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.

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. 2020 was an exception, however, due to COVID-19. In 2021 the Cannery was open again throughout Spring Break with “Choose Your Own Adventure” activities and interactive exhibits for children.

From March 16th until March 29th, 2020, “Spring Break Mystery in the Museum” was scheduled to take place where children could explore the Cannery, look for clues and solve a mystery. The camps never took place, however, as the entire facility was closed down due to the coronavirus.

With the event in 2020, a girl by the name of Lulu Sweet was supposed to have gone missing after a theatre performance. The setting was to have been in 1860.

The mystery-solving activity in 2020 was designed for children ages 7 to 10, but both younger and older children could also participate. Advanced registration was not required and a complimentary detective kit was to be provided per paying adult or senior in the group. This activity was going to take place daily from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.

Regular admission rates to the historic site were going to apply during Spring Break in 2020, which meant $11.90 for adults, $10.20 for seniors and free for children (under 18 years of age) and members of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society.

2023 Spring Break Camp details are to be confirmed.

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, or at least it does in years without pandemics.

In 2020 Easter at the Cannery was going to take place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of April 10th to 12th. The Cannery’s Easter event was going to feature a fish-themed scavenger hunt where children could earn a chocolate prize.

The same as the case with the Spring Break activities the month before, the Easter event was cancelled due to COVID-19 in 2020, and then again in 2021.

Easter activities returned in 2022 between April 15th and 17th. The attraction had special crafts activities, storytelling, games and its annual Easter Salmon Scavenger Hunt. The activities ran from April 15th until the 17th. Admission cost $4.90 for youth (ages 2 to 16) and $3.90 for adults (ages 17+).

In 2023 the Easter activities are scheduled to run from April 15th to 17th. They are usually suitable for children between the ages of 2 and 12. The Easter Salmon “Egg” Hunts usually run every half hour. Other activities typically include an “Upstream Obstacle Course” game, crafts, face painting and storytelling.

Click Easter at the Cannery for more details.

Pull of the Net: A Multicultural Celebration

Pull of the Net is a multicultural event that usually takes place in May. Until it got cancelled due to the coronavirus, the 2020 event was scheduled to happen on May 2nd.

In years when it does take place, the event features dance performances, live music and other activities on the first Saturday in May. The event includes both indoor and outdoor activities and admission is free.

Although the regular live event was cancelled in the spring, a virtual edition of the event did happen, but not until the fall. An online version took place during the week of September 21st to 27th in 2020. The event was again unable to proceed as normal in 2021 and 2022.

2023 event details are to be confirmed.

Click Pull of the Net: A Multicultural Celebration for more information.

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 from 12 to 4 pm on June 22nd in 2019. It did not happen in 2020 or in 2021 due to the coronavirus. On June 21st in 2022 admission was free for First Nations people.

In normal years, it’s a free family-friendly event 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 is a series of concerts in the summer. On days with good weather the performances happen outdoors, and on days with rain in the forecast they are held inside.

Music at the Cannery usually takes place on Friday evenings from around mid-July until the end of August. On show nights tickets go on sale at 5:30 pm, doors opened at 6:00 and the bands start playing at around 6:30 pm. Admission to the concerts in recent years has been $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 2 to 17).

The outdoor concerts did not take place in 2020 or in 2021, thanks to COVID-19. The concert series was cancelled for 2022 as well. It’s set to return from July 9th to August 27th in 2023.

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

For more information see the Gulf of Georgia Cannery website.

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.

The Cannery’s Halloween event typically includes a haunted yet still child-friendly section of the facility decorated with cobwebs, underwater creatures and live actors. There are also a couple of games and craft activities in the main part of the museum.

Because of COVID-19, the “The Haunted Sea” was cancelled for 2020. The venue had Halloween decorations, but no haunted event with live actors.

The event returned in 2021 from October 2nd to 31st, and again in 2022 from October 15th to 31st. Admission costs were the same as standard admission.

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 and the 24th in 2022 the historic site is decorated by local businesses and community groups which each set up, sponsor and decorate Christmas trees.

Those who visit the event before Christmas Day receive the chance to vote for their favourite tree. Regular admission rates to the cannery apply during the event.

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 2021 event took place on Sunday, December 5th. In 2022 the event returns on Sunday, December 4th.

Click Christmas in Steveston Village for further details.