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.

2020 GOLDEN SPIKE DAYS CANCELLED

On March 23rd, 2020, the organizers of Port Moody’s annual Golden Spike Days event formally decided to cancel the festival out of concern about the coronavirus. The following was included in the official statement by the non-profit society that runs the festival:

“Although the Federal Ministry of Health continues to assess the health risk to Canadians as low in regard to the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Society feels that [it] is in the best interest of our community to cancel the event. ‘This decision was not an easy one,’ said Ken Nielsen, President of the Golden Spike Days Festival Society. ‘We are grateful to all of our volunteers, sponsors, suppliers and of course the general public for your understanding and support around this decision.’

‘Given the fact that the planning of the Festival is done exclusively by volunteers, it is difficult to adequately plan for the event given the short time period that could be remaining. In fairness, we also need to give as much notice as possible to our suppliers and vendors to make other plans’ said Nielsen.”

Hopefully the event will take place again in 2021. In the meantime though, sadly, for 2020, Port Moody’s regular Canada Day celebrations did not take place as usual this past year.

For more details about the cancellation of the Port Moody event, see the Golden Spike Days Festival Facebook page.

For a list of alternative ways you could celebrate July 1st in 2020 click Metro Vancouver Virtual Canada Day Festivities.

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 2020 Golden Spike Days was going to take place from Saturday, June 27th, until Wednesday, July 1st.

On the Saturday and Sunday it was going to run from 11 am until 11 pm, on the Tuesday from 11 am until 11 pm, and on the holiday Wednesday from 11 am until 6 pm. The event wasn’t going to run on the Monday of June 29th in 2020.

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, and enjoy a cool one at the beer garden while dreaming 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). The boat tours ran Saturday from 12 pm to 6 pm, Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm and then on Monday from 2:30 pm to 6 pm in 2019.  Arrive early to get your spot.

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 was also a car show on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10 am to 3 pm in 2019.

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. Strongbow also offers apple ciders for those who prefer cider to beer. Beverage tickets cost $7 each and are for sale until 10 pm each night, with last call at 10:30 pm.

A number of food trucks and snack-food vendors are on site throughout the weekend. Items for sale include flavoured shaved ice, fresh lemonade, ice cream, and a variety of ethnic and North American festival-style foods.  Whether it is your main meal you are looking for, or just a snack or treat, you’ll find it here at Golden Spike Days.

Live Entertainment

Live entertainment at Golden Spike Days included free concerts by some big name bands such as Big Sugar, Prism and Harlequin in 2019. It also included performances by other great but lesser-known groups, plus musicians, dancers, and entertainers from the Tri-Cities Got Talent competition. Stay tuned to find out who will be performing in 2021!

See below for the entertainment lineup on the festival’s main stage.

• • 12:15 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
  • 1:00 pm – City Opening Ceremonies
    
  • 1:45 pm – Spike Driving
  • 2:00 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent
  • 2:45 pm – Spike Driving
    
  • 3:00 pm – Tri-City’s Got Talent Winners
    
  • 3:15 pm – Tiller’s Folley
  • 4:30 pm – Golden Spike Can Can Dancers
  • 5:00 pm – Spike Driving
  • 5:15 pm – Tiller’s Folley
    

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 June and July, or throughout the year, check out Vancouver’s June Calendar, July Calendar or Festivals & Events Calendar.