Music at the Cannery Concert

Richmond’s Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a famous Vancouver historic site and museum that hosts holiday activities, concerts and other special events.

The historic site is located at 12138 Fourth Avenue in Steveston Village which is a famous little fishing village in Richmond. Events at the cannery take place at Easter, Halloween, Christmas and other seasons.

For the museum’s official website, visit gulfofgeorgiacannery.com.

Cannery events featured in this article include the following:

Click on any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn about all of the historic site’s main events.

Special Events at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Special events at the Cannery include a winter market, Spring Break activities, summer outdoor concerts, a “Haunted Sea” attraction at Halloween, the Festival of Trees in December and Christmas in Steveston Village, among others.

See below for details about each of these events, or check out the Cannery Event Calendar to see what’s coming up soon.

Outdoor Concert at Gulf of Georgia Cannery — Music at the Cannery in the Summer

Spring Break at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery NHS offers special activities during the school Spring Break each year.

In 2024 the Cannery offers a new “Spring Break Salmon Run” program between March 16th and 28th. It’s an educational experience with salmon-themed things to do each day. There are self-guided challenges to complete and prizes to win.

Regular admission rates to the historic site apply during Spring Break in 2024, which means about $13.25 for adults, $11.25 for seniors and free for children (under 18 years of age) and members of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society.

See the Gulf of Georgia Cannery website for more information about the Spring Break activities.

Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Bike Path

Easter at the Cannery

The Cannery celebrates Easter with salmon-themed activities over the Easter Long Weekend.

In 2024 the Easter event runs from March 29th to 31st. It’s recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 6.

The Easter activities include crafts, storytelling and a special scavenger hunt. Admission in 2024 costs $6 for youth (ages 2 to 17) and $9 for adults (ages 18+). Children that complete the scavenger hunt receive a chocolate prize most years.

Click Easter at the Cannery for more details.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day is officially on June 21st each year. It’s a day to celebrate and honor the First Nations people of Canada, and their culture.

The day was celebrated in Richmond at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery on Saturday, June 17th in 2023, with the Welcoming The Sun event. 2024 details are to be confirmed.

In normal years, to commemorate Indigenous People’s Day, the event at the cannery is a free family-friendly affair that features dance performances, food, story-telling and various other activities.

Click National Indigenous Peoples Day in Richmond for more details.

Indigenous Performance at Steveston Village — National Indigenous Peoples Day

Music at the Cannery

Music at the Cannery used to be a series of concerts in the summer. On days with good weather the performances happened outdoors, and on days with rain in the forecast they were held inside.

Music at the Cannery used to take place on Friday evenings from around mid-July until the end of August. On show nights tickets went on sale at 5:30 pm, doors opened at 6:00 and the bands started playing at around 6:30 pm. Admission to the concerts was about $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 2 to 17).

The outdoor concerts haven’t taken place since 2019, so before the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully they return in the future.

Music at the Cannery concerts were popular events and often sold out. The bands were great and included groups like the Beauty Shop Dolls, Irish Wakers, Halifax Wharf Rats, Rock Line, the Steve Kozak Band and Willy Blizzard.

Cannery Row Band at Gulf of Georgia Cannery — Music at the Cannery

Halloween at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery NHS is one of many Lower Mainland attractions that offer Halloween-themed decorations and activities in October. Its haunted attraction and spooky yet kid-friendly activities usually happen on the last Saturday and Sunday of October and have a “Haunted Sea” theme.

In 2023 the Cannery’s Halloween event ran from October 2nd until November 5th. A haunted yet still child-friendly section of the facility was decorated with cobwebs and underwater creatures. There were also educational activities in the main part of the museum. Admission costs were the same as regular admission.

2024 event details are to be confirmed.

Click Gulf Cannery at Halloween for more details.

Halloween Haunted House at the Cannery — Halloween at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Festival of Trees at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery celebrates the Christmas season with its annual Festival of Trees event in December.

Between December 1st in 2023 and January 7th in 2024, the historic site was decorated by local businesses and community groups which each set up, sponsored and decorated Christmas trees. Santa was on site on select dates, and there were crafts to try as well.

2024 event dates and details are to be confirmed.

Christmas in Steveston Village

Christmas in Steveston Village takes place on the first Sunday in December. It’s a one-day community event that the Gulf of Georgia Cannery participates in.

At the Christmas in Steveston Village event Santa Claus arrives at the marina by boat before walking to the Cannery where he hangs out for a bit for photo opportunities and chats with children. Also at the event, outside and not too far away, dozens of classic cars are usually on display.

The 2023 event took place on Sunday, December 3rd. It will likely happen again on the first Sunday in December in 2024, although exact details are to be confirmed.

Click Christmas in Steveston Village for further details.