Indigenous Cultural Event at the Cannery

Richmond’s Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a famous Vancouver attraction that hosts farmers markets, holiday activities, concerts and other special events.

The historic site is located at 12138 Fourth Avenue in Steveston Village.

UPCOMING EVENT

The next major event at the Cannery is on June 22, 2019, from noon until 4 pm. That’s when the National Indigenous People’s Day Celebrations take place. Admission to the historic site is free on that day.

See the Gulf of Georgia Cannery website for details.

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

Cannery Winter Market

The Cannery Farmers Market is a bi-weekly winter market that takes place on Sundays at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery between October and April each year.

In 2019 the market ran from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm on February 3rd & 17th, March 3rd, 17th & 31st, and April 14th & 28th. The market then takes a break and starts up again in late October and runs for another half dozen or so Sundays in the lead up to Christmas.

The Cannery Farmers Market usually consists of thirty or so artisan vendors selling everything from eggs to chocolate, handmade soaps and jewellery. A small number of vendors set up outside the historic site, but the majority are indoors.

Market days are exceptional times to visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery for a number of reasons. In addition to there being interesting things to see and buy, there is also live music to enjoy, plus admission to the historic site is free!

For more information see our article about the Cannery Farmers Market or visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery‘s website.

Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Bike Path — Market Day at the Cannery

Spring Break at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery offers special activities during the school Spring Break each year and 2019 was no exception. From March 18th until March 29th, 2019, “Spring Break Mystery in the Museum” took place where children got to explore the Cannery, look for clues and solve a mystery.

With the event in 2019, a large sum of money had been “stolen” from the safe in the Plant Manager’s Office! The setting was during the Great Depression of the 1930’s (back when the Cannery was in operation).

The mystery-solving activity in 2019 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 provided per paying adult or senior in the group.

Parks Canada Xplorer and Club Parka activity booklets were also available at the Front Desk. The former is suitable for children ages 6 to 11 and the latter for children under 6 years of age.

The Spring Break activities in 2020 will likely be different, but comparable.

Regular admission rates to the historic site apply during Spring Break, which means $11.70 for adults, $10.05 for seniors and free for children (under 18 years of age) and members of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society in 2019.

See the Gulf of Georgia Cannery website for more information.

Easter at the Cannery

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

In 2019 Easter at the Cannery took place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of April 19th to 21st. The Cannery’s Easter event features a fish-themed scavenger hunt where children can earn a chocolate prize.

Easter activities at the historic site are suitable for children between the ages of 2 and 12. In 2019 the Easter Salmon “Egg” Hunts ran every half hour from 11:00 am until 4:30 pm. Other activities included 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 in early May. In 2019 it featured Chinese lion dancing, Japanese Taiko drumming, Indigenous dancing, live music and other activities on the first Saturday in May.

The event features both indoor and outdoor activities and admission is free.

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

Indigenous Performance at Steveston Village — Indigenous Dancing at the Cannery

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 is celebrated in Richmond at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery from 12 to 4 pm on June 22nd in 2019. 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.

Music at the Cannery

Music at the Cannery is 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.

In 2019 Music at the Cannery takes places on Friday evenings from July 12th until August 30th. On show nights tickets go on sale at 5:30 pm, doors open at 6:00 and the bands start playing at around 6:30 pm. Admission to the concerts is $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 2 to 17).

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 is one of many Lower Mainland attractions that offer Halloween-themed decorations and activities in October. The venue’s 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.

Last year “The Haunted Sea” took place on the last weekend of October between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm each day. Admission was $11.00 for adults, $9.00 for seniors and $7.00 for children between the ages of 6 and 7 (which made it slightly less expensive for adults than normal). 2019 details will likely be similar.

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 around December 1st and the 31st the historic site gets decorated by local businesses and community groups which each set up, sponsor and decorate a Christmas tree.

Regular admission rates apply during the Festival of Trees, except on specific Sundays when the Cannery Farmers Market takes place.

Christmas in Steveston Village

Christmas in Steveston Village usually 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.

Click Christmas in Steveston Village for further details.