Photo caption: The 22nd Annual Richmond Maritime Festival will take place at Britannia Shipyards on August 23 and 24 from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
The 22nd Annual Richmond Maritime Festival will take place at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site (5180 Westwater Drive) on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24 from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
This beloved nautical-themed event will offer visitors a chance to engage in the rich maritime legacy of Steveston through fun, family-friendly activities, live music, puppet shows, art exhibitions and more. The festival is free with something for people of all ages.
2025 festival highlights include:
- Live music: This year’s edition features the largest music stage yet, showcasing local bands with a maritime flair: Vancouver and Nanaimo-based singer-songwriters Murfitt & Main, the energizing and award-winning fiddlers Collage Trad, and festival favourites like the Irish Wakers, Nautical Notes and The Whiskeydicks.
- Family activities: The Seaside Puppet Theatre will feature music by accordionist Dan Propp and puppet friends Lulu the Mermaid and Rikki the Rat. The Octopus Garden will have free face painting and street-theatre picture-card shows.
- Hands-on workshops: Get involved at the community-activated Knitting Tree, make cyanotype prints with Grace Gihm, net-making with Cat Hart, design-your-own-boat crafts with Ralph Heading and origami with Aiko Matsushiba.
- Boats at the docks: Take in the beauty of restored heritage boats. Among the vessels will be the 103-year-old SS Master tugboat, the MV Gikumi, Midnight Sun, Sandra Jean II and Island Provider. Check the website for dock access hours. Visitors can also stop by the Richmond Boat Builders workshop to explore the current restoration work on the 62-year-old Crystal S.
- Multicultural food: Fuel your festival adventures with more than 15 food trucks this year, including new additions to the site: Mangy Yummy, Golden Bannock and Rolled West Coast ice cream.
This year’s festival coincides with the FreshCo Richmond Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday August 23, at Steveston’s Imperial Landing, so there will be even more for visitors to enjoy as they make their way across to the Richmond Maritime Festival.
The festival is presented by the City of Richmond in partnership with the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site Society and Richmond Arts Coalition, with funding support from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Province of British Columbia.
For more details on getting to Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site and this year’s program, visit richmondmaritimefestival.ca.