Remembrance Day at Cates Park

North Shore Remembrance Day events take place in West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and, in the District of North Vancouver, at Cates Park.

The City of North Vancouver holds its main event at Victoria Park just off Lonsdale Avenue, and the District of West Vancouver holds its event at Memorial Park on Marine Drive.

Click Remembrance Day in City of North Van or Remembrance Day in West Vancouver for information about those two events. For details about the ceremony at Cates Park, see below.

There were no in-person Remembrance Day ceremonies at Cates Park in 2020 and 2021. The in-person event returned in 2022.

REMEMBRANCE DAY CONCERT IN 2022

In addition to the ceremonies in both the District and City of North Vancouver, there was also a Remembrance Day concert with the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir at Centennial Theatre on Sunday, November 6th.

Cates Park on Remembrance Day — Cates Park After the Remembrance Day Ceremony

Remembrance Day in Cates Park

The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver are two separate municipalities and they each have their own Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11th each year.

The District of North Vancouver has its main Remembrance Day event at Cates Park which is located at 4141 Dollarton Highway just a short drive from the village of Deep Cove. The event there is a smaller one and it is usually hosted by the Burrard Yacht Club.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the main Remembrance Day ceremony in the District of North Vancouver was not open to the public in 2020. In 2021 there were no public ceremonies happening either.

Fortunately, the ceremony returned as an in-person event on November 11th in 2022. Everyone is welcome to join the service at 10:15 am at Cates Park.

Cates Park itself is a beautiful venue, so a nice place to explore or enjoy a picnic after the ceremony in normal years (assuming good weather). There is a pier, walking trails along the waterfront and a giant kids’ playground.

The Cates Park Ceremonies

The ceremony at Cates Park starts at around 10:15 am or shortly thereafter. In years when the event is open to the public, it attracts several hundred people and includes the usual two minutes of silence, a prayer and the laying of wreathes. An area choir also often sings.

At the Remembrance Day event in 2019 participating vessels from the Burrard Yacht Club began to gather just off Roche Point at Cates Park prior to 10:30 am.

A couple of minutes before 11:00 am the Vice Commodore orders the flotilla to attention, Psalm 107 (verses 23-31) is read, the Last Post is played and then a cannon is fired. There is then the traditional two minutes of silence. This is usually followed by the Reveille bugle call at which time all vessels masthead their ensigns (i.e. raise their national flags). The event then finishes with a prayer and a hymn.