Brigade Days is a 3-day event at Fort Langley on the BC Day Long Weekend that includes historical re-enactments and other activities in early August.
In 2018 Brigade Days takes place on the weekend of August 4th to 6th.
Brigade Days at Fort Langley
Fort Langley is the National Historic Site fort in the town of the same name. The fort is open year-round and has special events at various times of the year, including its Brigade Days event on the first weekend in August.
The event includes historical re-enactments, actors in period costume, tours of the fort and various fort activity-related demonstrations.
For information about the fort in general, click Fort Langley Fort. For details about the village, click Fort Langley Town. To learn about Brigade Days, see below.
Brigade Days 2018
Brigade Days always takes place on the BC Day Long Weekend which in 2018 happens on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of August 4th, 5th and 6th.
Access to the fort is free year-round for youth under 18 years of age.
2018 Brigade Days Schedule
Various activities take place on all three days of the Brigade Days event. Below is what’s happening on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the August Long Weekend in 2018.
(Note: Schedule times and other details are subject to change.)
Saturday, August 4, 2018
- 11:00 am – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 11:30 am – Secrets of the Sash Presentation (at the Brigade Days’ Presentation Tent)
- 12:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 1:00 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 1:30 pm – Fur Trapping Presentation (at the Brigade Days’ Presentation Tent)
- 2:00 pm – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 2:30 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 3:00 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 3:00 pm – Washer Women Encampment Presentation
- 4:00 pm – Farm and Garden Presentation (in the Fort Garden)
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony (at the Flag Pole by the Big House)
In addition to the above, throughout the day there is a Pig Roast Demonstration at the far end of the fort complex behind the Big House.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
- 10:00 am – Flag-raising Procession (at the Flag Pole by the Big House)
- 10:30 am – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 11:00 am – Secrets of the Sash Presentation (at the Brigade Days’ Presentation Tent)
- 11:30 am – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 12:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 12:30 pm – Fur Trade Fashions Presentation (in the Events Tent behind the Big House)
- 1:00 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 1:30 pm – Fur Trapping Presentation (at the Brigade Days’ Presentation Tent)
- 2:00 pm – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 2:00 pm – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 2:30 pm – Fort Feats of Strength Event (in the Fort’s Central Field)
- 3:00 pm – Washer Women Encampment Presentation
- 3:30 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 4:00 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 4:00 pm – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony (at the Flag Pole by the Big House)
Monday, August 6, 2018
- 10:00 am – Flag-raising Procession (at the Flag Pole by the Big House)
- 10:30 am – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 11:00 am – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 11:30 am – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 12:00 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 12:00 pm – Farm and Garden Presentation (in the Fort Garden)
- 12:30 pm – Bagpipe Procession (from the Fort to Marina Park just west of the Glover Road Bridge)
- 1:00 pm – Arrival of the Fur Brigades (at Marina Park by the river)
- 1:30 pm – Procession from Marina Park to the Sir James Douglas statue just outside the Fort
- 2:00 pm – Introductory Tour (starting at the Trade Shop)
- 2:30 pm – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 3:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstration (by the Main Gate)
- 3:30 pm – Musket Shooting Opportunities (Cost is $22)
- 4:00 pm – Songs & Stories (by the Fire Pit in the middle of the Fort)
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony (at the Flag Pole by the Big House)
Also on the Holiday Monday, between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm, there is a Feast Table Carving Demonstration in the Cooperage.
Note: At Brigade Days during the last couple of years there have been evening concerts in addition to the above events. 2016 was the event’s 30th anniversary, however, and last year was Canada’s 150th birthday. In 2018, as the year doesn’t mark a similarly significant occasion, it appears that there will not be any additional evening live music performances.
Other Information
For further details about the BC Day weekend events at the fort, see Park Canada’s Fort Langley Website.
For more information about the venue and surround area, click Fort Langley Fort or the Town of Fort Langley.
For a list of other events taking place on the same weekend and other times of the year, check out any of the following:
Other major events in Fort Langley at other times of the year include the following:
- Fort Langley May Days – a community festival and parade on the May Long Weekend (on the Monday prior to May 25th each year).
- Fort Langley on Canada Day – July 1st celebrations in both the town and the fort.
- Fort Langley Food Truck Festival – a large food truck-themed street party on Glover Avenue in September.
- Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a Thanksgiving-related festival in early October.
