John Lawson Park at Harmony Arts Festival

The Harmony Arts Festival features market vendors, beer gardens, live music, art displays and entertainment along the waterfront in West Vancouver in August.

In 2025 the festival ran from August 1st to 10th (which included the BC Day long weekend). The festival’s 2026 dates are likely from July 31st to August 9th. Exact details, though, are to be confirmed. Other events that happen elsewhere in the Lower Mainland around this time of year are Celebrate BC, the BC Dumpling Festival and Shipyards Night Market (all of which are free).

See the Lower Mainland’s August Calendar of Events to learn more about the above and other events that happen this month. Continue reading, however, to learn about the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver.

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Harmony Arts Festival

In 2025 the Harmony Arts Festival ran from Friday, August 1st, until Sunday, August 10th.

The free family-friendly festival runs for 10 days each year and draws thousands of people every day. As many as 140,000 attend t`he event.

We highly recommend the Harmony Arts Festival if you like art and live music against a magnificent ocean backdrop. It’s also one of the Lower Mainland’s most beautiful areas when there is lots going on.

There is an art market along Argyle Avenue as well as art exhibits and food trucks. There is also live music every day at Millennium Park.

Harmony Arts Festival Concert — Concert Stage at Millennium Park

What’s Going On and Where?

The setting for the Harmony Arts Festival is beautiful. The venue stretches from the westernmost tip of Ambleside Park around the end of 14th Street all the way to John Lawson Park by 17th Street and Argyle Avenue in West Vancouver. Much of the venue is right along the ocean, with views of Stanley Park and English Bay.

Harmony Arts at Millennium Park

Millennium Park is about halfway between Ambleside and John Lawson Park. It’s here where you’ll find food, a beer garden and live music.

During the festival the patio and lounge are nice places to enjoy drinks and sit at a table while enjoying the live entertainment and marveling at the scenery. If you go towards the end of the afternoons, you’ll be treated to majestic cruise liners up close as they sail out into the open ocean. The live music occurs on the outdoor stage during the daytime and evenings every day.

WHERE TO STAY

Want to turn your time at the Harmony Arts Festival into a mini staycation? Then consider staying a night or two at a local hotel. There aren’t any hotels in West Vancouver, but there are in North Vancouver, next door, including the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier at the Shipyards (which is our favourite North Shore place to stay). There are also many great hotels in downtown Vancouver, which is just a short drive away. The Westin Bayshore and Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel, for example, are both less than a 15-minute drive away when traffic is good.

If booking a room at a hotel in downtown Vancouver, we recommend checking out the website StayVancouverHotels.com. The site usually has very competitive rates, plus it offers bonus gifts for using it to make your reservation. See our article about Stay Vancouver Hotels for details.

Concerts at Millennium Park

During the Harmony Arts Festival, outdoor concerts take place at Millennium Park. This is located at the foot of 15th Avenue about halfway between John Lawson Park and Ambleside in West Vancouver.

There are plenty of concerts in Millennium Park throughout the festival. Below was the lineup for 2025.

(Note: Times and performer details were subject to change.)

Friday, August 1st Concerts in 2025

5:30 pm – Marlie Collins
7:00 pm – John Welsh & Los Valientes
8:30 pm – The Paperboys

Saturday, August 2nd Concerts in 2025

1:15 pm – Nevaeh Dyson
2:15 pm – Ben Wayne Kyle
3:15 pm – Emma Currie
4:15 pm – Ryan McMahon
5:30 pm – Jeff Standfield Band
7:00 pm – Krystle Dos Santos
8:30 pm – Coco Jafro

Sunday, August 3rd Concerts in 2025

1:15 pm – Eunice Keitan
2:15 pm – Harris & DeBray
3:15 pm – Elise LeBlanc
4:15 pm – Charlie Pears-Smith
5:30 pm – Marcus Mosely
7:00 pm – Angela Kelman & The Polyester Philharmonic
8:30 pm – Mazacote

Monday, August 4th Concerts in 2025

1:15 pm – Sandy Scofield
2:15 pm – Blake Havard
3:15 pm – Shannon Gaye
4:15 pm – Big Little Lions
5:30 pm – Ladies Sing the Blues
7:00 pm – Moondance: The Van Morrison Songbook Featuring Bruce Coughlan
8:30 pm – Odyssey

ALCOHOL ALLOWED IN MILLENNIUM PARK

When there isn’t an event going on in the summer, people are allowed to drink alcohol in Millennium Park. You can take your own alcohol. You don’t have to buy it there, which makes it extra affordable. During the Harmony Arts Festival, however, you can’t take your own alcohol into the festival’s official “fenced-off area.” You can take it, though, and drink your beverage in the part of the park that’s outside the fenced-off area.

Tuesday, August 5th Concerts in 2025

5:30 pm – Honeybear
7:00 pm – HB Wild
8:30 pm – Deep Cutzzz

Wednesday, August 6th Concerts in 2025

5:30 pm – Cousin Harley
7:00 pm – The Matinee
8:30 pm – DREAMS – Tribute to Fleetwood Mac

Thursday, August 7th Concerts in 2025

5:30 pm – Scott Jacobs
7:00 pm – Michelle Creber
8:30 pm – March Hare Band

TIP: The best days to visit the Harmony Arts Festival are Fridays and Sundays. That’s because on Fridays you can combine your trip with a visit to the Shipyards Night Market which is amazing and just a short drive away, in North Vancouver. Also, on Sundays, there is the Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market (so you can do some shopping and pick up picnic ingredients to enjoy at the festival). There is also usually more happening at the festival on weekends than weekdays.

Friday, August 8th Concerts in 2025

5:30 pm – Quickness
7:00 pm – Serengeti
8:30 pm – Bobby Bruce’s Nearly Neil & The Solitary Band

Saturday, August 9th Concerts in 2025

1:15 pm – Dreams2Reality
2:15 pm – Earl Jenkins
3:15 pm – LJ Mounteney
4:15 pm – Alma Narrows
5:30 pm – Headlong Hearts
7:00 pm – ZADA
8:30 pm – Julio Avila Cuban Band

Sunday, August 10th Concerts in 2025

1:15 pm – The Stolen Hearts
2:15 pm – Ranj Singh
3:15 pm – Cannery Row
4:15 pm – Hayley Wallis & The Bright Futures
5:30 pm – Dawn Pemberton
7:00 pm – Tanner Olsen Band
8:30 pm – Side One

Harmony Arts Festival Garden Stage — Millennium Park Stage

Harmony Arts at Argyle Avenue

Argyle Avenue is the lane that goes along West Vancouver near the waterfront, connecting Ambleside with John Lawson Park.

It’s normally a small roadway for cars and bicycles with parking along the side. During the Harmony Arts Festival, however, the lane is set up with rows of market stalls with artists selling their works.

Harmony Arts at John Lawson Park

Concerts and outdoor movies used to take place during the festival in John Lawson Park years ago, but not anymore. Various art-related events do still happen at the park, however, including plenty of hands-on activities. The 2025 schedule included new art activities like demos, workshops, culinary arts and Indigenous carving sessions.

Friday, August 1st, 2025

2:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Saturday, August 2nd, 2025

11:30 am to 2:00 pm – Creatures from the Sea
12:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm – Weaving Small Baskets with Invasive Ivy

Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

11:00 am to 4:30 pm – An Interactive Art Project: Create a Giant Octopus with Nickie Lewis
12:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Harmony Arts Art Market — Artist Stalls Along Argyle Avenue

Monday, August 4th, 2025

11:00 am to 4:30 pm – An Interactive Art Project: Create a Giant Octopus with Nickie Lewis
12:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Tuesday, August 5th, 2025

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Wednesday, August 6th, 2025

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Best of the West

Thursday, August 7th, 2025

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Friday, August 8th, 2025

2:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Saturday, August 9th, 2025

10:00 am to 2:00 pm – Grand Prix Plein Air Challenge
12:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Sunday, August 10th, 2025

12:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Xwalacktun & Friends Carving Studio

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most of your time at the festival.

TIP #1: The best times to visit the festival are in the evenings and on the weekends, although that’s also when it’s the most crowded. It can be pretty quiet during the daytime on weekdays. There’s more to see and listen to in the evenings, and all the art displays come out on the weekends.

TIP #2: If coming over the Lions Gate Bridge from downtown, try to avoid rush hour. During the morning rush on the three-lane bridge, there will likely be two lanes of traffic heading southbound into Vancouver and only one going northbound to the North Shore. The opposite is usually the case in the late afternoon and early evening, although that’s not always the case.

TIP #3: Make a day of your visit. There is so much going on, with all the music and things to see. There is also much to see and do in the area. While at the festival, go for a stroll along the seawall, take the kids to the giant kids’ play area at John Lawson Park, have a swim in the ocean, or enjoy the sun on the sand. And if you don’t want to spend the whole day at the festival, then check out all the other top attractions to visit nearby, like Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.

TIP #4: Parking can be a challenge. Take public transit if you can. If you drive, though, there is parking at Ambleside Park at the bottom of 13th Avenue. There is also street parking along the lower part of West Vancouver nearby. Park Royal Shopping Mall isn’t too far away either, although you’re not supposed to park there when you’re not shopping.