Plenty of reasons to stay in Metro Vancouver for B.C. Day long weekend

Summer long weekends are made for short getaways, camping, island hopping, and stateside visits. But over the next four days, Vancouver will host more than enough festivals, activities, and parties to have you rethinking that road trip. If you’re planning on staying put, here’s a sampling of the best events happening around town for the B.C. Day long weekend.

It’s that magical time of the year when downtown bus shelters are adorned with ads of same-sex couples and their plights of financial planning. Yes, Pride is upon us again. Of course the festival’s flagship event is Sunday’s (August 1) parade through the West End from 12 to 3 p.m., but you’d be remiss not to check out any other Pride offerings.

Hit the Davie Street Dance Party between Burrard and Jervis on Friday night (July 30) for some outdoor debauchery, then get your ass out of downtown on Saturday (July 31) to show your East Side pride and support for Vancouver’s queer women community at the Dyke March down the Drive.

Roll out of bed early for the crack-of-dawn Pride Day Service Sunday morning at Christ Church Cathedral or to claim a good vantage point for the parade. Better still, stay up all night at one of Pride’s infamous parties or boat cruises. Not into the club scene? The Queer Arts Festival’s weekend programming includes classical piano music by Sara Davis Buechner, a tribute concert to queer composer Cole Porter, and a performance by the Vancouver Men’s Chorus, and the Qmunity Gab Youth is throwing a drug- and alcohol-free dance party for the under 25 set.

Pride doesn’t have the market cornered on weekend festivities. The Powell Street Festival, Canada’s largest celebration of Japanese Canadian arts and culture, has a packed schedule of sumo wrestling, martial arts, folk and modern dancing, traditional and contemporary music, visual arts, film and video, taiko drumming, and more planned for Saturday and Sunday in Strathcona’s Oppenheimer Park. Of equal importance: sushi, okonomiyaki, udon, ramen, gyoza, and other Japanese street food.

Starting Friday and running until August 8, the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver will salute the North Shore art scene with outdoor movie screenings, art talks, markets, exhibits, studio tours, daytime and sunset concerts, and the three-hour Grand Plein Air Prix d’Art Challenge—all free of charge.

History nerds, kids, and people wondering what B.C. Day’s all about will get a kick out of Fort Langley National Historic Site’s Brigade Days. From Saturday to Monday, the Fort will host a 19th-century encampment with canvas tents, costumed re-enactors, weapons demonstrations, campfire cooking, and historical activities.

The Celebration of Light fireworks festival concludes on Saturday night with a finale by pyrotechnic titans China. The spectacle starts at 10 p.m. over English Bay, with free concerts scheduled before and after as part of SHOREfest.

Finally, if you love watching colourful explosions, but aren’t not up to braving the crowds or dealing with road closures and bus reroutes, consider checking out White Rock’s Spirit of the Sea Festival or the Tsawwassen Sun Festival. Both community festivals have fireworks planned for Sunday night, as well as family-friendly staples like parades, performances, and pancake breakfasts in celebration of B.C. Day.

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