Pride Night at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Richmond’s Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a famous Vancouver historic site and museum that hosts holiday activities, concerts and other special events.

The historic site is located at 12138 Fourth Avenue in Steveston Village which is a famous little fishing village in Richmond. Events at the cannery take place at Easter, Halloween, Christmas and other seasons. In the summer there is also Music at the Cannery.

NOTE: Movie Matinees take place in the Boiler Room on a Monday once a month. The shows are ticketed events, but only cost $5. Something that’s also good to know is that thanks to the Canada Strong Pass, general admission to the Cannery is FREE for everyone between June 19th and September 7th!

For the museum’s website, visit gulfofgeorgiacannery.com. For information about events at the historic site, either see the attraction’s official website or continue reading.

Cannery events featured in this article include the following:

Click on any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn about all of the historic site’s main events.

Special Events at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Special events at the Cannery include a winter market, Spring Break activities, summer outdoor concerts, a “Haunted Sea” attraction at Halloween, the Festival of Trees in December and Christmas in Steveston Village, among others.

See below for details about each of these events, or check out the Cannery Event Calendar to see what’s coming up soon.

Outdoor Concert at Gulf of Georgia Cannery — Music at the Cannery in the Summer

Movie Matinees at the Cannery

Movie Matinees is a series of film screenings presented in collaboration with the Steveston Community Society. On the third or fourth Monday of each month, The Gulf of Georgia Cannery shows a film at 2:00 pm in the Boiler House Theatre.

Tickets cost $5 and are separate from museum admission. Shows in the second half of 2026 include the following:

July 27th, 2026  – Small Town Pride
August 17th, 2026  – The Skiff of Renald Thomas
September 21st, 2026  – Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada
October 19th, 2026  – Beetlejuice
November 16th, 2026  – Empire of the Sun
December 21st, 2026  – Titanic

For details about the shows, visit the gulfofgeorgiacannery.org website.

Summer Mini Tours

For nearly the entire time the Canada Strong Pass is active in the summer of 2026, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery offers free guided tours of the site! The tours run daily from June 19th to September 4th.

The tours are a great way to catch a glimpse of what the cannery was like in the first half of the 20th century. They are interactive and allows visitors to watch some of the machines in action, explore a replica fishing boat, and see (and smell) the cannery’s finished herring products.

The tour schedules are subject to change based on the day-to-day schedule of the cannery. Click Summer Mini Tours for more information.

Art Workshop Series

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery hosts three different cyanotype workshops with Cat Hart in the summer of 2026. They are all ticketed events and participants get to take home the pieces they create. Admission costs $25.

The first session is Printing with Cannery Artifacts on June 27th. After that, there’s Honouring Touchstone Objects on July 11th and Toning with Tea Leaves on July 25th.

Click Art Workshops to learn more and to book your spot.

Music at the Cannery

Music at the Cannery is a series of live music events in the summer. After not happening for a few years, the series returned in 2025. It’s back again in 2026, although just as a one-day event this year.

The concert is on Friday, August 14th. Tickets cost $20 each and are available in advance both online and at the venue. They can also be bought on the day of the event after 5:45 pm. The performance begins at 6:30 pm. The band playing at this year’s concert is the Halifax Wharf Rats.

For more information, see our Music at the Cannery article.

Music at the Cannery Concert

Halloween at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery NHS is one of many Lower Mainland attractions that offer Halloween-themed decorations and activities in October. Its haunted attraction and spooky yet kid-friendly activities usually happen on the last Saturday and Sunday of October and have a “Haunted Sea” theme.

Last year the Cannery’s Halloween event ran from September 27th until October 2nd. 2026 will likely be around the same.

At the event a haunted yet still child-friendly section of the facility is decorated with cobwebs and underwater creatures. There are also educational activities in the main part of the museum. Admission costs are the same as regular admission.

Click Gulf Cannery at Halloween for more details.

Halloween Haunted House at the Cannery — Halloween at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Festival of Trees at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery celebrates the Christmas season with its annual Festival of Trees event in December.

Between late November and the beginning of January the historic site is decorated by local businesses and community groups which each set up, sponsored and decorated Christmas trees. Santa is on site one day, and there are crafts to try as well throughout the run of the event.

Christmas in Steveston Village

Christmas in Steveston Village takes place on the first Sunday in December. It’s a one-day community event that the Gulf of Georgia Cannery participates in. It usually happens on the first Saturday in December.

At the Christmas in Steveston Village event Santa Claus arrives at the marina by boat before walking to the Cannery where he hangs out for a bit for photo opportunities and chats with children. Also at the event, outside and not too far away, dozens of classic cars are usually on display.

Click Christmas in Steveston Village for more information.

Santa Police Escort in Steveston Village — Santa in Steveston Village

Spring Break at the Cannery

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery NHS offers special activities during the school Spring Break each year.

A couple years ago the “Spring Break Salmon Run” program was an educational experience with salmon-themed things to do each day. There were self-guided challenges to complete and prizes to win. The experience was geared towards kids ages 6 to 12.

The Spring Break activities in 2027 will likely be similar, but with exact details to be confirmed.

Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Bike Path

Easter at the Cannery

The Cannery celebrates Easter with salmon-themed activities over the Easter Long Weekend. In 2026 the Easter events ran from April 3rd to 5th. Activities included crafts, storytelling and a special scavenger hunt. 2027 details are to be confirmed.

World Ocean Day at the Cannery

World Ocean Day takes place on June 8th each year, reminding everyone just how important the oceans are to the planet.

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery sometimes celebrated the day a little early. In 2026, for example, the celebration was on June 6th.

The event highlights connections between different cultures and the waterways. This past year there were Japanese gyotaku fish printing workshops, storytelling sessions, live painting demonstrations, and other activities. Admission was free.

To learn more about this event, click Word Ocean Day at the Cannery.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day is officially on June 21st each year. It’s a day to celebrate and honor the First Nations people of Canada and their culture.

The day is usually celebrated in Richmond at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery a week before the official day. In 2026 the event happened on June 13th. Admission is free. The site shares stories and perspectives from local Indigenous communities while also looking back at the Cannery’s past relationships with First Nations.

A variety of other Indigenous-themed events and activities happen at the Cannery in June. Click National Indigenous Peoples Day in Richmond or visit gulfofgeorgiacannery.org for more details.

Indigenous Performance at Steveston Village — National Indigenous Peoples Day

Steveston Pride Variety Show

The Steveston Pride Variety Show is hosted by Phyllis Hull from What the Frock Productions. It’s a ticketed event celebrating joy and diversity in the region. In 2026 the show took place from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on June 20th.

Drag Queen at the Cannery