The Shipyards Festival features live music, market vendors and family-friendly activities in North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale District in September.
The one-day event includes free admission, multiple stages, beer stations and all kinds of fun things to see and do.
Shipyards Festival in Lower Lonsdale in 2025
The Shipped Waterfront Festival celebrated its inaugural year in August of 2018 and it was a terrific event. Renamed the Shipyards Festival, the event has happened almost every year since then. In 2025 the festival takes place on Saturday, September 20th.
If you like live music, family-friendly activities, beer gardens, stunning views, free entertainment and spending time with friends, then you’ll definitely want to check out the Shipyards Festival. It’s a great event and suitable for all ages.
Shipyards Festival Video
Below is a video of North Vancouver’s Shipyards Festival in 2019. As you’ll see, the event attracts lots of people and there are concerts and things to do all over the Lower Lonsdale and Shipyards region.
Bands at the 2019 event and featured in the video below include Sister Says, Hayvn, The Boom Booms and the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer.
Where and When
The Shipyards Festival takes place in North Vancouver by the waterfront in Lower Lonsdale. The 2025 festival happens on Saturday, September 20th. Live entertainment and activities run from noon until around 10:00 pm.
The Lower Lonsdale District of North Vancouver is one of the region’s most popular and interesting places. It’s home to Lonsdale Quay, the Polygon Gallery, SeaBus terminal, the Shipyards and numerous great bars and restaurants.
Located just a 15-minute SeaBus ride from downtown Vancouver, the Shipyards are where you’ll also find the Pipe Shop, Tap & Barrel Restaurant, Shipbuilders’ Pier, and the Lower Mainland’s newest and largest outdoor covered public plaza. Also in the area is the MONOVA Museum. Other great restaurants in the neighbourhood include The Lobby at the Pinnacle Hotel and Pier 7 on the waterfront, plus many more.
What to Expect
At the Shipyards Festival you can expect to see lots of people having fun. The event attracts families, young adults, seniors with their grandchildren, tourists visiting from abroad and locals from across the Lower Mainland.
You’ll see child-friendly entertainment and bands performing on the various stages. There are also food trucks, beer vendors and a market area. In 2025 the Marine Careers Expo is happening at the Shipyards Festival as well. This means guests can meet employers, learn about job opportunities and also explore vessels for free.
If you visit Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards on a weekend in the summer, depending on when you go, you might see a farmers market, artisan vendors, or people doing yoga in the plaza by the SeaBus terminal or out on the pier. You might also see a band playing in Shipbuilders’ Square, art on display and people just wandering around and enjoying the place.
At the Shipyards Festival you can expect to see most if not all of the above, plus a whole lot more, and much of it happening all at the same time!
Expect to have a blast at the festival! And apart from the food and market items for sale, most of what you’ll get to do and see is free! It’s such a great event and the bands are phenomenal!
Festival Entertainment
Live entertainment happens pretty much all day at the Shipyards Festival.
In 2025 the Main Stage is on 1st Street and there’s a stage in the Shipyards as well. Headlining acts this year are Passion Mango, Aiden Ayers and Bealby Point. Other performers include Bad Hoss & Ben Parker, Phoenix Lauren, Blue Rivera, Felisha and the Jazz Rejects, Luke Beach Bown, Runner and more.
Kid-friendly entertainers also perform at the Pipe Shop in the Seaspan Family Zone. The lineup there includes Andy the Musical Scientist, Kellie Haines Ventriloquist, Marnie Grey Music, and Magic Kingdom.
Shipyards Festival Concert Video
To give you an idea of what one of the concerts looked like in 2021, check out the video below. It shows scenes of the performance by the band Bedouin Soundclash which is from Toronto.
The biggest concert of the night was with Bedouin Soundclash. That group was one of the festival’s two headliner groups and the last one for the day. The concert by The Zolas that same year was just as impressive and took place just before this one. The concert by The Zolas, however, took place outdoors in Shipbuilders’ Square, not Shipyard Commons (which is the covered area where the concert in the video took place).
As you can see in the video, the concert by Bedouin Soundclash was impressive! The festival was the first major music festival in the Lower Mainland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the venue was packed.
What’s in the Area?
There is a lot to see and do in the Lower Lonsdale area even when there isn’t a major festival going on. There is the public market at Lonsdale Quay, the Polygon Gallery and Shipbuilders’ Pier. All are free to explore (or by donation in the case of the gallery).
Also in Lower Lonsdale are dozens of great restaurants and interesting shops. It’s a beautiful place to walk around, enjoy a coffee, have a meal, treat yourself to an ice cream and simply hang out.
Lonsdale Quay is also connected to downtown Vancouver and Waterfront Station via the SeaBus which makes it a fabulously convenient location.
Other Information
For more information about the event, see the Shipyards District website.
To learn more about the area, check out any of the following:
For information about other events elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, check out the following:
- Vancouver’s September and October Calendars
- Metro Vancouver Festivals & Events
- Shows & Entertainment Calendar
- Free Events in September
- Free Events in October
