Fort Langley’s May Day celebrations include a pancake breakfast and a parade on Victoria Day. In the afternoon there are also family-friendly activities in the park.
May Days takes place on May 22nd in 2023. Also happening on the same long weekend is the All British Field Meet show at VanDusen Garden, the Cloverdale Rodeo in Surrey, and Royal Canadian Circus in Richmond. Other long weekend events include the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival and a Victoria Day Boat Party.
To learn about the above and other events happening around the same time, see our article about the May Long Weekend. To learn more about May Days in Langley, continue reading.
May Day in Fort Langley
The May Day events in Fort Langley take place on the statutory holiday Monday before May 25th each year. In other words, they happen on the last day of the May Long Weekend. The parade and event in the park attract several thousand people, including many young families.
In 2023 the 101st edition of May Day in Fort Langley happens on Monday, May 22nd.
Before the parade, from 8:00 am until 10:30 am, there is a pancake breakfast hosted by the local Lions Club. The cost is $6 in cash per person. After the parade there are family-friendly activities in the park from noon until 4:00 pm. That’s where you’ll see the May Queen, May Pole dancing, and bouncy castle-type activities for children. There are also food trucks at the event as well as live entertainment.
As of the end of April, the entertainment lineup for 2023 is to be confirmed. For an idea of what to expect, the entertainment lineup from 2022 was the following:
- 1:00 pm – Penny Pom Pom
- 2:00 pm – Ava Hamill
- 3:00 pm – Mark Schurch
- 3:45 pm – Derby Town
- 5:00 pm – Matlen Starsley Band
- 6:00 pm – Country Music Star Chad Brownlee
JAZZ CONCERTS IN JULY
Another exceptional event in the community later in the year is the Odlum Brown Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival. It’s a terrific event that features live music, art displays and other fun activities (many of which are free)! There is arguably no better time to be in Fort Langley than in the summer when the Jazz festival is taking place!
In 2023 the Jazz festival runs from Thursday, July 20th, until Sunday, July 23rd.
About May Day in Fort Langley
The parade is impressive for a small community and worth the trip out to see, especially if you have young children. The May Day event in the park is small, simple and of most interest to locals and folks with children taking part in the performances, but still worth a look if you’re in the area.
Activities at the Fort Langley heritage site usually include barrel-making, musket-firing and blacksmithing demonstrations. All three of these May Day events combined make a visit to Fort Langley on the Victoria Day weekend each year a great way to spend the holiday Monday.
The town of Fort Langley is one of Vancouver’s best places any time of the year, but especially on special occasions like this.
Fort Langley Parade
The annual May Day Parade in Fort Langley is a pretty good parade. Taking place in the historic town since 1922, the parade lasts for over an hour and includes marching bands, a few floats and lots of antique cars and tractors.
The Parade Route
The parade begins at 11:00 am on Church Street. The street runs parallel to Glover Road, the town’s main street located just a few blocks from the Fort Langley National Historic Site.
Processions then go west along Mavis Avenue in the direction of the town and away from the fort, and then south along Glover, west on 88th Avenue, north on Trattle Street, and then east on St. Andrews Avenue. The parade finishes at the Fort Langley Community Park where the May Day in the Park community event then takes place.
Where to Be and What to Expect at the Parade
Some of the best places to watch the parade are in the heart of the town along Mavis Street between Church Street and Glover Road, or anywhere along Glover, especially between Mavis and a few blocks past the cemetery.
Near the cemetery and just past it on Glover there are trees with considerable foliage, so an especially good area if there’s a chance of rain and you don’t have an umbrella.
At the parade expect some entries giving out free candy, a few marching bands and community-group trucks and floats. There are also the Fort Langley May Day Queen and runner-up contestants, local politicians waving from their cars and numerous classic and antique vehicles. There are more tractors and heritage farm equipment than almost any other Lower Mainland parade.
From start to finish, the parade most years lasts for about 80 to 90 minutes.
Parade Tips & Advice
The following are a couple of tips to help you maximize your parade-time enjoyment.
TIP #1: Arrive early to claim a vacant spot at the side of the road and take a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.
TIP #2: While waiting for the parade to start, get your friend or a family member to save your spot and then head over to 9025 Glover Road and the Fort Langley Village Farmers Market. This normally takes place on Saturdays outside the town’s historic church but runs for an extra session most years on Victoria Day.
May Day in the Park
After the May Day Parade the holiday celebrations continue in nearby Fort Langley Community Park, which is located at St. Andrews Avenue and Nash Street.
Festivities at the park run from about 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Activities usually include short welcomes by local politicians, May Pole dancing by area school children and the crowning of the new elementary school-aged Community Queen.
At the fair there is also live entertainment. Performers in 2022 included Chad Brownlee, Matlen Starsley and Tom Hammel. The 2023 lineup is to be confirmed.
There are usually a couple of simple amusement ride contraptions for young kids as well, plus a display of cars from the parade and a variety of food trucks. Basically it’s a simple yet popular little community event.
TIP: If you pack a picnic, head to the park as soon as you can before the crowds so that you can find an empty table.
Victoria Day at the Fort
In addition to all the free events going on in town on the Victoria Day Monday, special activities also usually take place at Fort Langley at the fort.
Located just a few blocks from the heart of downtown, Fort Langley is a historic Hudson’s Bay Company fort that’s open to the public.
The fort is a great place to visit and experience a bit of British Columbian history, especially in the summer and on holidays when they offer things like coopering demonstrations, rifle-firing opportunities and informational talks in the fort’s blacksmithing shop.
Other Information
To learn more about the historic site, see the Fort Langley Fort or the Parks Canada Calendar of Fort Events.
For further details about the Fort Langley May Day Parade and other activities, click Fort Langley May Day.
To learn more about the town of Fort Langley, see our article about Fort Langley.
For other events taking place in the Lower Mainland, see Victoria Day or Vancouver’s Calendar of Festivals and Events.
For information about the largest May Long Weekend parade in British Columbia, and one of the largest parades of any kind in Canada in fact, visit the website VictoriasBestPlaces.com.
