Golden Spike Days is a community event with live music and family-friendly activities at Port Moody‘s Rocky Point Park over the Canada Day Long Weekend.
Canada Day in Port Moody
Canada Day is celebrated in Port Moody with the 4-day Golden Spike Days festival at Rocky Point Park which is located on the water at 2800 Murray Street.
Golden Spike Days
In 2018 Golden Spike Days took place from Friday, June 29th, until Monday, July 2nd.
Typically thought, on the Friday it runs from 6 until 11 pm, on the Saturday and Sunday celebrations go from 11 am until 11 pm, and on the holiday Monday festivities start at 11 am and finish at 6 pm.
What to Expect
At Port Moody’s Canada Day Weekend event you can expect to enjoy a variety of styles of live music, sample tasty Food Truck treats, enjoy a cool one at the beer garden and dream of heading down the road in any one of the unique automobiles in the car show.
At the event kids can enjoy bubble ball, watching and learning about dog agility, and numerous unique and varied experiences.
Admission to Golden Spike Days is by donation, but some of the activities may have a fee. Except for things like food and drink, however, most things are free!
Event Activities
Activities at Golden Spike Days include swing rides, craft activities, gold panning, face painting, bubble soccer, mini car rides and more!
We recommend you try bouncing around on the trampolines with Springfree, or take a boat tour up the Indian Arm provided by Oceanwatch Boat Tours (with departures every 30 minutes).
If cars are your thing and you’re a parent, then your child (under 8 years of age) might want to register to participate in the Power Wheels Derby.
Everyone can also enjoy the demolition cars, race cars and mud trucks on Saturday. There is an import car show on Sunday, and an oldies car display on Monday. All of these shows happen between 11:00 and 3:00 on their respective days.
At the festival you can try your hand at gold panning and boat building too! There’s just so much to choose from!
Beer Garden and Food Vendors
The beer garden at Golden Spike Days features beverages by breweries such as Moody Ales, Twin Sails, Parkside Brewery and Yellow Dog, all of which are local to Port Moody. Beverage tickets cost $7 each.
A number of food trucks and snack-food vendors are on site throughout the weekend. Items for sale include flavoured shaved ice, fresh lemonade, mini donuts, ice cream, and a variety of ethnic and North American festival-style foods.
Live Entertainment
Live entertainment at Golden Spike Days includes free concerts by some big name bands such as Barney Bentall and Bif Naked in 2018. It also includes performances by other great but lesser-known groups, plus musicians, dancers, comedians and magician finalists from the Tri-Cities Got Talent competition.
See below for the entertainment lineup on the festival’s main stage.
Entertainment Schedule
Below is a sample of the entertainment schedule for Golden Spike Days in 2018.
Friday, June 29, 2018
- 6:00 pm – Toy Zebra
- 7:15 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 8:15 pm – Rain City 6
Saturday, June 30, 2018
- 11:00 am – Tri-City’s Got Talent
- 12:30 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 1:00 pm – Opening Ceremonies
- 1:45 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent
- 3:15 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 3:45 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent
- 5:15 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 5:45 pm & 7:15 pm – Famous Players
- 9:15 pm – Bif Naked
Sunday, July 1, 2018
- 11:30 am – The Squares Barbershop Quartet
- 12:15 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 1:00 pm – Opening Ceremonies
- 3:45 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent
- 4:00 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 4:45 pm – Rocky Jr. and the C4D Band
- 5:45 pm – Toy Zebra
- 6:45 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
- 7:30 pm – Rocky Jr. and the C4D Band
- 9:00 pm – Barnie Bentall & the Legendary Hearts
Monday, July 2, 2018
- 11:30 am – The Squares Barbershop Quartet
- 12:30 pm – Caulfield School of Dance
- 1:15 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent
- 2:45 pm – Can Can Dancers
- 3:30 pm – Fab Fourever (a Beatles tribute band)
- 4:30 pm – Can Can Dancers
- 5:15 pm – Fab Fourever
Tips and Advice
Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most out of your experience at Golden Spike Days.
TIP # 1: Take a lawn chair or blanket to sit on (but be prepared to carry it a fair ways from your car).
TIP # 2: Arrive really early if you hope to find parking anywhere remotely near the venue.
TIP # 3: Especially if it’s hot and sunny, don’t forget to take your sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and water bottle. If the tide is out, you might want to bring your shovel and pail too.
TIP # 4: If you have bicycles or want a nice walk, consider parking near the Port Moody Rec Centre and cycling or walking the trails back to Rocky Point Park.
TIP # 5: If you like the park and the music you hear, consider going back on another Sunday afternoon in July or August. Port Moody Summer Sundays is a free event that takes place weekly and features great bands.
Other Information
For more information about the Canada Day Weekend celebrations at Rocky Point Park, check out the Golden Spike Days website.
To learn more about the venue and surrounding area, click Port Moody or Rocky Point Park.
For a list of other places to celebrate the July Long Weekend, click Metro Vancouver Canada Day Celebrations.
For a list of other events in July and throughout the year, check out Vancouver’s July Calendar or Festivals & Events Calendar.
