The Harrison Festival of the Arts is a 10-day festival at Harrison Hot Springs in the Fraser Valley that features an artisan market, workshops and concerts.
In 2025 the 46th annual festival took place from July 11th to 20th. Festival dates for 2026 are to be confirmed.
TIP: While you’re in the Harrison area, be sure to also visit the Sasquatch Museum and Kilby Historic Site. Both are very interesting places. The first has free admission and the second has special activities and demonstrations in the summer.
Visit the Harrison Festival of the Arts website for full details about this event.
Click on any of the following to skip to a specific section:
Festival Details | Venues | Tickets | Festival Activities | Music on the Beach | Waterfront Artisan Market | Workshops | Visual Art Exhibits | Evening Shows in the Hall | Children’s Day | Tips & Advice | Other Information
Harrison Festival of the Arts
For over 45 years Harrison Hot Springs has been celebrating this fabulous family-friendly event each summer with both national and international artists.
The festival includes live music of all kinds, visual arts displays, an artisan market, workshops and an evening of live theatre. There is also a special day for children.
Many of the activities at the Harrison Festival of the Arts are free or by donation, while others are ticketed. Concerts take place outdoors by the waterfront. Every evening there is a live performance of some kind at the Harrison Memorial Hall located at 290 Esplanade Avenue.
Visit harrisonfestival.com for the festival’s official website.
Festival Details
In 2025 the festival ran from Friday, July 11th, to Sunday, July 20th. There were free concerts on the Beach Stage in the middle of town. There were also ticketed events in a hall, plus an artisan market, art exhibits and more.
Continue reading below to learn more about this past year’s Harrison Festival of the Arts.
Arts Festival Venues
The Harrison Festival of the Arts takes place in Harrison Hot Springs which is a beautiful lakeside resort town a couple of hours east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. Harrison Hot Springs is a small place with natural hot springs, restaurants, hotels and magnificent views of the mountains and stunning Harrison Lake.
The outdoor concerts take place in the park between the main boulevard and the lake at the festival, as does the artisan market a little further down the way. Workshops are at the Memorial Hall at 290 Esplanade Avenue during the day, and ticketed shows are at the same location each evening.
The festival’s art exhibition takes place at the Ranger Station Art Gallery at 98 Rockwell Drive.
Click Harrison Festival of the Arts for the event’s official website.
Festival Ticket Information
The waterfront artisan market at the Harrison Festival of the Arts is free to browse. Concerts on the outdoor stage are also free. However, organizers of the beach concerts ask you to buy a Festival Button for a “donation” of at least $2 if you can. Workshop admission and access to the art gallery is also by donation.
In 2025 most of the indoor concerts cost about $30.50 for adults and $27.50 for youth and seniors.
TIP: If you plan to attend all or at least most of the shows at the Memorial Hall, with one taking place each evening, then buy a Hall Pass which gives you access to all performances. Hall Passes in 2025 cost $205 for adults and $185 for students and seniors.
Visit harrisonfestival.com for tickets and the festival’s official website.
Harrison Festival Activities
Events and activities at the Harrison Festival of the Arts include outdoor concerts, an artisan market, workshops, visual art exhibits, evening shows and a Children’s Day.
Music on the Beach
Concerts typically take place outdoors by the waterfront most days during the festival. A Festival Button is recommended as admission to the Music on the Beach venue and the cost is a minimum $2 donation. If you wear a button, they won’t keep asking if you want to donate.
Different bands perform all different kinds of music genres. The 2025 festival lineup was as follows:
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
- 12:00 pm – Festival Opening Ceremony
- 1:00 pm – Kate Weekes
- 2:20 pm – Lache Cercel & The Roma Jazz Ensemble
- 3:40 pm – Mimi O’Bonsawin
- 5:00 pm – Alpha Yaya Diallo & Bafing
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
- 1:00 pm – African Chamber Music Ensemble
- 2:20 pm – Kate Weekes
- 3:40 pm – Alpha Yaya Diallo & Bafing
- 5:00 pm – Mimi O’Bonsawin
Monday, July 14th, 2025
- 6:30 pm – Duane Andrews and the Hot Club of Conception Bay
Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
- 6:30 pm – Duane Andrews and the Hot Club of Conception Bay
Click Harrison Festival of the Arts for the event’s official website.
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
- 6:30 pm – Mama’s Broke
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
- 6:30 pm – Kris Drever
Friday, July 18th, 2025
- 2:00 pm – The Ranters
- 3:20 pm – The Chilliwack Rock Choir
- 6:30 pm – Community Barn Dance
Saturday, July 19th, 2025
- 1:00 pm – Do-Si-Duo
- 2:20 pm – Minor Gold
- 3:40 pm – Miguelito Valdes Trio
- 5:00 pm – Kelly Bado
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
- 1:00 pm – Minor Gold
- 2:20 pm – Marc Atkinson Trio plus Cameron Wilson
- 3:40 pm – Kelly Bado
- 5:00 pm – Miguelito Valdes Trio
Visit harrisonfestival.com for the festival’s official website.
Waterfront Artisan Market
There is an artisan market along the waterfront where local and other BC artists and artisans have all sorts of artwork and products for sale on both weekends of the festival. Note: The market takes place only on the weekends.
The same as the year before, on both Saturdays of the festival in 2025 the market was open from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm and on Sundays from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. The market also ran from noon until 7:00 pm on Friday, July 18th.
See the Artisan Market page for more information about the market and the list of vendors in 2025.
Harrison Festival Workshops
There are a number of interesting workshops to choose from at the Harrison Festival of the Arts. Most workshops cost a minimum $2 donation, but the drum making in 2025 cost up to $149.
This past year there were workshops scheduled for select days of the festival. See below for details.
Saturday to Sunday, July 12th to July 20th, 2025
- 9:00 am – Yoga on the Beach
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
- 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – West African Dance With N’nato Camara
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm – Clawhammer Banjo with Kate Weekes
- 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – Songwriting on the Fly with Mimi O’Bonsawin
Friday, July 18th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm – Impromptu Rock Choir
Saturday, July 19th, 2025
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm – Harrison Ukulele Gathering
- 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – Rhythms of Cuban Music
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
- 11:00 am – Indigenous Drum Making
Click Harrison Festival of the Arts for the event’s official website.
Visual Art Exhibits
The visual art exhibits take place at the Ranger Station Art Gallery at 98 Rockwell Drive which is located at the far eastern end of the village a short walk from the water. Admission is by donation. The gallery’s hours during the festival are typically from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day.
In 2025 the exhibition ran from July 11th to August 3rd. During non-festival days, the gallery is open on weekdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and on weekends from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The exhibit was closed on July 25th and 28th.
Evening Shows in the Hall
In 2025 there was a different ticketed performance at Harrison Memorial Hall each evening. This year’s schedule of ticketed shows was as follows:
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Kobo Town
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
- 7:30 pm – Jeremy Ledbetter Trio
Monday, July 14th, 2025
- 7:30 pm – Bentall Taylor Ulrich
Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Evening of Theatre (Very Very Improv)
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Bamba Wassoulou Groove
Visit harrisonfestival.com for the festival’s official website.
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Ruthie Foster
Friday, July 18th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Bawah
Saturday, July 19th, 2025
- 8:00 pm – Five Alarm Funk
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
- 7:30 pm – Ye Vagabonds
Children’s Day
This past year a special kids-focused Children’s Day took place on the Wednesday of the festival from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm outdoors at Harrison Memorial Hall. Admission was $6 each, plus tax.
At the Children’s Day venue there are live performances by family-friendly entertainers and a wide range of activity stations featuring everything from drama opportunities to arts and crafts to singing and wall climbing.
The 2025 edition included performances by Norden the Magician, Boris Sichon and Swinging Belles. It took place on July 16th, 2025.
See the Children’s Day page on the festival’s website for the latest information.
Tips & Advice
Harrison Hot Springs is a beautiful town to visit in a stunning location any time of the year. When there’s a festival in town, however, it becomes even more interesting. The Harrison Festival of the Arts is one that’s definitely worth checking out.
TIP #1: Assuming good weather, weekends are when the festival is by far the most interesting (and crowded) because that’s when there are more outdoor concerts and the waterfront artisan market takes place.
TIP #2: Harrison Lake is stunning. Take your swimsuit, suntan lotion and boat if you have one, even if it’s just inflatable.
TIP #3: Boats of all kinds are also usually available for rent at Harrison Hot Springs, but you might want to reserve in advance if wanting one during the festival, especially if going on a weekend.
TIP #4: Harrison also has a giant waterpark with inflatable slides and things to jump off of and into the lake. Be warned – if your kids see it they’ll want to try it out. Also, unless you don’t mind really long lines, a sunny weekend when there’s a festival in town might not be the best time to try the bouncy water toys out. See our article about the Harrison Waterpark for details about the attraction.
TIP #5: While in the area, be sure to drop by the newly renovated Sasquatch Museum and/or Kilby Historic Site. The museum is right in Harrison Hot Springs. It has been recently renovated and admission is free. Located just a 20-minute drive away, Kilby Historic Site, meanwhile, is a most interesting place with a museum, farm, cafe and historic buildings and artifacts.
Other Information
Visit the Harrison Festival of the Arts website for more information about this festival.
Click Harrison Hot Springs for more information on the resort town and festivals there at other times of the year.
Visit Vancouver’s Monthly Calendar for a list of other events taking place in July, and see Vancouver’s Festivals & Events Calendar for details on other major events at different times of the year. Events you will find there include other free festivals like Carnaval del Sol in Vancouver and the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver.
