Fort Langley is a picturesque riverfront town in the Fraser Valley not far from Vancouver with a historic fort, museums, walking trails and quaint shops.

The village is home to the Fort Langley National Historic Site as well as a couple of museums and lots of cute colonial-style buildings. It’s also where the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival, Brigade Days, Fort Langley Cranberry Festival and other events take place.

NOTE: On the BC Day Long Weekend there are special events and activities in Fort Langley during Brigade Days at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. On August 2nd there is also the Fort Langley Night Market and on August 3rd there is the Fort Langley Village Farmers Market. There are so many fun and interesting things to do in Fort Langley! Another terrific event coming up elsewhere in Langley is Langley Ribfest. You’ll want to attend that event too when it happens on August 16th to 18th at McLeod Athletic Park (which is just a 10-minute drive from Fort Langley).

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The Community by the Fort

There is much more to see and do in the town of Fort Langley than just the Historic Fort, although the National Heritage Site is its biggest draw.

In Fort Langley along the river is one of the Lower Mainland’s best biking and walking trails. In town, not far from the historic fort, there is a small railway museum and a farm museum.

Additionally, there’s a campground on Brae Island on the other side of the bridge, and a number of interesting shops and restaurants in the small centre of town.

Downtown Fort Langley — Town of Fort Langley

Attractions in Fort Langley

There are a number of interesting attractions in the town of Fort Langley. These include its fort, museums, the village, trails along the river, camping opportunities and the Fort Langley Farmers Market.

All of these combined, along with the area’s beautiful rural setting, are what make Fort Langley one of the Lower Mainland’s most interesting and educational places to visit.

In addition to the attractions listed below, the Fort Langley area is also home to a number of really good golf courses. A couple of our favourites are the GreenTee Country Club and Redwoods Golf Course.

The Storehouse at Fort Langley — The Original Storehouse from the 1840s

Fort Langley Fort

Originally established in 1827, the historic fort is the highlight of the area and attracts visitors from all over the region and the world. This National Historic Site of Canada is well worth visiting.

Most of the fort is reconstructed, but there are original elements. In the summer and on weekends throughout the year there are people dressed in period costume along with demonstrations about things like blacksmithing and barrel making. If you like history, definitely visit the fort!

To learn more about the fort itself, click Fort Langley Historic Site.

Fort Langley National Historic Site is an amazing place!

For full details about the attraction, visit the Parks Canada website.

Fort Langley Museums

A new arts and culture centre is coming to Fort Langley in 2024! The Langley Centennial Museum closed its doors in 2022 after over 60 years in operation, and its replacement is the Salishan Place by the River. This new cultural centre is a shared project between the township of Fort Langley along with the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui and Semiahmoo First Nations.

Salishan Place by the River is located at 23430 Mavis Avenue, directly across the street from the building of the former Centennial Museum. The new centre is the new home of both the museum and the Fort Langley Community Library. As well, Salishan Place by the River includes a new 167-seat theatre, community gathering areas and other event spaces.

As of late May, there’s not yet an exact opening date for the new centre. But when it opens it should be a great attraction!

Just a few blocks away is the centre of town and the Fort Langley CN Railway Museum. Originally built in 1915, it’s another tiny place and has a couple of real train cars on display outside, including a caboose which you can go inside.

This place is reasonably priced and worth a quick visit. It’s run by a non-profit group, so donations are appreciated.

Village Shops & Restaurants

The three or so blocks of the downtown core of Fort Langley are made up of cute shops and small restaurants in an attractive heritage theme.

There is a neat antique and second-hand shop, almost like a mini-shopping mall, between the fort and the main street that is particularly interesting, assuming that you like that sort of thing.

If you walk up the main street of Fort Langley you’ll also pass a couple of nice coffee shops, the community hall (which is a beautiful building) and the Fort Langley graveyard.

Fort to Fort Trail

Heading in the other direction, towards the red-coloured Fort Pub & Grill restaurant, you’ll come to the river. The Fort to Fort Trail from there goes for miles. It’s one of the Lower Mainland’s best places for a leisurely bike ride or walk.

The Fort to Fort Trail is mostly flat, so makes for great cycling for young children, but does have a couple of very minor slopes and downhills. It goes all the way from the fort to Derby Reach Regional Park.

To learn more about this area see our article about the Fort to Fort Trail.

Fort Langley National Historic Site is an amazing place!

For full details about the attraction, visit the Parks Canada website.

Fort to Fort Trail in Fort Langley — Fort to Fort Trail

Brae Island and Camping

Just across the bridge from the Fort Pub & Grill is Brae Island Regional Park which is home to a nice campground. Just remember when camping here to bring your ear plugs – and very good ones. Trains go by across the river throughout the night and blast their horns.

If you’re looking for an interesting alternative to camping, between early May and mid-October the Fort Langley Heritage Site rents “oTENTiks” which are tent/cabin-type accommodations that cost around $130 or so and include beds with linens. Click Fort Langley oTENTiks for more information.

Fort Langley Markets

A great time to visit the area is on Saturdays from April until December from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. That’s when the Fort Langley Village Farmers Market takes place at Saint Andrews Historic Church at 9025 Glover Road. This is a reasonably-sized farmers market worth checking out.

Another event to attend is the Fort Langley Night Market. It runs on Fridays in the summer at the corner of Glover Road and Mary Avenue. The market is licensed so alcohol is available for purchase. There’s also live music and an area with activities for children.

Fort Langley Makers Markets take place as well. They feature about 36 vendors and happen once a month just outside the Fort. The markets usually run from between May and October.

Fort Langley Festivals & Events

A number of fairly significant events take place in Fort Langley each year including the following:

Early Winter and Spring Events

Vive les Voyageurs – a weekend celebrating French Canadian foods, music and culture in January.
Fort Langley Historic Half Marathon – 1-km, 5-km and 10-km races plus a half marathon in Fort Langley in February.
Fort Langley May Days – a parade and community festival on the Victoria Day long weekend.
Brewhalla Fort Langley Beer Festival – a one-day craft beer event in Fort Langley Park in May.
Hawaiian Luau – a one-day event celebrating the connection between Hawaii, the fort and both their peoples since the early 1880s.
Spirits in the Park – a craft spirits-tasting event at Fort Langley Park on the Victoria Day long weekend.
Stalew 10th Anniversary – the local charity hosts a free event at the Fort Langley Historic Site on the Saturday before National Indigenous Peoples Day in June.

Summer and Fall Events

Fort Langley on Canada Day – July 1st is celebrated each year with free events at both the fort and in the village.
Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival – a music and arts festival in late July. There’s also the Youth Concert Showcase Series of free shows leading up to the festival.
Brigade Days – special historical demonstrations and re-enactments on the BC Day long weekend in late July and/or the beginning of August.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a major community event on the Thanksgiving long weekend in October.
Grave Tales – spooky Halloween-themed walking tours take place in late October and the first week of November.
Remembrance Day – the community honours members of the Armed Forces and people who have lost their lives in war on November 11th at the Fort Langley Cemetery.
Douglas Day – an event at the fort celebrating the day on November 19th in 1858 when Sir James Douglas became the first Governor of the colony of British Columbia.

Other dates with community events include Canada Day, BC Day, and Saturdays from May until October (when the Fort Langley Village Farmers Market takes place place).

For a list of best times to visit the town of Fort Langley see the Fort Langley Historic Fort page. There you’ll find a list of other events taking place over the course of the year.

Fort Langley National Historic Site is an amazing place!

For full details about the attraction, visit the Parks Canada website.

Fort Langley Cranberry Festival in Autumn

Other Recommended Places

Outside Fort Langley, but close by, are a number of farms which host seasonal events like pumpkin patches in the fall. These include Aldor Acres Farm and Eagle Acres Dairy Farm. They are fun places to take children when special activities happen.

A nice place to go for a walk is Derby Reach Regional Park which is just a few kilometres away and connected to Fort Langley via the Fort to Fort Trail.

The Town of Fort Langley is one of several little villages we recommend as some of Vancouver’s best places to visit.

If you like Fort Langley, other similar (but less historic) places you might like include White Rock (a seaside resort), Horseshoe Bay (home to one of BC Ferries’ terminals to Vancouver Island), Steveston Village (a historic fishing village in Richmond) and Deep Cove (a picturesque village on the North Shore).

Also, a little further up the Fraser Valley is the popular resort town of Harrison Hot Springs. And yet another very interesting and rural place is Bowen Island just offshore from West Vancouver.