytime
1:15 pm – School of Rock Vancouver (Senior House Band)
1:50 pm – DJ Ira Dance Party
2:35 pm – Tsleil-Waututh Nation Storytime
3:05 pm – Science World on the Road
3:45 pm – Musqueam Indian Band Storytime
4:10 pm – Boogaloo
4:35 pm – Mascot Dance-Off

CANADA DAY BOAT PARTIES

An exceptional way to enjoy Canada Day is out on the water on a party boat cruise. Vancouver Boat Parties offers popular nightclub-style Canada Day cruises for adults ages 19+. In 2025 there was the Canada Day Boat Party on Tuesday, July 1st, and the Canada Day Weekend Latin X Hip Hop Boat Party on Saturday, July 5th. See the vancouverboatparties.com website for full details.

The Canada Day Fireworks

In past years, pre-COVID-19, fireworks used to be launched starting at about 10:30 pm off a barge in Burrard Inlet a ways off Canada Place. The show typically lasted for about 20 minutes. The fireworks haven’t happened since 2019. In 2023 the event’s organizers announced that the fireworks have been permanently cancelled.

OTHER FIREWORKS VENUES

Many other communities around the Lower Mainland also have evening fireworks most years including in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Vancouver and White Rock.

Click Lower Mainland Fireworks for information about other Canada Day fireworks venues.

See our article about the Celebration of Light for information about Vancouver’s biggest fireworks events of the year (which happen at the end of July).