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.
Click Shipyards Festival for the event’s official website.
Shipyards Festival in Lower Lonsdale
The Shipped Waterfront Festival celebrated its inaugural year in August of 2018 and it was a terrific event. Renamed the Shipyards Festival, it happened again on September 28th in 2019 and was even more fun, bigger and better! We can’t wait until it’s back in 2021!
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 include Sister Says, Hayvn, The Boom Booms and the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer.
Where and When
The most recent Shipyards Festival took place in North Vancouver by the waterfront in Lower Lonsdale on Saturday, September 28th, 2019. The live entertainment and activities ran from noon until 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, the Shipyards Summer Night Market and the Lower Mainland’s newest and largest outdoor yet covered public plaza.
What to Expect
At the Shipyards Festival you can expect to see lots of people having fun. The event attracts young families, young adults, seniors with their grandchildren, tourists visiting from abroad and locals from across the Lower Mainland.
At the event you’ll see child-friendly entertainment, folk age 19+ enjoying drinks while they wander around, and bands performing on the various stages. There are also food vendors, market vendors and kids’ play areas. Last year there were also axe-throwing and ziplining opportunities, but not in 2019. Adventure activities like those might happen again though in 2020.
If you visit Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards on a weekend in the summer, depending on when go, you might see a farmers market, artisan vendors, food trucks 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!
2019 Festival Entertainment
Live entertainment happens pretty much all day at the Shipyards Festival, from noon right up until 10:00 pm.
Bands play on both the Shipbuilders’ Stage and the Shipyards Common Stage. Kid-friendly entertainers also perform at set times in the afternoon on the Family Stage by Lonsdale Quay.
Below was the entertainment schedule for 2019 on the various stages. (Note: times, performers and other details were subject to change.) Future events will likely be comparable.
Shipbuilders’ Stage
Bands that performed on the Shipbuilders’ Stage in 2019 included the following:
- 12:00 pm – Adam Thomas
- 1:00 pm – Adam Woodall
- 2:00 pm – Sister Says
- 3:00 pm – Cherrie Laurel
- 4:00 pm – MNGWA
- 5:00 pm – Redwoods
- 6:00 pm – Mike Edel
- 7:00 pm – The Boom Booms
Shipbuilders’ Stage is in Shipbuilders’ Square where the Shipyards Night Market takes place on Friday evenings in the summer. The stage is a permanent outdoor structure that’s between the Pipe Shop (where the festival’s artisan market takes places) and the giant yellow crane. It’s also right beside the Tap & Barrel Pub and across the plaza from the Pier 7 Restaurant.
Shipyard Commons Stage
Groups that performed on the Shipyard Commons Stage in 2019 included the following:
- 12:30 pm – Havyn
- 1:30 pm – Sky Parallel
- 2:30 pm – Uno Mas
- 3:30 pm – North Shore Celtic Ensemble
- 4:30 pm – Hoffey
- 5:30 pm – Sleepy Gonzales
- 6:30 pm – Kutapira
- 7:45 pm – John Welsh & Los Valientes
- 9:00 pm – The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer
Shipyard Commons is the new covered plaza at the Shipyards. Located just a few steps east of Shipbuilders’ Square near the start of the pier, it was completed in the summer of 2019 and is a wonderful venue. It’s huge, under shelter but still outside, and the acoustics are surprisingly good for concerts.
Burrard Dock Pier
Groups performing on the Burrard Dock Pier included the following in 2019:
- 2:00 pm – North Shore Celtic Ensemble
- 3:00 pm – Pat Chessell
- 4:00 pm – Portiia – Trio
The Burrard Dock Pier is the giant pier that stretches out into the water at the Shipyards. It’s a popular place to walk along and admire the views. It’s also where visiting naval vessels and tall ships sometimes dock when visiting the Lower Mainland.
Lonsdale Quay Stage
Kid-friendly entertainers that performed on the Lonsdale Quay Stage in 2019 included the following:
- 12:30 pm – Penny Pom Pom
- 2:00 pm – Captain BlackBeard’s High Seas Adventure
- 3:30 pm – Diana David’s Red Ball Movement
The Lonsdale Quay Stage is located in the corner of the wide open plaza between the waterfront and the fountain in front of the Lonsdale Quay Public Market. It’s where you’ll find a stage every day of the summer and where bands and other entertainers often perform.
Family Stage
Entertainers that performed on the Family Stage in 2019 are listed below.
- 12:00 pm – Mike Battie
- 1:30 pm – Rockin’ Robin
- 3:00 pm – Ginalina
- 4:30 pm – Rockin’ Robin
In 2019 the Family Stage was located in the plaza at Lonsdale Quay between the main public market building and the SeaBus terminal (so at the other end of the plaza from the Lonsdale Quay Stage).
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 world-famous 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 Festival‘s official website.
To learn more about the area check out any of the following:
For information about other events 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
Partners and sponsors of the Shipyards Festival in 2019 included the Lower Lonsdale Shipyards District, Seaspan, Neptune Terminals, Western Stevedoring, Choices Market, Translink and other businesses and organizations.
