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 in 2026 with in-person concerts and celebrations. 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, around the Convention Centre and at Jack Poole Plaza.

The event was renamed 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 than the July 1st event 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 2026 includes Spendo, The Matinee, and Rebecca Sichon.

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 in 2026

Below is the lineup of entertainment for the Main Stage and the Kids’ Zone in 2026. Details are subject to change.

On the Canada Place Main Stage

11:00 am – John Oliver Secondary Drumline and opening words
11:30 am – DJ O Show & Kanani Nahanee
11:55 am – Warren Dean Flandez & The Good Noise Choir
12:40 pm – Rebecca Sichon
1:25 pm – SPENDO
2:10 pm – JESSAMINE
2:55 pm – Serengetti
3:45 pm – The Matinee
4:50 pm – The Strumbellas

On the Kids’ Zone Stage at Canada Place

12:00 pm – John Oliver Secondary Drumline and opening words
12:05 pm – John Oliver Secondary 24K Jazz Band
12:30 pm – Indigenous storytime
12:50 pm – The DJ Ira Dance Party
1:25 pm – School of Rock Vancouver Junior House Band
2:00 pm – Indigenous storytime
2:15 pm – John Oliver Secondary Drumline
2:20 pm – Science World On The Road
2:55 pm – Indigenous storytime
3:15 pm – School of Rock Vancouver Junior House Band
3:55 pm – The DJ Ira Dance Party
4:25 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 2026, the Canada Day Boat Party returns on Wednesday, July 1st. See the vancouverboatparties.com website for full details.

The Canada Day Fireworks

In past years, pre-COVID-19, fireworks were launched from a barge in Burrard Inlet, a ways off Canada Place, starting at about 10:30 pm. 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 had 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 used to happen at the end of July).