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The Shipyards Festival features live music, market vendors and family-friendly activities in North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale District in September.
The one-day event includes free admission, multiple stages, beer stations and all kinds of fun things to see and do. In 2024 the Shipyards Festival runs from noon until 10:00 pm on Saturday, September 21st.
Other events happening on the same weekend include the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival (which includes free performances at Granville Island). There’s also Circo Osorio Circus shows in Tsawwassen, as well as both the Taste of Abby fall food festival and Snowbird RV Show in Abbotsford.
To learn about what else is happening, see our September Calendar of Events. (If the weather isn’t looking good, you might also want to check out our article about Vancouver Rainy Day Activities.) For details about the Shipyards Festival, however, continue reading.
The Shipped Waterfront Festival celebrated its inaugural year in August of 2018 and it was a terrific event. Renamed the Shipyards Festival, it happened again in September 2019 and was even more fun, bigger and better! After a hiatus of one year, it has returned each year since. In 2024 the festival takes place on Saturday, September 21st.
If you like live music, family-friendly activities, beer gardens, stunning views, free entertainment and spending time with friends, then you’ll definitely want to check out the Shipyards Festival. It’s a great event and suitable for all ages.
Shipyards Festival Video
Below is a video of North Vancouver’s Shipyards Festival in 2019. As you’ll see, the event attracts lots of people and there are concerts and things to do all over the Lower Lonsdale and Shipyards region.
Bands at the 2019 event and featured in the video include Sister Says, Hayvn, The Boom Booms and the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer. The entertainment lineup for 2024 is headlined by Yukon Blonde, Young Friend, Meltt and Black Pontiac.
Where and When
The Shipyards Festival takes place in North Vancouver by the waterfront in Lower Lonsdale. In 2024 it happens on Saturday, September 21st. The live entertainment and activities run from noon until 10:00 pm.
The Lower Lonsdale District of North Vancouver is one of the region’s most popular and interesting places. It’s home to Lonsdale Quay, the Polygon Gallery, SeaBus terminal, the Shipyards and numerous great bars and restaurants.
Located just a 15-minute SeaBus ride from downtown Vancouver, the Shipyards are where you’ll also find the Pipe Shop, Tap & Barrel Restaurant, Shipbuilders’ Pier, and the Lower Mainland’s newest and largest outdoor covered public plaza. Also in the area is the MONOVA Museum. Other great restaurants in the neighbourhood include The Lobby at the Pinnacle Hotel and Pier 7 on the waterfront, plus many more.
What to Expect
At the Shipyards Festival you can expect to see lots of people having fun. The event attracts families, young adults, seniors with their grandchildren, tourists visiting from abroad and locals from across the Lower Mainland.
At the event you’ll see child-friendly entertainment, folks ages 19+ enjoying drinks while they wander around, and bands performing on the various stages. There are also food vendors, market vendors and kids’ play areas.
If you visit Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards on a weekend in the summer, depending on when you go, you might see a farmers market, artisan vendors, food trucks or people doing yoga in the plaza by the SeaBus terminal or out on the pier. You might also see a band playing in Shipbuilders’ Square, art on display and people just wandering around and enjoying the place.
At the Shipyards Festival you can expect to see most if not all of the above, plus a whole lot more, and much of it happening all at the same time!
Expect to have a blast at the festival! And apart from the food and market items for sale, most of what you’ll get to do and see is free! It’s such a great event and the bands are phenomenal!
ART COMPETITION AT THE SHIPYARDS
Another terrific event at the Shipyards the week after the Shipyards Festival in 2024 is the Battle of the Brush. It’s a fast-paced art competition where you get to watch teams of artists paint as fast as they can while enjoying music, drinks and a fun evening with their friends. It takes place at the Pipe Shop in North Vancouver this year on Friday, September 27th.
Festival Entertainment
Live entertainment happens pretty much all day at the Shipyards Festival. Most years bands play on both the Shipbuilders’ Stage and the Shipyards Common Stage as well as a couple other places. Kid-friendly entertainers also perform at set times in the afternoon on the Family Stage, or at least that has been the case in previous years.
2024 headlining acts are Yukon Blonde, Young Friend, Meltt and Black Pontiac, while other top performers include Bakara, Delco, Laraw, Linda Fox, MARMORIS, Runner, Tiger Really, and many more.
As of the beginning of September, the full 2024 performance schedule is yet to be confirmed. For an idea of what to expect, the entertainment schedule from last year is listed below. (Note: Exact details were subject to change.)
Shipbuilders’ Square Stage
Bands performing on the Shipbuilders’ Stage in 2023 included the following:
- 12:30 pm – Clara Sanchez
- 2:30 pm – Raw Honey
- 4:00 pm – Ayla Tesler-Mabé
- 5:00 pm – Norine Braun
- 6:00 pm – Michaela Slinger
- 7:00 pm – Riun Garner
- 8:00 pm – MiiNa
Shipbuilders’ Square Stage is usually in Shipbuilders’ Square where the Shipyards Night Market used to take place on Friday evenings in the summer.
The stage in the square is a permanent outdoor structure that’s between the Pipe Shop (where the festival’s artisan market takes place) and the giant yellow crane. It’s also right beside the Tap & Barrel Pub and across the plaza from the Pier 7 Restaurant.
Shipyards Commons’ Stage
Groups playing on the Shipyards Commons’ Stage in 2023 included the following:
- 12:30 pm – Cara Bateman
- 1:00 pm – Ruthie Ha
- 1:30 pm – Emilyn
- 3:30 pm – Eagle Ex Machina
- 4:30 pm – Lady Sincere
- 5:30 pm – Noxious Obs Society
- 6:30 pm – Garret T. Willie
- 7:30 pm – Sol
- 9:00 pm – SonReal
Shipyard Commons is the covered plaza at the Shipyards. Located just a few steps east of Shipbuilders’ Square near the start of the pier, it was completed in the summer of 2019 and is a wonderful venue. It’s huge, under shelter but still outside, and the acoustics are surprisingly good for concerts.
Car Free Day Stage
Groups performing on the Car Free Day Stage included the following in 2023:
- 12:00 pm – Logan & Nathan
- 1:30 pm – Glisha
- 2:15 pm – Dani Camacho
- 3:00 pm – Adam Mah
- 5:00 pm – The Project Vancity
- 6:00 pm – Devours
- 7:00 pm – Tourist Company
The Car Free Day Stage is likely located in Carrie Cates Court, which is where the Car Free Day event takes place on the same day in North Vancouver.
Family Stage
Entertainers performing on the Family Stage in 2023 included the following:
- 12:00 pm – Katie Brock
- 1:00 pm – Mike Battie
- 3:30 pm – Katie Brock
- 4:00 pm – Mike Battie
Shipyards Festival Concert Video
To give you an idea of what one of the concerts looked like in 2021, check out the video below. It shows scenes of the performance by the band Bedouin Soundclash which is based out of Toronto.
The biggest concert of the night was with Bedouin Soundclash. That group was one of the festival’s two headliner groups and the last one for the day. The concert by The Zolas that same year was just as impressive and took place just before this one. The concert by The Zolas, however, took place outdoors in Shipbuilders’ Square, not Shipyard Commons (which is the covered area where the concert in the video took place).
As you can see in the video, the concert by Bedouin Soundclash was impressive! The festival was the first major music festival in the Lower Mainland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the venue was packed. It was so much fun!
What’s In the Area?
There is a lot to see and do in the Lower Lonsdale area even when there isn’t a major festival going on. There is the world-famous public market at Lonsdale Quay, the Polygon Gallery and Shipbuilders’ Pier. All are free to explore (or by donation in the case of the gallery).
Also in Lower Lonsdale are dozens of great restaurants and interesting shops. It’s a beautiful place to walk around, enjoy a coffee, have a meal, treat yourself to an ice cream and simply hang out.
Lonsdale Quay is also connected to downtown Vancouver and Waterfront Station via the SeaBus which makes it a fabulously convenient location.
Other Information
For more information about the event, see the Shipyards District website.
To learn more about the area, check out any of the following:
For information about other events elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, check out the following:
