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.

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. 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.

In 2023 the Cannery offered a “Be a Cannery Owner for a Day” program during Spring Break. The event ran from March 11th until the 26th. It was an educational experience about what the ownership role was like in the twentieth century.

Regular admission rates to the historic site applied during Spring Break in 2023, which meant about $12.50 for adults, $10.75 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 2023 the Easter activities ran from April 7th to 9th. They were suitable for children between the ages of 2 and 6.

The Easter Salmon “Egg” Hunts run every half hour. Other activities typically include games, crafts, face painting and storytelling. Admission in 2023 costs $5.50 for youth (ages 2 to 17) and $8.50 for adults (ages 18+). Children that complete the scavenger hunt receive a chocolate prize.

Click Easter at the Cannery for more details.

Pull of the Net: A Multicultural Celebration

Pull of the Net was a multicultural event that used to take place in May. Until it got cancelled due to the coronavirus, the 2020 event was scheduled to happen on May 2nd. It hasn’t happened since.

In years when it did take place, the event featured dance performances, live music and other activities on the first Saturday in May. The event included both indoor and outdoor activities and admission was free.

In 2022, instead of the Pull of the Net event, a Welcoming the Sun event happened in the summer. This will likely be the case again in 2023, although exact 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 on June 22nd in 2019. It didn’t happen in 2020 or in 2021 due to the coronavirus. On June 21st in 2022 admission was free for First Nations people. In 2023 the occasion is celebrated on Saturday, June 17th, with the Welcoming The Sun event.

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 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 age of COVID. They aren’t happening in 2023 either. Whether they happen again in the future is to be determined.

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.

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 was 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 2022 event took place on Sunday, December 4th. It will likely happen again on the first Sunday in December in 2023, although exact details are to be confirmed.

Click Christmas in Steveston Village for further details.