BC Day lands on Monday, August 3, 2026, giving us a three day long weekend that runs Saturday through Monday. In White Rock, the weekend’s main event isn’t a festival built around the holiday itself. It’s the White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days, which marks its 75th year in 2026 and runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2, spread across the Pier, Memorial Park, and Bayview Park.
That timing matters for anyone planning a visit. The parade, the car show, and the fireworks all happen before the actual BC Day holiday, which means Monday itself is a quieter day on the waterfront. Our guide covers both halves of the weekend: how to catch the festival’s biggest moments on Saturday and Sunday, and what is genuinely worth doing once the crowds thin out and the holiday Monday arrives.
Saturday’s Parade and Sunday’s Fireworks: the Sea Festival Turns 75
The White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days is the closest thing our city has to a BC Day weekend headliner, even though it technically wraps before the holiday itself. In its 75th year, the festival spans three waterfront zones, the Pier, Memorial Park, and Bayview Park, with an outdoor movie night at Bayview Park on the Friday, gates opening at 7pm and the film starting at dusk.
Saturday, August 1 is the biggest day for entertainment. Live music takes over the Memorial Park mainstage, kids activities fill Bayview Park from noon to 5pm, an Indigenous Marketplace sets up near the Pier during those same hours, and the evening builds toward the Torchlight Parade, which steps off from Oxford Street onto Marine Drive at 8:30pm. It’s worth staking out a spot on Marine Drive well before then if you want an unobstructed view.
Sunday, August 2 closes things out with the Hot Rodz Car Show at the Bayview lots from 10am to 4pm, awards at 3pm, more live music and marketplace time in the afternoon, and fireworks over Semiahmoo Bay at 10pm. That fireworks show is effectively the weekend’s finale. Once it ends, so does the organized programming, a full day before the BC Day holiday itself.
BC Day Monday: What Is Actually Open Once the Festival Wraps
We want to be upfront about this: there is no organized city event scheduled for the BC Day holiday Monday itself. The Sea Festival’s programming ends Sunday night with the fireworks, and the city has not listed a separate Monday event for the long weekend. If you’re hoping to catch a parade or a fireworks show specifically on the holiday Monday, that is not what is planned for White Rock in 2026.
What is still there, and still genuinely worth the trip, is everything the waterfront offers on an ordinary summer day. The Pier stays open, the beach is there whatever the tide is doing, and the promenade running along Marine Drive is a pleasant walk with the crowds from the weekend mostly gone home. Our guide to the White Rock Pier and our White Rock Beach guide both cover the practical basics if you haven’t visited recently.
Many of the restaurants, cafes, and shops along Marine Drive stay open on the holiday Monday as well, though hours can vary by business, so it’s worth checking ahead if you have somewhere specific in mind. Treat the Monday as the calmer bookend to a busy festival weekend rather than a day with its own big event, and you’ll likely enjoy it more.
Getting to the Waterfront: Parking, Transit, and Timing
The waterfront is served by transit routes 361 and 362, which is a reasonable way to avoid the parking crunch on the festival’s busiest evenings. If you’re driving, paid parking is available at Semiahmoo Park, in the waterfront lots along Marine Drive, and at the West Beach Parkade.
Because 2026 marks the Sea Festival’s 75th anniversary, we’d expect Saturday’s Torchlight Parade and Sunday’s fireworks to draw some of the largest crowds White Rock sees all year. If you’re coming for either of those, arriving well before the 8:30pm parade start or the 10pm fireworks gives you a much better shot at parking close by and a clear sightline.
Evenings on the water cool off faster than you’d expect from a summer day, so a light jacket is worth packing if you’re staying out for the parade or the fireworks. And since the beach itself changes shape with the tide, it’s worth a quick check of the tide schedule before you plan where to sit or how much sand you’ll actually have to spread out on.
BC Day Long Weekend in White Rock at a Glance
Here’s the weekend broken down day by day, from Friday’s movie night through the quieter BC Day Monday, so you can plan around the parts that matter most to you.
The short version: the festival carries the weekend through Sunday night, and Monday is yours to spend however you like on a calmer waterfront.
Beyond the Festival: Everyday White Rock Is Still Worth the Trip
If the festival crowds aren’t your thing, or you’re coming specifically for the BC Day holiday Monday, the waterfront’s regular attractions are still there and still worth the visit. The Pier, the beach, and the promenade along Marine Drive don’t need a festival to be worth a walk.
We’d suggest pairing a quieter Monday visit with our guide to the White Rock Pier or our White Rock Beach guide, both of which cover parking, tides, and the practical details that make a waterfront visit go smoothly whether or not there’s an event happening.
Local Tips for the Long Weekend
Arrive early if you want a parking spot near the waterfront for Saturday’s parade or Sunday’s fireworks. This is the festival’s 75th year, and the waterfront lots and West Beach Parkade tend to fill up well before the evening events start.
Bring a layer for the evenings. The breeze off Semiahmoo Bay cools things down quickly once the sun starts to set, even on a warm summer day, and both the parade and the fireworks happen after dark.
If you’re planning the quieter BC Day Monday visit, call ahead to any restaurant or shop you’re set on, since holiday hours vary by business even when the street is generally open.
Questions Often Asked
When is BC Day in White Rock in 2026?
BC Day, also called the Civic Holiday, falls on Monday, August 3, 2026, the first Monday of the month. The long weekend runs from Saturday, August 1 through Monday, August 3.
Is there a fireworks show in White Rock for BC Day 2026?
Yes, but it happens on Sunday, August 2 at 10pm over Semiahmoo Bay, as the closing event of the White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days. There is no separate fireworks show scheduled for the Monday holiday itself.
What is happening in White Rock on BC Day Monday, once the festival wraps up?
There is no organized city programming listed on White Rock’s Events and Festivals calendar for the Monday holiday. The beach, the Pier, the promenade, and many Marine Drive restaurants and shops remain open, making it a good day for a quieter waterfront visit rather than an event.
How do we get to the White Rock waterfront during the festival?
Transit routes 361 and 362 serve the waterfront directly. If you’re driving, paid parking is available at Semiahmoo Park, the waterfront lots along Marine Drive, and the West Beach Parkade, though we’d recommend arriving early on Saturday and Sunday evenings since this is the festival’s 75th anniversary.
