Surrey is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the q̓icə̓ y̓ (Katzie), q̓wɑ:n̓ƛən̓ (Kwantlen), and Semiahma (Semiahmoo) land-based nations.
Western Canada’s biggest Canada Day festival has a lot going on! Whether you’ve got a junior Canuck, or you’ve celebrated many a Canada Day in your time, there’s a little something for everyone.
Head to Surrey’s Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre to experience a day full of free, family-friendly entertainment, amusement rides, exhibitor booths, an Indigenous Village, food trucks and a spectacular fireworks finale.
Surrey Canada Day is committed to sharing music, education, entertainment, and the cultural practices of many Indigenous, local and multicultural artists. July 1 is a day to reflect on the wrongs of the past in order to chart a new and better path forward. Together, we can work towards reconciliation and a more equitable society for all and everyone is invited to come together to reflect, experience diverse cultural expression, and create hope for the future.
Surrey Canada Day features an expanded Indigenous Village, featuring the new Siam Stage, meaning “Respected Ones” in Coast Salish languages. The Siam Stage will showcase Indigenous cultural sharing from land-based Nations, a Residential School Survivors honouring ceremony and “Sharing Circles” with Residential School Survivors which will be hosted in a 25-foot Teepee. There will also be Indigenous education opportunities, including learning how to make a ribbon skirt using the “Kokum Scarf Material”, a community mural painting with traditional northwest coast Tlingit artist, Brad Henry, and contemporary performances.
Arguably one of the biggest crowd-pleasers at this annual event are the amazing Canadian performers who hit the main stage throughout the day. The event is stacked with chart-topping, award-winning performers including headliners, Arkells who are hailed by the Globe & Mail as “the right kind of band for this decade” and recently won a 2022 JUNO Award for Group of the Year. Also on the bill is Shawnee Kish, a two-spirit Indigenous performer who was named the winner of CBC’s 2020 Searchlight talent competition and has been topping charts ever since. Another highlight is Haviah Mighty, the first hip-hop artist and the first Black woman to win the Polaris Music Prize, celebrating the “best Canadian album of the year”. Almost every genre of music will be represented on the day, from country, Latin, hip hop, R & B, soul or reggae to Indigenous Dancers, the Git Hayetsk Dancers and Metis fiddler JJ Lavallee, no matter what genre you lean towards, your new favourite artist will be hitting the stage.
Thrill-seekers and future dare-devils will have a BLAST on the Shooting Star Amusement Rides with fan-favourites like the Zipper, Lightning Bolt, the Ferris Wheel and Kids Pirate Ship. And the Kid’s Zone will delight the littles with fun musical performances, Indigenous storytelling, circus performers, games and crafts.
But, we all know that one of the best parts of any festival is the array of food options, and Surrey Canada Day doesn’t disappoint. Not only can you celebrate your Canadian pride by eating all the Bannock you can handle, but there’s also a diverse selection of food to taste from around the world, like Persian food from Food Daddy, Jamaican Jerk Chicken from Jamaican Mi Juicy and hotdogs from Japa Dog. And it wouldn’t be a festival without mini donuts and hurricane potatoes!
The day wraps up with a spectacular fireworks show at 10:30 pm.