Free concerts in the Fraser Valley this July

The sun is slowly setting in the valley. A warm breeze ruffles your hair. The melodic sounds of a live band envelope you and the dozens of other music lovers spread out in lawn chairs on the grass. It is a perfect evening. And best of all, it’s free.

This July, the musicians across the Fraser Valley will be performing in a number of free concerts. Some are one-time-only festivals that you won’t want to miss. Other concerts happen each week, giving you lots of opportunity to enjoy an evening of great music that won’t cost you a cent. 

From jazz jams to country tunes, there is a concert for every music lover. (And did we mention all of them are free?)

Mission Twilight Concert Series

Each Wednesday night at 7pm, Mission is inviting music-lovers to its Twilight Concert Series at Fraser River Heritage Park. This family-friendly event will be held rain or shine, so bring your lawn chairs, blankes, and umbrellas. Special Olympics volunteers will be on site to help with parking, and the Blackberry Kitchen will have snacks for purchase.

Concerts will feature the Sinatra-style Frank David Jazz Band on July 10, the Peacenik Collective “superband” on July 17, the acoustic Get Back Unplugged on July 24, and indie folk artist Claire Coupland on July 31.

Jam in Jubilee

Mission isn’t the only city turning its parks into concert halls. Abbotsford’s Jam in Jubilee will also be celebrating local artists this month. Concerts will take place at Jubilee Park each Thursday from 7pm to 10pm in July. (Adults of legal drinking age are invited to keep the jams going at Townhall Abbotsford from 10pm to closing.)

Each Thursday night will feature a set of four different performances, including songs from Surrey hip-hop artist Lazarous on July 4, the 80’s-inspired Miss Shauna on July 11, the Fraser Valley Music Awards on July 18, and Vancouver singer-songwriter Oleefia on July 25.

Other performers include girly., Edzi’u, Summer Eyes, Rózsa, Adewolf, Alison May, Lil_Babeee_4EVA, Nylez K, Kate Yahn, and Polo Brian. The full list of performances is available online (with links to Spotify so you can get a taste of their tunes before you go).

You can read our 2023 interview about the glory of air guitar with the frontman of Summer Eyes here. 

Concerts in the Park

Hope is bringing tunes to the band shell at Memorial Park each Friday in July and August starting at 6:30pm. The concert organizer said they tried to “curate a little something for everyone” with music with funky brass pop on July 5, rockabilly on July 12, soul tunes on July 19, and a Tom Petty tribute band on July 26.

Performers include Cookin’ With Brass, Dixie Fried Hep Katz, Krystal Dos Santos, and Maryjane’s Last Dance. The full concert line up is available online. 

The concert will also feature a food truck in the park starting at 5:30pm each Friday, and a 50/50 draw around 8:30pm.

Summer Nights in the Township

Amid a plethora of other summer evening activities, Langley Township will also be opening up the Willoughby Community Park Amphitheater for its Thursday night concert series this month. The series will feature performances by blues musician Jimmy D. Lane on July 4, R&B artist Krystal Dos Santos on July 11, funk band Dino and the Sound of Soul on July 18, and country singer Antonio Larosa on July 25.

The links to the musician's music, plus a list of all the other free activities from Summer Nights in the Township, are available online. 

Summer in the Courtyard

A separate summer performance series will be getting underway at Langley’s Willowbrook Mall during its Summer in the Courtyard. Although the events are focused more on movie nights and yoga sessions, there will also be concerts by Ryan McAllister and Antonio Larosa on July 4 and July 18, respectively. 

Music in the Park

A new development in Shxwhá:y Village near Chilliwack is aiming to liven up its park with a number of free concerts this July. Cedarbrook, a townhouse complex located off Schweyey Road, will host Music in the Park on Friday, July 12 and Friday, July 26 starting at 5:30pm. Theo Emy, a self-professed “songwriter of sad songs,” will perform on July 12 while local musician Adam Cebula plays on July 26. The free concerts will continue into August.

Harrison Festival of the Arts

The Harrison Festival Society works all year to prepare its annual July festival featuring ticketed performances and more than 20 free concerts. The festival kicks off on Saturday, July 13, with a noon opening ceremony, and continues all week long until the Latin American band Making Movies closes up the free concerts on Sunday, July 21, at 5pm. 

Harrison’s free concerts will be taking place on its beach stage off Esplanade Avenue overlooking the lagoon. Weekends will feature at least four performances each day, starting in the afternoon, while weeknight shows take place at 6:30pm. The festival focuses on international sounds, so concert-goers will be able to experience Afro-Cuban beats, Swedish rock, and latin grooves. 

Performers include the North Shore Celtic Ensemble, Murray Porter, BuenRostro, Cara Luft, Empanades Ilegales, Kitty and the Rooster, Jackson Hollow, Suzie Ungerleider, Fränder, Jay Gilday, Zar Electrik, Tower of Song, Leela Gilday, Tio Chorinho, Robin Layne and the Rhythm Makers, Darren Charlie, Sechile Sadare, and Maryna Krut.

The festival will feature a number of ticketed concerts and events, including its Children’s Day on Wednesday July 17, as well as workshops by donation. These workshops will include the Harrison Ukulele Gathering, an introduction to Brazilian music, and a musical tour of Mexican music and dance.

The full festival schedule, including artist bios, is available online.

Fort Langley Jazz Festival

Although the Fort Langley Jazz Festival doesn’t officially start until the end of July, each Sunday will feature a little prelude to the main jazz event. The festival’s Youth Concert Showcase Series is happening each Sunday afternoon until July 14 at the Fort Langley Heritage CNR Station. The July series will feature performances by the Ruthie Ha Quartet on July 7 and Trading Fours on July 14.

Fort Langley will be home to two full days of free jazz on Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28. Each day will feature concerts on two stages, one inside the Fort Langley Community Hall and the other in front of it. Both days and both stages will showcase diverse jazz artists, from Indigenous songwriter Norine Braun and Metis instrumentalist Pat Calihou to the South Van Big Band and Ensemble Gergana. 

Other performers include the Hutchinson Andrew Trio, the Hilario Duran Trio, Dino and the Sound of Soul, Jaiden Christie, Hayley Wallis, the Maureen Washington Quartet, John Korsrud, the Wild Blue Herons with Horns, Steven Rutherford, and the James Vickers Band. The full festival line up, with concert times and artist bios, can be found online.

Saturday will also include a vibrant Mardi Gras strolling parade, inspired by traditional New Orleans-style jazz bands. The parade will take place between St. Andrews United Church and the Fort Langley Community Hall at 9:30am on Saturday, July 27.

Sunday’s festival finisher will be a Jazz Alternative Worship experience at the St. Andrews United Church on Glover Road at 4:30pm. This concert has limited seating, and is by donation rather than completely free.