A flotilla of majestic tall ships, joined by a modern-day Canadian Navy orca patroller, will sail into the Fraser River to be part of the “Riverside Village” at Richmond’s Canada Day celebrations in Steveston.
The ships will be part of a plethora of free attractions that weekend, with the Steveston Salmon Festival taking centre stage, along with Canada Day fireworks and a “Riverside Village,” which includes live entertainment, food trucks and other fun, family activities at Imperial Landing and Britannia Shipyard.
The majestic tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain, and the elegant century-old Adventuress will lead half a dozen American ships venturing north of the 49th parallel to join in this historic Canadian celebration.
The maple leaf will be well represented by more than 10 other vessels, including a Canadian Navy coastal patrol ship, the SS Master steam tug and the hilarious mini-brigs of the hometown Shady Isle Pirates.
Visitors can also hop aboard the River Queen, for a leisurely waterside tour of the Steveston Channel.
The ships will be docked in Riverside Village, at Britannia Shipyards, where there will be free boarding and viewing of the ships from June 30 through July 2.
The Steveston Salmon Festival will be cooking up more than 1,200 pounds of wild salmon fillets over open fire pits, as well as the Canada Day Parade and a full day of entertainment featuring Canadian blues rockers Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues, a food truck festival, a Carnival Zone, midway and much more.
The Steveston Village Street Party will feature diverse performances on six stages, including Main Stage performances by Wintersleep, Vancouver’s own blues duo Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer and up-and-comer dream-pop band, Youngblood.
In addition to the live music filling the streets, guests will be invited to explore the Village with activities from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic site down to Imperial Landing and extending to Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site.
Visitors can also drop into the Steveston Museum and Steveston Interurban Tram for more fun experiences celebrating Richmond’s heritage.
Go online to RichmondCanadaDay.com for complete event details. For more information on the Steveston Salmon Festival visit StevestonSalmonFest.ca.
