Canada Day Celebration Tomorrow!

Guide to the 2014 Canada Day Celebration at Canada Place 

by Remy Scalza in Events

 

Photo credit: Dustan Sept | Flickr

Ready for the biggest Canada Day celebration outside of Ottawa? Downtown Vancouver’s Canada Place is set to be transformed into an all-out party zone for the country’s birthday bash on July 1.

More than 250,000 people are expected to crowd into the waterfront area surrounding the Vancouver Convention Centre for Canada Day at Canada Place 2014.  The action starts from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with the Waterfront Party, a full day of live music, interactive sports, artisan markets and more.  The annual Canada Day Parade kicks off at 7 p.m. and the night concludes with fireworks at 10:30 p.m.

Here’s the full details on what to expect:

Photo credit: Skeezix1000 | Wikimedia Commons

Waterfront Party, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on multiple stages: Action centres around the main stage, located outside at Jack Poole Plaza.  Eight bands perform throughout the day, capped off by Vancouver favourites The Paperboys (3:25 p.m.) and Said the Whale (5:30 p.m.).  Meanwhile, at the indoor Celebration Stage inside the Vancouver Convention Centre multicultural performances are highlighted, including a gospel choir (10 a.m.) and bhangra troupe (4 p.m.), not to mention the moving Citizenship Ceremony (11:05 a.m.), where 60 new Canadians are sworn in.

Other activities include a 50 vendor craft and clothing market, curated by Vancouver’s own Portobello West and highlighting locally made, artisan goods.  There’s also a lumberjack show featuring chainsaw carving, interactive sports zone with jump rope competitions and more and a community stage highlighting family friendly activities including yoga (10 a.m.) and Science World demos (11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m.).

Photo credit: Jenn of Arc | Flickr

Canada Day Parade, 7 p.m. starting at Georgia and Broughton Streets: The popular parade works its way east along Georgia Street before taking a sharp left at Burrard Street and finishing up near Canada Place.  Sidewalks will be packed several rows deep with flag-waving spectators lined up to see more than 60 performance groups, from marching Mounties to samba dancers, strut their stuff.

Photo credit: Rikki / Julius Reque | Flickr

Canada Day Fireworks Show, 10:30 p.m. at Canada Place and Dundarave: The annual pyrotechnic extravaganza features two separate barges, one anchored in Coal Harbour the other off of Dundarave in West Vancouver.  The best views of the show are from Harbour Green Park (adjacent the Vancouver Convention Centre), along the Coal Harbour Seawall, inside Stanley Park from the rowing club to the 9 o’clock gun and along the Ambleside to Dundarave Seawall in West Vancouver and the Lower Lonsdale area in North Vancouver.  Front row seats to the fireworks along the Canada Place West Promenade can be reserved in advance for $12 via Eventbrite.