July 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Richmond, Festivals & Events
Happy Canada Day everyone! This is without question my favourite day of the year to be in Richmond! Why? The Salmon Festival, of course!
What is the Salmon Festival? This is an annual Canada Day celebration (held every year since 1945!) down in Steveston! You can expect around 70,000 people to come out and enjoy the massive parade, food (get into that more later), games, music, live performances, volleyball tournament, and tons more! It’s seriously a ton of fun and attracts people from all over Richmond and Metro Vancouver to take to the streets and celebrate for an entire day!
The day begins with a huge parade including floats, marching bands, celebrities, politicians, community groups, vintage vehicles, dancers and much, much more. The parade is great fun and usually lasts between 1.5-2 hours!!!
Afterwards, everyone heads to the famous salmon barbecue where over 1200 pounds of wild salmon filets are grilled on open fire pits. The lines are usually huge and for good reason! It sells out EVERY year!!!
After this there is a ton of children’s games and rides all in a carnival atmosphere. There’s plenty to do and see for the whole family. My favourite? The Steveston water park! (who says it’s just for kids?) Also expect non-stop performances all day on one of the many stages, as well as an indoor farmer’s market!
Waterparks aside, the best part of the festival is the annual (Cambie Sports) Volleyball Tournament held in the fields behind the Steveston Community Centre. It’s non stop action ,all day as co-ed teams of 4’s battle it out on the grass attracting huge crowds!
The Salmon Festival is a spectacular event that offers something for everyone! If I’m not shooting video, you’ll find me playing volleyball all day and then out in one of the many beer gardens all evening! Bring your family, enjoy the parade, get some delicious salmon, and enjoy the wonderful energy that Richmond exudes on Canada Day! See you next year!