How to celebrate Canada Day in the Fraser Valley in 2025

Elbows up, Canada.

Since US President Donald Trump began espousing his desire to turn Canada into the 51st State, Canadians have become more patriotic, surveys show. Canadian flags were raised on houses and buildings. Stores proclaimed they were proudly Canadian. Shoppers avoided American products as best they could. And many Canadians refused to cross the border altogether.

Although the patriotic fervour has died down from its height in the spring, there’s still something a little different about patriotism these days. And that seems likely to make this year’s Canada Day a little more exuberant than recent ones.

There are Canada Day celebrations being held in communities across the Fraser Valley. All include local performances and entertainment, and four will include light shows, with two drone shows on tap, along with a pair of old-fashioned fireworks displays.

Langley

Langley Township is holding its official Canada Day celebration at McLeod Athletic Park beginning at 2pm. Free shuttles run from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley campus so visitors can take advantage of the university’s free parking. The event will include a variety of performances, including Indigenous dancing, reggae music, and an aerial circus performance. Visitors can also enjoy the bouncy castles, mini golf, climbing wall, and food trucks. The celebration winds down at 10:15pm with a drone show.

In Fort Langley, the community’s museums are hosting a variety of Canada Day activities. The BC Farm Museum hosts an opening ceremony and flag-raising by its front door at 10am, with an Aldor Acres petting zoo, scavenger hunt, butter-making demonstration beginning shortly afterwards. The event will also include live concerts from a variety of local bands.

Just down the road, the Fort Langley Historic Site continues the celebrations, with its live blacksmith demonstrations, ukulele performances, and French voyageur singalongs.

Although the City of Langley occasionally hosts Canada Day events at Douglas Park, that does not appear to be the case this year.

Abbotsford-Mission

Abbotsford begins its Canada Day festivities with a parade from Bourquin Crescent, down South Fraser Way and Trethewey Street, to W.J. Mouat Secondary. (You can read about the history behind the school’s name here.) After the parade, Abbotsford residents are invited to Exhibition Park for a family festival beginning at 1pm. The festival will include tractor rides, a sandbox play area, science demonstrations, and a water slide. The Mango Market will be open until 7pm, and the afternoon will include a variety of music and entertainment performances.

The festival finishes off with a fireworks show at the baseball diamonds. People who will be watching the fireworks from a distance can download the Pyrocast App to stream the music that accompanies the show while it’s happening.

In Mission, Canada Day celebrations take over Fraser River Heritage Park. The event begins with a $6 pancake breakfast starting at 8am, and continues with free activities beginning at 10am. The celebration will feature a lumberjack show, a monster foam party, a mobile zipline, community art, a sports zone, and an agility dog show. There will be no fireworks show this year, and festivities will wrap up at 2pm.

The Eastern Fraser Valley

Chilliwack celebrates Canada Day with a variety of family-friendly events throughout the city. Chilliwack’s two ice rinks are hosting free skates and the pools are offering toonie swims. The Sardis Kiwanis pancake breakfast gets underway at Evergreen Hall starting at 8am, and the museum is open with free admission all day.

The main event takes place at Exhibition Field starting at 5pm. Check out live entertainment, food trucks, the kids zone, as well as music from a variety of local artists. The event finishes with a drone show over the field.

Harrison Hot Springs hosts its Canada Day celebration throughout the village. A pancake breakfast at the firehall begins at 8:30am with a pet parade beginning at 10am. The official opening ceremony takes place at noon, with children’s activities along the waterfront throughout the day. Evening festivities begin with the main parade at 5pm, and finish with a fireworks show over the lake. Details are available online.

In Agassiz, the District of Kent is celebrating Canada Day Jurassic-style with a “pre-historic party” in Pioneer Park. The event begins with a pancake breakfast at 8am, and is followed by dinosaur-themed activities in the park from 10am to 1pm. (Activities include inflatables, a climbing wall, and a reptile petting zoo.) The party winds down at Ferny Coombe Pool for one of its last big events with a free swim from 1 to 4pm.

Hope hosts its Canada Day celebration at 6th Avenue Park starting at 6pm. The event includes music by Annika and the Earthlings, as well as bouncy castles, face painting, carnival games, and a beer garden by Mountainview Brewing. People wanting to start the celebrations earlier in the day can check out the Canada Day Car Show at Hope’s Memorial Park, starting at 9am.

Up in the Canyon, more festivities take place in North Bend, across the Fraser from Boston Bar. The Almer Carlson Pool hosts a Canada Day celebration from noon to 3pm, with a free swim, a community barbecue, and field games for all ages.