The Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival is a free event celebrating Caribbean food, music and culture in Maple Ridge on the August Long Weekend.

In 2023 the festival happened at the Albion Fairgrounds on August 5th and 6th.

The Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival

In 2020 the Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival was going to take place on August 1st and 2nd, which was the Saturday and Sunday of the BC Day Long Weekend. Because of the coronavirus, however, the in-person event was cancelled. The 2021 festival was cancelled as well. In 2022 the Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival returned on July 30th and 31st.

The 2023 event took place on Saturday, August 5th and Sunday, August 6th. There was also a launch party that happened on Thursday, August 3rd. The festival’s dates for 2024 are still to be confirmed.

The event is held at the Albion Fairgrounds at 23448 105th Avenue in Maple Ridge. It usually goes from around 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm on the Saturday and from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm on the Sunday. Admission to the venue is free.

Caribbean Festival Activities

Activities at the Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival normally include live music performances, a Kids’ Zone, food trucks and a marketplace featuring close to four dozen vendors and community organization informational booths.

At the festival there are exotic Caribbean foods available, like barbecued chicken and fancy fruit drinks. There is also colourful Caribbean-style clothing for sale and all kinds of souvenirs in the market most years.

On the festival grounds there are a couple of stages – the aptly-named Marley Stage and the Caribbean Stage. Most years there is also, of course, a beer garden.

Music Lineup

Arguably the main attraction at the Caribbean Festival is the free live music (although the food is pretty good too). The 2023 entertainment schedule is listed below. Exact details, however, were subject to change.

Saturday, August 5th, 2023

• 1:00 pm – Mosaic Riddim (Caribbean Stage)
• 2:00 pm – Mr Fantastik (Marley Stage)
• 3:00 pm – Boomdaddy (Caribbean Stage)
• 4:00 pm – Maffi & the Vulcano Band (Marley Stage)
• 5:00 pm – Mivule (Caribbean Stage)
• 6:00 pm – Tambore Fusion (Marley Stage)
• 7:30 pm – Ultimate Marley Experience (Marley Stage)

Sunday, August 6th, 2023

• 12:30 pm – Kassa Jones (Caribbean Stage)
• 1:15 pm – ZAHARA (Caribbean Stage)
• 2:00 pm – XKalibre (Marley Stage)
• 3:00 pm – Phonosonics (Caribbean Stage)
• 4:00 pm – Out of Many (Marley Stage)
• 5:00 pm – Tropical Breeze (Caribbean Stage)
• 6:00 pm – Carl Soundvibes Soca Xperience Dancers (Caribbean Stage)
• 7:00 pm – Phase 3 (Caribbean Stage)

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most of your Maple Ridge Caribbean Days experience.

TIP #1: Plan to eat at the festival. With close to 20 food trucks and vendor stalls, the range of Caribbean food choices is pretty impressive! It’s not all Caribbean, but there’s still quite a bit of it.

TIP #2: If you like Reggae and other Caribbean music, and want to experience Maple Ridge at its most exotic, then check out this event! It’s a good music festival with lots of great bands!

TIP #3: Arrive early if you hope to find parking near the venue.

TIP #4: Take your lawn chairs, sun hat, sunscreen, camera, and water bottle. And if it’s a hot day (as it is many years), don’t forget to stay hydrated.

TIP #5: Parking at the venue is usually free at other times of the year, but it costs around $3 on the day of the festival. The fees collected help offset the cost of the event. If you continue past the venue though there is also lots of free parking at the Albion Sports Complex which is located at 23778 104th Avenue. It’s about a three-minute drive away along the road, but just a five-minute walk back via an easy-to-find trail.

Other Information

For more information on the August music festival see the Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival website.

To learn about the area see our article about the City of Maple Ridge.

For a list of other events in the Lower Mainland at various times of the year, check out the Festivals & Events Calendar or click August Calendar.

For a list of other events taking place on the same weekend, click BC Day Long Weekend.

If you like this kind of event and music, similar festivals you might like include the following:

• Carnaval del Sol – the largest Latin festival in the Pacific Northwest at Vancouver’s False Creek in July or August.
• Caribbean Days Festival – in North Vancouver in late July.
• Fiesta Mexicana – a Mexican festival that takes place some (but not all) years in Vancouver’s Yaletown in September.