John Lawson Park at Harmony Arts Festival

The Harmony Arts Festival features live music, art displays, outdoor movies and other entertainment along the waterfront in West Vancouver in August.

In 2023 the festival runs from August 4th to 13th which includes the BC Day Long Weekend. Other events happening around the same time in the Lower Mainland include the Vancouver Summer Festival, Abbotsford Agrifair and Brigade Days in Fort Langley, plus a number of other festivals. Live theatre also happens at Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park and at Bard on the Beach at Vanier Park.

Note: The outdoor movies at the Harmony Arts Festival last year were cancelled. The festival still took place, and so did the free outdoor concerts. The films that normally occur each evening, however, didn’t happen. Hopefully they will this upcoming season.

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Harmony Arts Festival

In 2023 the Harmony Arts Festival runs from Friday, August 4th, until Sunday, August 13th.

The free family-friendly festival runs for about 10 days each year and usually draws thousands of people each day. During normal years, as many as 140,000 attend over the course of the event.

We highly recommend the Harmony Arts Festival if you like art, live music or free outdoor movies. It’s also one of the Lower Mainland’s most beautiful areas when there are lots going on.

In 2022 there was an art market along Argyle Avenue as well as art exhibits and food trucks set up every day, and daily live music at Millennium Park. 2023 will likely be the same, although exact details are to be confirmed.

What’s Going On and Where?

The venue for the Harmony Arts Festival 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.

Beer and View from Millennium Park — The View from Beer-Friendly Millennium Park

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.

When the festival isn’t happening, as of the summer of 2022, people can drink alcohol at Millennium Park. You can take your own booze and drink it openly in designated areas between 12 pm and dusk. During the Harmony Arts Festival, however, you can’t take your own alcohol. You have to buy it from the beer garden instead.

During the festival the patio and lounge are nice places to enjoy drinks and sit at a table while enjoying the live entertainment. The live music occurs on the outdoor stage during the daytime and evenings every day.

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 is the full schedule.

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

Friday, July 29th Concerts in 2022

3:15 pm – Dante Hadden
4:15 pm – Bukola
5:30 pm – Early Spirit
7:00 pm – Yvonne Kushe
8:30 pm – The Paperboys

Saturday, July 30th Concerts in 2022

12:15 pm – Taylor James
1:15 pm – Justine Lynn
2:15 pm – Rob Fillo
3:15 pm – 24 Strings
4:15 pm – Maddie King

Sunday, July 31st Concerts in 2022

12:00 pm – Seniors’ Concert
2:15 pm – Claire Coupland
3:15 pm – Cookin’ with Brass
4:15 pm – Colin Bullock
5:30 pm – LJ Mounteney
7:00 pm – Jim Byrnes
8:30 pm – Trilojay

Monday, August 1st Concerts in 2022

12:15 pm – Headlong Hearts
1:15 pm – Reid Jamieson Band
2:15 pm – Dakota Pearl
3:15 pm – Matt Storm
4:15 pm – Robin Layne & The Rhythm Makers
5:30 pm – Cayla Brooke
7:00 pm – Best Night Ever
8:30 pm – R&B Allstars

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, you can’t take your own alcohol into the festival’s official “fenced-off area”. You can, however, take it and drink it in the part of the park that’s outside the fenced-off area.

Tuesday, August 2nd Concerts in 2022

4:15 pm – Terminal Station
5:30 pm – Leora Cashe & Groovetown Market

Wednesday, August 3rd Concerts in 2022

2:00 pm – Seniors’ Concert
4:15 pm – Glass Forest
5:30 pm – The Splinters
7:00 pm – Bitterly Divine
8:30 pm – Eagle Eyes: Tribute to the Eagles

Thursday, August 4th Concerts in 2022

4:15 pm – Just A Season
5:30 pm – Shari Ulrich
7:00 pm – John Reischman & The Jaybirds
8:00 pm – Redeye Empire

Harmony Arts Festival Garden Stage — Millennium Park Stage

Friday, August 5th Concerts in 2022

2:00 pm – Diane Lines’ JUMP
3:15 pm – Murfitt & Main
4:15 pm – Nikita Alfonso
5:30 pm – Etienne Siew
7:00 pm – The Whiskeydicks
8:30 pm – Chilliwack

Saturday, August 6th Concerts in 2022

12:15 pm – Stone Poets
1:15 pm – Zerah
2:15 pm – Lonesome Town Painters
3:15 pm – Hayley Wallis and the Bright Futures
4:15 pm – Kentucky Eileen
5:30 pm – Jackson Hollow
7:00 pm – Mazacote
8:30 pm – Warren Dean Flandez

Sunday, August 7th Concerts in 2022

3:15 pm – Tiller’s Folly
4:15 pm – The Big Coast
5:30 pm – Matlen Starsley
7:00 pm – Julio Avila Cuban Band
8:30 pm – Soulstream

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, but it’s set up with rows of market stalls with artists selling their works during the Harmony Arts Festival.

There are also various spots along the way between John Lawson Park and Ambleside with places to buy food, see art displays and take in art demonstrations.

Harmony Arts Art Market — Artist stalls along Argyle Avenue

Harmony Arts at John Lawson Park

The main stage for the Sunset Concerts is usually set up at John Lawson Park. The nightly live music normally starts at around 7:30 pm and features a variety of great musical talent. John Lawson is also the site for Cinema in the Park outdoor movies most years (but not in 2022 or the previous couple of years).

In 2021, because of the scaled-back format, there were no nightly movies or concerts at John Lawson Park. Movies were planned for 2022, but then got cancelled. Hopefully they’ll be back in 2023.

Sunset Concert Series at Harmony Arts Festival — Outdoor concerts at John Lawson Park

Harmony Arts Movies

There are usually free outdoor movies shown in Johan Lawson Park starting around 9:00 pm each night. They didn’t happen in 2021. The films were going to take place in 2022, however, on evenings between July 29th and August 6th. In July, however, they all got cancelled for some reason. Below was the schedule for this year.

Friday, July 29th, 2022 – The Adam Project (CANCELLED)
Saturday, July 30th, 2022 – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (CANCELLED)
Sunday, July 31st, 2022 – Encanto (CANCELLED)
Monday, August 1st, 2022 – Summer of Soul (CANCELLED)
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (CANCELLED)
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 – Singin’ in the Rain (CANCELLED)
Thursday, August 4th, 2022 – Men in Black (CANCELLED)
Friday, August 5th, 2022 – Luca (CANCELLED)
Saturday, August 6th, 2022 – Legally Blonde (CANCELLED)

TIP: For the movies and music concerts, take your own lawn chairs and something warm to wear. Also, note that movies and exact start times are subject to change.

Concerts at John Lawson Park

As mentioned earlier, concerts usually take place in John Lawson Park at the foot of 17th Street in West Vancouver starting at 7:30 pm each evening. Like with the movies, no concerts happened in 2021 at this venue and they aren’t happening here in 2022 either.

Harmony Arts Festival Tips

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your time at the Harmony Arts 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, with the opposite in the evening.

TIP #3: Make a day of your visit – there is so much going on, with all the music, outdoor evening movies (in typical years) and things to see. There is also a lot to see and do in the area, including the beaches.

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 world-class places to visit nearby on the North Shore.

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-side parking along the lower part of West Vancouver nearby. Park Royal Shopping Mall is just a 10-minute-or-so walk away as well, although you’re not supposed to park there when you’re not shopping.