Home Vancouver’s Sea to Sky Region Town and Region of Squamish Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival

Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival

Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival

The Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival is a community event that features a parade and logger-themed activities over the BC Day August Long Weekend.

It takes place in the town of Squamish which is in the Sea to Sky region about a 45-minute drive north of Vancouver.

Squamish Loggers Days usually happens on the same weekend as other awesome events including the Abbotsford Agrifair and Brigade Days in Fort Langley. The Vancouver Summer Festival (formerly called the Vancouver Bach Festival) also takes place around the same time.

To learn about the above and other events happening on the BC Day August Long Weekend, see Vancouver’s August Calendar of Events. To learn more about the festival in Squamish, continue reading.

TIP: If you like lumberjack-themed events, then also be sure to check out the Timbersports National Championships. It’s Canada’s biggest and most important logger sports competition. In 2023 it took place in Chilliwack on August 12th and 13th.

 

Britannia Mine Celebrating 100 Years

BC Day Long Weekend

 


This article contains the following information about the Squamish Days Festival:

Festival Activities | Loggers Sports Show | Tips and Advice | More Information


 

Squamish Days Festival

Squamish Loggers Days usually happens on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August long weekend, which, in 2023, ran from August 3rd to 6th. BC Day in 2024 is on Monday, August 5th. We expect the Squamish Loggers Day festival to happen again over that long weekend.

At the event there are usually ticketed events and free events. Most of the actual logging sports events take place at the Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds. The venue’s address is 39555 Loggers Lane. Other activities take place at various locations around town.

 

Log Rolling Competition at Squamish Days
Squamish Days Log Rolling Competition

 

Festival Activities

Below was the schedule of activities for the four-day event in 2023. Exact details were subject to change.

 

Thursday, August 3rd, 2023

  • Kettle Boil Challenge: an event at the Squamish Valley Golf Course from 6:30 pm that started the weekend festival. The goal was to get a can of water to boil the fastest. It was free to watch and cost about $20 to enter.
  • Lumberjack Chili Cook-Off Invitational: local restaurants suppled their chili to the audience members of the Kettle Boil Challenge. The event started at 6:30 pm at the Squamish Valley Golf Course. For only $5 you could be a taster and take part in voting for the best chili there.

 

Friday, August 4th, 2023

  • World Championship Chair Carve: the free event ran from 3:00 pm until 5:30 pm at the corner of Winnipeg Street and Cleveland Avenue.
  • Squamish Legion Bed Races: teams of five people raced beds on wheels through a series of obstacles down Cleveland Avenue. The event was from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and was free to watch.

 


TIP: If you like this sort of event, then be sure to check out the National Timbersports Championships which, in 2023, took place in Chilliwack on August 12th and 13th. It’s a major logger sports competition that’s also lots of fun! Canada’s best logger sports athletes are there!


 

Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival
Squamish Days Axe Throwing Competition

 

Saturday, August 5th, 2023

  • Kids’ Festival: this free event is for children and took place on Saturday morning. It ran from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and took place at Junction Park which is at 37950 Cleveland Avenue. Activities included an obstacle course, craft tables, face painting, live entertainment, and other child and young family-focused activities.
  • Novice & Intermediate Loggers Sports Show: a competition for near-beginner and non-professional logger sports participants at the Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds. The show started at around 1:00 pm. Tickets to watch cost $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and children (ages 6 to 12). During the Loggers Sports Show the festival’s Rotary Beef BBQ also took place (if you attend the festival in the future, bring along your appetite and some extra money!).
  • Axe Throw Invitational: an event that is free to watch on Cleveland Avenue (in the Squamish Farmers Market parking lot). Up to 32 entrants competed to see who was the most accurate at throwing axes.

 

Squamish Days Pancake Breakfast
Pancake Breakfast at Chieftain Centre Mall

 

Sunday, August 6th, 2023

  • Pancake Breakfast: pancakes with eggs and sausage were served at Chieftain Centre Mall between 8:00 am and 11:00 am. The cost was around $11 for adults and $6 for both seniors and children ages 12 and under.
  • Squamish Festival Parade: it started at 11:00 am and went down Cleveland Avenue beginning at Vancouver Street and finished at Pemberton Avenue. It was a nice and pleasantly short parade that lasted only around 20 minutes. It featured logging trucks, bagpipers, community organization floats and more. The winners of the top three floats collectively won $1,000 which they could give to local charities.
  • World-Class Open Loggers Sports Show: an international logging competition that featured contestants from New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada. It happened at the Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds at 39555 Loggers Lane. The event started at 1:00 pm and cost $15 for adults and $8 for seniors and children (ages 12 & under). It’s a fantastic event and well worth attending. Also, if you don’t get enough BBQ grub from Rotary the day before, they sell more during this day’s show. The event was sold out in 2022, so to avoid disappointment when you get to the gate to pay, it’s best to purchase tickets online.

 

Bagpipers in Squamish Days Parade
Squamish Days Parade

 

World-Class Loggers Sports Show

A number of the events at Squamish Days are interesting and worth checking out. The main event, however, is arguably the World-Class Loggers Sports Show on the Sunday afternoon. Thousands turn out for the world-championship competitions which are fun to watch for all ages.

At the World-Class Loggers Sports Show there are axe-throwing contests, pole climbing races, log rolling competitions, chainsaw cutting championships and all kinds of logger sports-themed entertainment.

 

Pole Climbing at Squamish Logger Days
Pole Climbing at the World-Class Loggers Sports Show

 

Tips & Advice

Below is a list of suggestions to help you make the most of your experience at the Logger Show.

TIP #1: Get to the event early, before the 1:00 pm start, to find good parking and a seat in the shade.

TIP #2: It can get hot in the stands! The shadiest spots are from the top seats in the middle as well as in the bleachers at close to the far end of the outdoor stadium. When choosing your seat, just remember that the sun will continue moving (and so will the shade).

TIP #3: Don’t forget your hat, water bottle and sunscreen. Again, if the sun is out, it can get hot!

TIP #4: Have your mobile phone and social media tools handy. At the event pretty good prizes are usually awarded to members of the audience, but to win you need to follow the announcer’s directions and post photos and things as instructed.

TIP #5: Most of the competitions involve non-motor-powered saws and equipment. In the few cases where power saws are used, however, they can be really loud! Be prepared to cover sensitive ears – some kids even bring ear plugs and ear protectors!

TIP #6: Try the Rotary Club’s BBQ Beef on a Bun. It’s delicious and proceeds benefit worthwhile causes. The Rotarians usually sell out well before the end of the event, however, so a good time to make your purchase is before the 1:00 pm start.

TIP #7: There is usually a large bicycle parking area close to the main gate at the grounds during the festival. Also, Squamish has a great paved cycling trail that goes right past the venue. If you can ride your bike to the logging competitions instead of driving, do it!

 

Rotary Beef BBQ and Squamish Crowds
Rotary Beef BBQ at the Loggers Sports Grounds

 

More Information

For further details about the event, click Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival.

Note: There is a lot to do nearby and on the way up from Vancouver. To learn more about the area see our articles about Squamish or the Sea to Sky Region.

For a list of other major Lower Mainland events at other times, check out the August Calendar or click Festivals & Events.

For ideas on other things to do on the August long weekend, click BC Day Holiday Events.