Whey-ah-Wichen Tsleil-Waututh Canoe Festival

The Whey-ah-Wichen Canoe Festival is an annual event hosted by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation at Cates Park in North Vancouver. It’s held in late June or early July.

Whey-ah-Wichen Canoe Festival

An annual summer event, the Whey-ah-Wichen Canoe Festival is a way for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation to compete on the water and celebrate their culture. Canoes are a vital part of First Nations communities along the coast, and modern-day canoe racing has taken place in earnest within the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) for over a century.

The Whey-ah-Wichen or TWN Canoe Festival welcomes crews from not only North Vancouver but the rest of Southwest BC and Washington state as well. The 2025 edition of the event takes place on July 4th to 6th (which is the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Canada Day).

Canoes at Whey-ah-Wichen Tsleil-Waututh Festival

Where and When

The Whey-ah-Wichen Canoe Festival takes place at Cates Park which is a waterfront park in the District of North Vancouver. The park’s traditional, ancestral name in the Tsleil-Waututh is Whey-ah-Wichen. It means “faces the wind”.

Cates Park is located at 4141 Dollarton Highway. It’s about 3.5 km south of Deep Cove and 7 km east of the Iron Workers Bridge on Vancouver’s North Shore.

The event happens from July 4th to 6th in 2025. On the Friday this year, the races start at 4:30 pm. They begin at 11:30 am on the Saturday. Then on the Sunday, marathon singles kick off at 7:30 am and the other races start at 10:00 am.

What to Expect

There are a series of different categories for the races. On top of the men’s and women’s adult races there are multiple youth categories (including under 16, under 13 and under 10). There’s also the “masters” race for ages 50 and over.

There are crews of different sizes as well. Spectators can watch bigger teams of 6 or 11 people participating as well as single or double canoes. All the races start and finish at different spots along the Cates Park waterfront. While the races are going on there are normally artisan craft vendors to check out as well as other activities on land. In 2025 raffle tickets are available too.

Other Information

For more details about the event and the First Nation that hosts it, visit the Tsleil-Waututh Nation website.

To learn about other things to do in the area, see our articles about North Vancouver and the North Shore.

If you like sports and sports history, you might also like to check out the BC Sports Hall of Fame. They have an impressive Indigenous Sport Gallery where you can learn about the history of Indigenous athletes and sports in British Columbia, including information about canoe racing.

The Lower Mainland is on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. In the City of Vancouver and on the North Shore this includes the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Another similar event is Sasquatch Days in Harrison Hot Springs in June.

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