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White Rock celebrates Canada Day

Festivities begin at 10 a.m. and close with fireworks at 10:15 p.m. in White Rock
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Contributed photo The Pat Chessell Band will add a Celtic sound to Canada Day By The Bay celebrations at the RE/MAX Sea Stage on Saturday.

White Rock’s annual Canada Day by the Bay celebration returns to the city’s West Beach and East Beach waterfront Saturday (July 1) with a kaleidoscopic mix of entertainment, family-friendly activities, crafts, vendors and food trucks.

The day-long festivities begin at 10 a.m., and continue until the traditional closing fireworks display at 10:15 p.m.

On West Beach, the RE/MAX Sea Stage beside the White Rock Museum and Archives (14970 Marine Dr.), will provide live music throughout the day, culminating in a 9 p.m. performance by rising West Coast roots rockers The Matinee.

Meanwhile, on East Beach, the Half Moon Dentistry-sponsored Kids Zone will offer live music (including Will Stroet and the Backyard Band at 10:30 a.m.), family sand sculpting (from noon to 1 p.m.), and free childrens’ crafts and activities, while the White Rock Fire Fighters Charity BBQ will keep the grills fired from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will also be plenty of childrens activities hosted by the museum on its West Beach plaza throughout the day, plus free entry to the current exhibition.

More than 80 vendors will line the promenade for the event, selling handcrafted items and and promoting local businesses.

The Sea Stage music line-up starts at 11 a.m with a set by David Fretter, followed by sets by Alexis Lynn (11:45 a.m.), the Seabillys (12:30 p.m.) and Jade (2 p.m.).

Jazz and boogie woogie pianist Dominik Heins and his trio will swing out at 2:45 p.m.; followed by rising White Rock troubadour Richard Tichelman (3:30 p.m.) and the dynamic Celtic-flavoured music of Pat Chessell and his Band (4:30 p.m.).

Big City Soul will add a touch of old-school R & B and funk at 5:30 p.m.; followed by a set by cutting-edge White Rock alt-rock favourites Hawking at 6:45 p.m., Vancouver-based Paul Lambert’s modern rock band City Walls at 8 p.m. and The Matinee at 9 p.m.