Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair

Celebrated in Metro Vancouver with a parade, car show and other events, Victoria Day is a stat holiday that takes place on a Monday in May.

Major events on the May long weekend most years include the following:

Victoria Day Long Weekend

Victoria Day is always on the Monday before May 25th each year. So in 2024, the long weekend took place from May 17th to 20th.

The holiday commemorates the birthday of Queen Victoria, the British monarch who was born on May 24th, 1819.

Events that happened last year and that were back again in 2024 included the Cloverdale Rodeo, Royal Canadian International Circus, All British Field Meet Car Show at VanDusen Garden, Brewhalla Fort Langley and the Fort Langley May Day Parade. This year there was also PAW Patrol Live at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Spirits in the Park in Fort Langley, as well as special activities at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster. The Shipyards Night Market also happens every Friday this time of year.

British Car Show at VanDusen Garden

A major event that takes place most years on the Victoria Day long weekend is the Vancouver All British Field Meet. It features hundreds of classic British cars at VanDusen Garden. The car show happens on the Saturday, which in 2024 was on May 18th.

At the car show expect to see Rovers, Austins, Jaguars, MGs, Triumphs, Minis and various other beautiful British vehicles, plus hundreds of car fanatics. It’s an amazing event!

Click VanDusen Car Show for more information about the event in Vancouver.

British Cars at VanDusen Gardens — Vancouver All British Field Meet

The Cloverdale Rodeo

The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair takes place in Surrey at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on the Victoria Day long weekend. In 2024 the event ran from May 17th until the 20th.

The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair runs from the Friday to the Monday of the long weekend. It includes a rodeo with various cowboy competitions, amusement rides, farm animal displays and other carnival fair activities.

There are five rodeo shows over the weekend most years. One is usually on the Friday evening, two are on the Saturday and one is on the Sunday. The finals are typically on the holiday Monday.

Competitions at the rodeo include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, barrel racing and mutton busting. Also featuring at the Country Fair are a West Coast Lumberjack Show each day, skateboarding competitions with thousands of dollars’ worth of prize money, and country dancing each evening. Amusement rides are available throughout the weekend too.

To learn more about this event, see our article about the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.

Cloverdale Rodeo Bucking Bronco — The Cloverdale Rodeo

Cloverdale Rodeo Parade

The 2024 Cloverdale Rodeo Parade took place on Saturday, May 18th. The parade is a really good one, comprising over 80 entries including floats and marching bands. The parade is free to watch and it runs between 56th Avenue and 60th Avenue.

See our article about the Cloverdale Rodeo for more information.

Royal Canadian Circus

One of the Lower Mainland’s most popular attractions on the Victoria Day long weekend is the Royal Canadian International Circus. The Alberta-based circus brings acts from around the world to the Vancouver area each year in May or June.

The Royal Canadian International Circus is a great circus company and highly recommended. It returned to the Lower Mainland in 2024. The circus was in Richmond, at Lansdowne Centre, from May 16th until the 20th. It was also in Surrey earlier in the month.

(TIP: If you want to see the circus when it comes to town in 2025, and you want to save money, use the promo code VANSBESTPLACES and get 2-for-1 pricing on general admission.)

Paw Patrol Show

PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes Unite” showed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the Saturday and Sunday of May 18th and 19th in 2024. Five shows played during this show’s two-day run.

This brand-new production is an interactive live stage show, which means the audience gets to play along. Playgoers get to be honorary members of the pack and heroes for the day as they help the puppies.

PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes Unite” tells the story of Ryder and the puppies of PAW Patrol. The team is facing a challenge. Mayor Humdinger clones Robo Dog. What follows is mayhem around the world. PAW Patrol has to figure out a way to capture the clones and rescue Robo Dog. Here’s where audience participation comes in. Be a super hero and lend a paw to catch and rescue.

For tickets and to learn more, click PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes Unite” 2024.

Fort Langley Hawaiian Luau and May Days Parade & Festival

Fort Langley usually celebrates Victoria Day on the holiday Monday with a parade and community fair in the town and special events at the fort.

Celebrating its 102nd anniversary this year, the Fort Langley May Day Parade started at 11:00 am on Monday.

The parade usually goes along Mavis, then Glover Road, 88th Avenue, Trattle Street and St. Andrews before finishing at the Fort Langley Community Park. Fair events at the park include the piping in of the town’s May Queens, as well as May Pole dancing and live entertainment. It’s a small community event, but fun (especially for people from the area).

Dovetailing with the fair in the town, over at the Fort Langley National Historic Site, the Victoria Day activities typically include historic weapons, coopering and blacksmithing demonstrations.

In 2024, there was a special Hawaiian Luau at the historic site on Saturday, May 18th as well. It was a celebration of the Hawaiian Islands and their connection with the fort, presented in collaboration with The Spirit of the Pacific Cultural Society. The event featured Hawaiian-themed workshops, presentations, performances and other things to do a couple days before the community’s May Day festivities. On the holiday Monday, the Fort also had special activities.

For more information about the events at the fort over the weekend, see our article about the Fort Langley National Historic Site. Click Fort Langley May Day for more information about the Victoria Day celebrations in town.

Fort Langley Parade and Community Hall — Fort Langley May Day Parade

Fort Langley Beer & Spirits Events

In addition to the May Days Festival and Hawaiian Luau at the Fort in Fort Langley, on the long weekend there is also Brewhalla Fort Langley and Spirits in the Park. Both take place at Fort Langley Park. The first was a craft beer and music festival on Saturday, May 18th. The second was an all-inclusive craft spirits-tasting event on Sunday, May 19th.

If you are 19 years of age or older and like beer, wine, cider and/or craft beverages like gin, whisky or vodka, these are fabulous events to attend!

Playland at the PNE

Playland at the PNE opened for the season on Saturday, May 18th in 2024. It’s Vancouver’s main amusement park that runs on select dates throughout the summer.

The venue is a fun place for all ages, as there are all sorts of rides. Some are for little children, whereas the more serious experiences are for folks over 48 inches tall. The attraction was open on both the Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend this year.

TIP: Early-bird prices for season passes were available up until May 20th (which was Victoria Day). After that, prices went up by $20!

To learn more about the amusement park, see our article about Playland at the PNE.

Engine 374 Anniversary Event

Engine 374 is a restored locomotive that’s usually available to check out indoors at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown. It’s an important part of Vancouver’s history, as it was the first train to arrive in the city on May 23rd, 1887.

To commemorate the date, the train is moved outside for one day each year in May. The anniversary celebrations include musical performances, speeches and complimentary drinks and snacks. The event took place on Sunday, May 19th in 2024.

For more details about the small event, see our Engine 374 Anniversary article.

Fraser River Discovery Centre

The Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster hosts special activities in celebration of Asian Heritage Month. They ran from the Saturday until the Monday of the long weekend in 2024. Visitors could learn all about how Asian Canadians have made the Fraser River Basin a better place. All activities were included with general admission.

To learn more about the facility, see our article about the Fraser River Discovery Centre.

Other Weekend Activities

On the Victoria Day weekend there are also the following events most years:

Pro-D Day WildPlay Camp – in 2024 the ropes courses and ziplining attraction in Maple Ridge had a day camp for kids on Friday, May 17th.
Victoria Day at Burnaby Village Museum – Queen Victoria’s birthday is celebrated with extra live entertainment at the museum most years.
Shipyards Night Market – the night market has free admission, a beer garden, live entertainment, food trucks and lots of artisan vendors. It takes place at the waterfront in North Vancouver on Fridays between 3:00 pm and 10:00 pm. On May 17th the concerts were with Mitch Drew and the Scott Riddell Band.
Vancouver Comic Arts Festival – a comic and art-related event at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown. It happened on the Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend.

In past years, prior to the COVID era, there were also events at Stewart Farm in Surrey and a festival in Whistler. Stewart Farm used to celebrate on the Saturday of the long weekend with a Royal Victorian Party. Whistler Go Fest, meanwhile, featured outdoor sports competitions, art shows, live entertainment and other activities. Unfortunately, neither of these events happened in 2023. Hopefully they will again in the future.