The Shipyards on Canada Day

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

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 in 2026. The celebrations take place at the Shipyards. It’s a great event, at a fabulous venue, and highly recommended. As a bonus for 2026, also at the Shipyards this year, there is Canada Soccer House where you can watch FIFA World Cup games on a big screen.

Continue reading or visit the rotarylionsgate.com website for details about what happens in North Vancouver on July 1st.

Canada Day at the Shipyards

The Canada Day event at the Shipyards features live music, family-friendly activities and free admission. It’s a great event!

Years ago North Vancouver’s main Canada Day celebrations used to happen at Waterfront Park. That’s where the Rotary Club of Lions Gate hosted an afternoon of live music and family-friendly activities for many years. In 2022 the Rotary Club hosted free Canada Day activities at the Shipyards instead, and the new location has continued there ever since.

In Shipbuilders’ Square there is live music in the afternoon. 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 usually a splash park (but that’s where the FIFA soccer watching takes place this year). Also in the area are a number of food trucks. Thousands of people attend the event each year.

In 2026 the event features live music on two different stages as well as a market with local artists and artisans. This year the event is hosted by local North Vancouver musician Melanie Dekker. Also performing on the day are the JP Fell Pipe Band, Tillers Folley, Perry Ehrlich’s ShowStoppers, singer-songwriter Thayia, T’Sha & Soulwave, and Hailey Wallis.

Where and When

North Vancouver’s Canada Day festivities happen at the Shipyards. They usually take place in Shipyard Commons, Shipbuilders Square, along the Burrard Drydock Pier, in the Pipe Shop, in front of the Polygon Gallery, on Cates Deck, and all along the waterfront. In 2026 it’s about the same, although the actual official Canada Day activities will be in the area between Cates Deck and the Tap & Barrel Restaurant.

This year, Soccer Canada’s Fan Zone is in the Shipyard Commons and Shipbuilders Square area. The Canada Day festivities and Soccer Canada area are technically two separate events, but at roughly the same place on the same day. You can do between the two areas as much as you like (so long as neither reaches capacity).

North Vancouver’s Canada Day event runs from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm on July 1st which in 2026 is a Wednesday.

Some years the Canadian Navy has a number of ships along the Burrard Dry Dock Pier on Canada Day. This was the case last year and might be again in 2026. On July 1st last year there were free tours of the HMCS Regina Ship between noon and 5:00 pm. The ships remained by the dock for a few days afterwards to. As of the last time we checked, exact details about the ships this year are to be confirmed.

Click Canada Day in North Vancouver for the event’s official website.

Mostly Marley on Rotary Canada Day Stage — Mostly Marley on the Rotary Stage

Canada Day Entertainment Lineup and Schedule of Activities

Around half a dozen local groups typically entertain the crowd at the event. Live entertainment on the two stages in 2026 includes the following:

On the Lonsdale Stage

12:00 pm – Tiller’s Folley
12:45 pm – Halley Wallis
1:30 pm – T-Sha & Soulwave
2:15 pm – Taylor Meloche – THAYIA
3:00 pm – Melanie Dekker
3:45 pm – Showstoppers
4:45 pm – Closing Remarks

On the Cates Deck Stage

12:30 pm – T-Sha & Soulwave
1:15 pm – Tiller’s Folley
2:00 pm – Melanie Dekker
2:45 pm – Halley Wallis
3:30 pm – Taylor Meloche – THAYIA

In addition to the above, there are also performances by the The Children of Takaya and JP Fell Pipe Band as well as the following activities:

Cupcake giveaway at approximately 1:30 pm.
JELKs Carnival with fun games and activities for kids.
Giant garden games under the big tent.
Interactive Skills & Drills hosted by Athletics4Kids, N.W. Sports Club Society, Tennis BC, and several other community sports organizations.

North Vancouver Canada Day Video

Check out the video below for an idea of what the Canada Day celebrations look like. The video shows scenes of the event from 2022.

As you’ll see, the festivities are spread out all over the Shipyards District, from Cates Deck in front of the Polygon Gallery to the Burrard Drydock Pier. Some years (but not all) there are a couple of Canadian naval ships that people can board and explore. Artists also have displays along the dock some years or by the Polygon Gallery.

Canada Day Sponsors

North Vancouver’s Canada Day celebrations are hosted by the Rotary Club of Lions Gate. The Canadian Government and City of North Vancouver are also financial supporters, as are organizations like Seaspan and Neptune Terminals. Other community businesses and organizations are also sponsors including Vancouver’s Best Places, Adaptive Marketing and RE/MAX Crest Realty, among others. The event is also sponsored by North Vancouver Recreation & Culture which is the same organization that hosts the free Live & Local Music Series on the North Shore in the summer.

Click Canada Day in North Vancouver for the event’s official website.

About the Rotary Club of Lions Gate

The Rotary Club of Lions Gate is a club of professionals, business people and folks who like to make a difference in their community and the world. A focus of the Club is Youth at Risk and many of the club’s projects reflect that dedication to youth both locally and abroad.

The Rotary Club of Lions Gate is a service club that meets at Capilano Mall in North Vancouver at noon three or four times a month.

See the Rotary Club of Lions Gate website for more information about the service club behind North Vancouver’s Canada Day event. Interested in meeting a dynamic group of people and making a difference? Then check them out. Rotary is an incredible organization and the Rotary Club of Lions Gate is an exceptional club.

There are Rotary Clubs all over the Lower Mainland, and they all do wonderful things for their communities. Awesome events hosted by other Rotary Clubs in the region at other times of the year include the Rotary Ride for Rescue in May or June, Port Moody Ribfest in July, Ribfest Langley in August, and Search for the Perfect Pint in May.