Ladner May Days

Metro Vancouver’s Ladner May Days takes place in Ladner’s Memorial Park on the last weekend of May. It features live music, amusement rides and a parade.

Ladner May Days celebrates its 130th year on the weekend of May 22nd to 24th in 2026. It’s a great event and admission is free.

See the official Ladner May Days website for full details about the weekend.

This article contains the following information about Ladner May Days:

Ladner May Days Festival

Established in 1896, Ladner May Days is a free, family-friendly community fair that also features a baseball tournament and various carnival activities. It’s a good-sized event and a wonderfully community-focused one.

There is a midway with rides all weekend. On the Sunday there is the pancake breakfast followed by the Ladner May Days Parade which starts at noon.

Visit ladnermaydays.com for the event’s official website.

May Days Times and Location

Ladner May Days takes place on the weekend after the May long weekend. In 2026 the festival happens on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of May 22nd to 24th. Festivities run on the Friday from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm, on the Saturday from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, and on the Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The fair and amusement rides are at Memorial Park at 5010-47th Avenue in Ladner (which is part of the municipality of Delta, about a 30-minute drive south of Vancouver).

Ladner May Days Activities

At Ladner May Days there are lots of activities for children including face painting, live music and other family-friendly fun. Of course, there is also the midway with rides, the parade, a fastball tournament and lots of other things to see and do.

Every year there are several food trucks on-site offering cuisine from various countries, as well as plant-based dishes, mini donuts, ice cream and other favourites. Market vendors are also at the event. There are free pony rides, a petting zoo, gold panning opportunities and other activities for kids.

Admission to Ladner May Days is free. However, you have to pay to go on the rides and play the midway games. You also have to pay for any food, drinks and souvenirs you want to buy. In the past, the pancake breakfast cost around $8 for adults and $5 for kids (with funds benefiting the Tsawwassen Boundary Bay Lions Club). Pretty much everything else is free.

Visit ladnermaydays.com for the event’s official website.

May Days Midway

In addition to a ball tournament and community parade, one of the main features of Ladner May Days is the midway.

The fair is basically a small-town carnival with Shooting Star Amusements rides, midway games and colourful vendors selling cotton candy, popcorn and caramel apples. It’s a really good carnival fair, and in a nice location.

Unlike many midways, the one at Ladner May Days is primarily on the grass at the park. Consequently, it’s quite pleasant as it’s not dusty or on the hard concrete at a shopping mall as is often the case at similar events.

Ladner May Days Midway

Midway Times and Prices

Amusement rides operate from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm on the Friday, from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm on the Saturday, and from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm on the Sunday.

Prices for midway amusement rides vary depending on how many tickets you buy at a time.

Single Ticket: $1.50 (in 2024)
All-Day Wristband: $40 (or $30 if purchased online ahead of the event)

The rides are operated by Shooting Star Amusements and each ride normally costs between three and six tickets. Little kid rides like the Mini Helicopters, Space Train and Berry Go Round usually cost three or four tickets. Rides like the Ferris Wheel, Sizzler and Zipper for older youth and adults require between four and six tickets.

TIP #1: The all-day wristband is definitely the best deal if you plan to spend a lot of time on the rides.

TIP #2: You can save yourself about $10 if you buy your wristband in advance on the Shooting Stars Amusements website. To get the discount, however, you have to buy your pass in advance of the event.

Visit ladnermaydays.com for the event’s official website.

Ladner May Days Crowds

May Days Parade

In 2026 the Ladner May Days parade takes place on Sunday, May 24th, at 12:00 pm with the centre piece being the May Royal Court float. Children love the parade as it’s usually themed. 2026’s parade theme is Pirates of the Fraser River.

The parade normally starts on Delta Street at the corner with Trenant Street. It then goes east along 48th Avenue a short distance, down Elliot Street, and then along 47th Avenue to Garry Street. It finishes by Memorial Park with the traditional May Pole Dance and the May Royal Court Crowning Ceremony ending the three-day festivities.

Check out the following video to see what the parade looks like. The video shows scenes of the event from 2022.

Other May Day Activities

All sorts of other activities take place during Ladner May Days over the course of the weekend including a fastball tournament all three days and a pancake breakfast on the Sunday morning.

TIP: While in town, if the weather is good, go for a stroll along the riverfront. It won’t be a long walk, but it’s a pleasant one.

Visit ladnermaydays.com for the event’s official website.

Schedule of Events

See below for the schedule of events and entertainment at the festival this past year. The 2026 schedule will likely be similar, though exact details are to be confirmed.

(Note: Schedule details were subject to change and more events may have been added.)

Friday, May 23rd, 2025

4:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Shooting Star Amusement Rides
6:30 pm: Ladner May Days Invitational (Fast Pitch)

Saturday, May 24th, 2025

8:00 am: Ladner May Days Invitational Starts (Fast Pitch)
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Artisan Market
11:00 am – 10:00 pm: Shooting Star Amusement Rides
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Gold panning, face painting and more
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Beer Garden
6:00 pm: Ladner May Days Invitational (Final Game Starts)

In addition to the above, there was live entertainment on the main stage between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. The schedule of performances is below.

Main Stage Entertainment Schedule

10:30 am: Delta Community Music School
11:45 am: O’Brien School of Irish Dance
12:15 pm: Venus and Mars
2:15 pm: Rachael Chatoor
3:30 pm: Roadside Attraction

Sunday, May 25th, 2025

8:00 am: Ladner May Days Invitational Starts
8:00 am – 11:00 am: Pancake Breakfast
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Artisan Market
11:00 am – 5:00 pm: Shooting Star Amusement Rides
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Gold panning, face painting and more
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Beer Garden
12:00 pm: May Days Parade
1:00 pm: Crowning of the Court
3:00 pm: Ladner May Days Invitational (Final Game)

Live entertainment ran from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on the Sunday. The performance schedule for 2025 is below.

Main Stage Entertainment Schedule

10:00 am: Delta Community Music School
12:00 pm: Geoff’s Top Hits
1:15 pm: May Days Ceremony
2:30 pm: Dance Party
3:30 pm: Dean Michael Smith

Ladner May Days Video

Check out the following video for an idea of what Ladner May Days looks like. The video shows scenes of the fairgrounds, amusement rides and ball games from a few years ago.

Other Information

See the official Ladner May Days website for more information about the event.

See our Festivals and Events Calendar for a list of other events in the Lower Mainland. Another article you might also be interested in is Lower Mainland Events with Amusement Rides.

Other top attractions not far from Ladner include the following:

Boundary Bay Regional Park – a nice park with a large sandy beach, walking and cycling trails and a great children’s play area in Tsawwassen.
Deas Island Regional Park – a park on a semi-island on the Fraser River between Delta and Richmond.
Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary – a great place for bird watching on nearby Westham Island.
Ladner Village Market – a summer artisan and farmers market in downtown Ladner on two Sundays a month between June and early September.