Granville Island on Canada Day

July 1st is celebrated on Vancouver’s Granville Island with live music, a comedy show at The Improv Centre, and various free activities on Canada Day.

There used to also be a parade on Granville Island, but not for a number of years. On July 1st, however, there are a few smaller Canada Day activities in the neighbourhood.

This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs from June 20th until July 1st. Consequently, on Canada Day and the last weekend in June, you can expect lots of Jazz on Granville Island.

There are Canada Day events all over the region including great ones in North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Harrison Hot Springs and various other communities. See our article about Canada Day in Metro Vancouver, which includes information about events in the Fraser Valley and Sea-to-Sky region too, to learn about what else is happening on July 1st this year. Continue reading to learn how you can celebrate Canada’s birthday on Granville Island.

Visit coastaljazz.ca for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s website.

Canada Day Celebrations on Vancouver’s Granville Island

Granville Island is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Lower Mainland. The district is home to a unique selection of stores and restaurants, along with stunning waterfront views of downtown Vancouver.

Canada Day celebrations take place on Granville Island every year. They were bigger in the years before the pandemic, but there are still several activities to enjoy. Most of them are free. Granville Island is a fun place to be on July 1st.

In 2025 the main celebrations happen in the new Chain & Forge outdoor event space between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Other activities take place at various other locations in the district too. The official Canada Day Ceremony includes the national anthem and free cake starting at 1:00 pm.

Canada Day Special Activities

On Canada Day there are usually special activities for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Each activity is typically only available at certain hours, so it’s a good idea to plan your day in advance (unless you plan to hang out there all day).

The same as last year, there is a Water Ballet show with False Creek Ferries sometime between 8:00 am and 9:30 am. This is an annual tradition where a full fleet of boats sail on False Creek waters in front of Granville Island. Good places to see it from are Granville Island and the north side of the False Creek Seawall (across from Granville Island). For a nice aerial perspective, you’ll get a great view looking down from either the Granville Street Bridge (west side) or Burrard Street Bridge (east side). (Note: If it’s sunny, the light will likely be better for photos from the Granville Street Bridge.)

Another interesting activity at Granville Island’s Canada Day event is the Opus Plein Air Painting Challenge and Creative Block Party. It happened last year from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. The paintings went on display in a small gallery as well. Details about this in 2025 are to be confirmed.

Celebrations at the Kids Market ran from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm last year. There was face painting, sand art, and free arts and crafts for children. There were also other events and special offerings at places like Lee’s Donuts and A Bread Affair. 2025 will likely be similar.

Granville Island on Canada Day — Triangle Square on Canada Day

Live Entertainment on the July 1st

Canada Day usually happens during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. More than 10 bands participate typically at the events on Granville Island, and each group performs at different times and locations.

Check out our article about Free Jazz Festival Concerts to see the schedule for all 12 days of the festival in 2025.

In addition to the live Jazz, there are usually roving performers and buskers found throughout Granville Island on Canada Day. It all makes for a fun, affordable and family-friendly time.

Granville Island’s 2025 Canada Day Schedule of Events

Below is the lineup of Canada Day entertainment and activities on Granville Island on July 1st in 2025. There is the Chain and Forge Block Party in the Chain & Forge outdoor event space (which is located at 1425 Anderson almost directly under the Granville Street Bridge). There is also live music as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival at Ocean Artworks (at 1531 Johnston Street, which is about a block from the Granville Island Public Market and also almost right under the Granville Street Bridge). At The Improv Centre at 1502 Duranleau Street there is the show Canada Eh! at 7:00 pm.

In addition to the information below, at Granville Island on Canada Day in 2025, there is a Boat Ballet performance with False Creek Ferries sometime between around 8:00 am and 9:00 am. There are also special child-friendly activities in the park behind the Kids Market between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Chain and Forge Block Party

The activities at the Chain and Forge Block Party run from 10:00 am until around 6:00 pm. They include the following:

10:00 am – Stephen Spender (Indie-Folk)
11:00 am – Gargarin Life (Fusion/Rock/Flamenco)
12:00 pm – Shawn Bullshields (Blues/Country/Folk)
12:45 pm – Yuki Ueda (Circus Arts/Juggling)
1:00 pm – Official Welcome & Birthday Cake
2:00 pm – Curtis Clear Sky & The Constellationz (Hip-Hop/Indigi-Funk/Soul)
3:00 pm – Dance in Transit (Public Salsa Lessons & DJ
4:00 pm – Supersonic Hearts Band (Folk/’Canadiana’/Top 40s)
4:45 pm – Yuki Ueda (Circus Arts/Juggling)
5:45 pm – Supersonic Hearts Band (Folk/’Canadiana’/Top 40s)

In addition to the above, in the Chain & Forge outdoor event space area, between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, there is face painting, a darning yarn workshop, market vendors, and an Indian Residential School Survivors booth. Look out for the roving Granville Island ambassadors and you might get a free mini Canada flag.

Vancouver Jazz Festival Jazz on July 1st

In 2025 the Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs from June 20th until Canada Day. Lots of both ticketed and free concerts take place on Granville Island during that time. On July 1st the free music happens on the Coastal Jazz & Blues Stage at Ocean Artworks at 1531 Johnston Street. Below is the schedule of events for that stage in 2025.

12:00 pm – Evan Arntzen Quartet with special guest Lloyd Arntzen
2:45 pm – Feven Kidane Plays Dido & The Handpeople
5:30 pm – The ReViberators
8:15 pm – Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band

Comedy Theatre at The Improv Centre

The Improv Centre is a theatre company that specializes in improvisational theatre, where talented actors have to think on their feet and make things up as they go along. The theatre’s address is 1502 Duranleau Street which isn’t far from the entrance to Granville Island.

The Improv Centre puts on shows five or six days a week in the summer. Usually the same shows happen on the same days of the week. Because it’s improvisation theatre, however, no two shows are completely alike. Actually, even the same show on different nights can be 100% different, all depending on the situations audience members give the actors. Sometimes The Improv Centre puts on special, seasonally-themed shows, which is the case on July 1st for Canada Day. On the country’s birthday in 2025 the show is Canada Eh! and it starts at 7:00 pm.

Visit theimprovcentre.ca website for tickets and details about shows.

Granville Island Canada Day Concert

Shopping Opportunities

Granville Island is a popular place for shopping. The Public Market is where you’ll find high-quality fruit, vegetables, meats, chocolates, baked goods and much more. The food court has everything from pizzas to fish and chips.

The Net Loft building contains many unique specialty stores. For example, there’s a shop full of handmade pottery and another that sells millions of beads.

The Kids Market is a favourite place for children to explore. The building contains two floors of amazing stores that sell specialty toys, kites, clothes, sweets and more. It is usually open on Canada Day. There is also an indoor play area for children at the Kids Market in case the weather isn’t good enough for the outdoor spray park.

See our Shopping on Granville Island article for further details (including a video) about stores in the area.