Brigade Days is a three-day event at Fort Langley on the BC Day Long Weekend that includes historical re-enactments and other activities in early August.
In 2023 the event happened on the weekend of August 5th to 7th.
This article contains the following information about Brigade Days:
Brigade Days | Schedule | Brigade Days Video | Other Information
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. Along with taking in the different exhibitions, there are different trading cards to collect as souvenirs from all of the re-enactors.
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
Brigade Days always takes place on the BC Day Long Weekend and 2022 was no exception. The event ran from Saturday, July 30th, until Monday, August 1st. Brigade Days returns in 2024 and runs from August 3rd to 5th. Access to the fort is free year-round for youth under 18 years of age. For adults it costs $8.50 and seniors are $7. Those who have annual passes for the site are usually able to attend Brigade Days for free.
Brigade Days Schedule
Various activities take place on all three days of the Brigade Days event. Below is the schedule for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the August long weekend in 2022. 2023 details were likely similar.
(Note: Schedule times and other details were subject to change.)
Saturday, July 30th, 2022
- 10:00 am – Flag Raising Ceremony
- 10:30 am – Blacksmith Demonstrations
- 11:00 am – Fort Langley 101
- 12:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 12:30 pm – Hands-On History
- 1:30 pm – Trapping Techniques
- 2:00 pm – Fort Langley 101
- 2:30 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 3:00 pm – Farm & Garden
- 4:00 pm – Hands-On History
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony
In addition to the above, throughout the day there was a Pig Roast Demonstration which likely took place at the far end of the fort complex behind the Big House.
Sunday, July 31st, 2022
- 10:00 am – Flag Raising Procession
- 10:30 am – Blacksmith Demonstrations
- 11:00 am – Fort Langley 101
- 12:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 12:30 pm – Hands-On History
- 1:00 pm – Fur Trade Fashions
- 1:30 pm – Trapping Techniques
- 2:30 pm – Fort Feats of Strength
- 3:30 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 4:00 pm – Hands-On History
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony
Monday, August 1st, 2022
- 10:00 am – Flag Raising Ceremony
- 10:30 am – Blacksmith Demonstrations
- 11:00 am – Fort Langley 101
- 11:30 am – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 12:00 pm – Hands-On History and Farm & Garden
- 12:30 pm – Bagpipe Procession from Fort to Marina Park
- 1:00 pm – Arrival of the Fur Brigades
- 1:30 pm – Procession from Marina Park back to the James Douglas Statue
- 2:00 pm – Fort Langley 101
- 3:00 pm – Historic Weapons Demonstrations
- 3:30 pm – Hands-On History
- 4:00 pm – Fort Langley 101
- 4:45 pm – Flag Lowering Ceremony
Brigade Days Video
To give you an idea of what to expect at Brigade Days, check out the following video. It shows scenes of the event on the BC Day holiday Monday in 2022. In the video you’ll see scenes of people in period costume and special exhibits at the fort. You’ll also see the procession down to the Fraser River and the re-enactment of the arrival of the fur brigade.
Other Information
For further details about the BC Day weekend events at the fort, see Park Canada’s Fort Langley Website.
To learn more 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:
- Vive les Voyageurs – a French Canadian-themed weekend of activities in January.
- Fort Langley May Days – a community festival and parade on the May long weekend (on the Monday prior to May 25th each year).
- Canada Day at Fort Langley – July 1st celebrations in both the town and the fort.
- Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a Thanksgiving-related festival in early October.
- Grave Tales – Halloween-themed walking tours at night in mid-autumn.
- Douglas Day – a celebration of the day when Sir James Douglas proclaimed British Columbia to be a colony on November 19th in 1858.
