RCMP Officer at Waterfront Park

On July 1st each year there are Canada Day festivities throughout the Lower Mainland including in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver.

This year’s Canada Day event in North Vancouver is bigger and better than ever! Bands performing include The Shenanigans, Los Dorados, Dino Dinicolo, Mostly Marley, the Graham Brown Band and a Tragically Hip tribute band.

For the past three decades the Rotary Club of Lions Gate has hosted North Vancouver’s main Canada Day celebrations. The local service organization is back at it again in 2022. They host family-friendly activities between noon and 4 pm. Other activities also happen in the area, including a beer garden and live music, from noon until 10 pm.

Canada Day at the Shipyards

In the past North Vancouver’s main Canada Day celebrations have happened at Waterfront Park where the Rotary Club of Lions Gate has hosted an afternoon of live music and family-friendly activities. This year the Rotary Club is once again hosting free Canada Day activities, but this time at the Shipyards, and this year in conjunction with Shipyards Live (which is an event that happens at the Shipyards every Friday in the summer).

In the past, in years pre-COVID, the festivities have run from noon until 4 pm. This year though the partying continues until 10 o’clock.

At the event in 2022 there is an opening welcome by representatives of the local Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. There is also live entertainment on two stages. Young artists have art displays along the Burrard Drydock. Tug boats and fire boats also perform offshore for a bit in the water.

In Shipbuilder’s Square there is a beer garden and live music in both the afternoon and evening. Along the waterfront and in front of the Polygon Gallery there are other things to see and do too. In Shipyard Commons (where the skating rink is in winter) there is a splash park. Also in the area are food trucks and a face painting station.

Canada Day Entertainment Lineup

There are two stages at the Canada Day event in the Shipyards in 2022. One is the Rotary Stage which is on Cates Deck in front of the Polygon Gallery. The other is the Main Stage in Shipbuilders’ Square.

Live entertainment on the Rotary Stage at the event in 2022 includes the following:

12:00 pm – Opening Ceremony and First Nations Welcome
12:10 pm – Los Dorados (a local Mexican Mariachi band)
1:00 pm – Dino Dinicolo (a solo musician)
2:00 pm – Mostly Marley (a North Shore classic Reggae band)
3:00 pm – Graham Brown Band (a Canadiana Roots-Rock band)

The schedule of performers on the Main Stage on July 1st in 2022 is the following:

12:00 to 1:30 pm – Roadside Attraction (a Tragically Hip tribute band)
2:00 to 4:30 pm – Fully Loaded
4:40 to 5:20 pm – The Mom Bop Band
5:40 to 7:00 pm – Five Star Motel
7:35 to 9:45 pm – The Shenanigans

North Vancouver Canada Day Video

For an idea of what the Canada Day celebrations used to look like at Waterfront Park, check out the video below. It shows scenes of the event from a couple of years ago. In the video, bands featured include 5 on a String, Mazacote and The Day Trippers who have all performed at the celebrations in recent years.

In the video you’ll see a large artisan market along the waterfront, which no longer happens. You’ll also see scenes of the fireworks which take place several hours after the official Canada Day festivities at Waterfront Park end. Most of the other scenes though are pretty much the same as what you’ll see in typical years. It’s a great event!

LYNN VALLEY DAYS IN 2022

Another great North Vancouver event that happens in July this year is Lynn Valley Days. The 2-day community event includes a gala, parade and free family-friendly activities in the park on July 15th and 16th in 2022.