Labour Day always falls on the first Monday of September, making for a long weekend that runs from the Saturday before through the Monday itself. We will be honest with you up front: this is the quietest event weekend Coquitlam has had all summer. The city’s big BC Day celebration with its wild salmon barbecue and corgi races ran back on August 3, the free Summer Concert Series at Town Centre Park wraps up with The Country Divas on Friday, September 4, and ScotFest, the city’s Highland games, now runs in June.
Quiet does not mean empty, though. A new art exhibition opens at the Evergreen gallery on Saturday, the farmers market runs its regular Sunday session, the pools keep special holiday hours on Monday, and the lake, the trails, and the patios are all still there. Here is what is actually on, verified against the city and organizer pages.
A New Exhibition Opens Saturday at the Evergreen Gallery
The one genuine opening this weekend is at The Gallery at Evergreen Arts, inside the Evergreen Cultural Centre at 1205 Pinetree Way. Landon Mackenzie: Weather Patterns, an exhibition of large-scale paintings from the Vancouver painter’s Weather Pattern series, opens to the public on Saturday, September 5 and runs through November 22. During the run the gallery keeps hours of Wednesdays noon to 5pm, Thursdays and Fridays noon to 6pm, and Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5pm.
The series began in the tidal waters of Prince Edward Island and was completed on the West Coast, and it is supported by the Audain Foundation. Admission is free, as it is for the gallery year-round; donations are welcome at the door.
One scheduling note so you are not surprised: the formal opening reception with the artist’s tour happens Thursday, September 10, from 6pm to 8:30pm, the week after the long weekend. Saturday and Sunday are for seeing the show first, before the crowds that a reception brings.
Sunday Morning at the Coquitlam Farmers Market
The Coquitlam Farmers Market runs every Sunday from 9am to 1pm in the Dogwood Pavilion parking lot at 1655 Winslow Avenue, at the corner with Poirier Street, and Sunday, September 6 is a regular market day in a season that runs every Sunday from May 3 to October 25, rain or shine, so the long weekend changes nothing about it.
It is a proper mid-sized market, with the Grow Local Society running a tight ship on local vendors, and it pairs naturally with a walk through the neighbourhood or a stop at the blueberry stands that make this part of the Tricity in early September. Go early for the best produce; by 12:30 the popular tables start looking picked over.
If you want to make a full Sunday of the area, our guide to Mundy Park covers the forested trails fifteen minutes away, and Como Lake Park is closer still.
Labour Day Monday: Holiday Hours, and Where to Swim
Monday, September 7 follows the city’s standard statutory holiday pattern, and this part is worth reading twice before you load the car. Closed for the day: City Hall, Dogwood Pavilion, Glen Pine Pavilion, Pinetree and Poirier community centres, and the city’s other community and activity centres. These closures apply to the statutory holiday on Monday, September 7. The City Centre Aquatic Complex is a separate case: it is shut for annual maintenance from September 1 through October 4, so it is out for the whole weekend, and Poirier is the only indoor pool option from Saturday through Monday.
The swimmers’ news is better. Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex runs 8am to 8pm on the holiday, Eagle Ridge Pool runs 12:30pm to 4pm and again 6pm to 8:30pm, and Mundy Park Outdoor Pool runs 9am to 8:30pm, which on a warm September Monday makes it the best seat in the city. It is also Eagle Ridge’s last day of the season, and the last day Mundy Park runs its full summer schedule before dropping to shorter fall hours, so treat Monday as the season’s send-off, not just a swim. Hours can shift, so a quick call ahead is cheap insurance.
Beyond the pools, Monday belongs to the classics: the Lafarge Lake loop, which our Lafarge Lake guide covers in full, a slow walk through Town Centre Park, or an afternoon that ends at a table from our Coquitlam restaurants guide. Nothing is scheduled; that is rather the point of the day.
Your Labour Day Long Weekend at a Glance
Saturday: the new exhibition at the Evergreen gallery from noon, plus whatever park or trail you have been meaning to get to. Sunday: the farmers market 9am to 1pm at Dogwood Pavilion, gallery until 5pm. Monday: holiday closures across city facilities, with Poirier Sport and Leisure, Eagle Ridge Pool, and Mundy Park Pool on special hours.
Two confirmed events, three days, and a city that finally takes a breath after a full summer of programming.
What Is Not Happening This Weekend
No festival, no fireworks, and no concert. The Summer Concert Series closes with The Country Divas on Friday, September 4 at Town Centre Park, the BC Day festival was August 3, Canada Day was July 1, and the next notable dates on the city’s calendar are the Summer Nights Farmers Market at TriCity Pavilion on September 18, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at Mackin Park on September 19, the Terry Fox Run at Mundy Park on September 20, and the return of Lights at Lafarge in late November.
If the city adds anything to the long weekend on short notice, it will appear on coquitlam.ca’s festival and events pages first.
Tips for the Long Weekend
The gallery and the farmers market are a natural Saturday-and-Sunday split, and both are compact enough to pair with something outdoors. The Evergreen Cultural Centre sits beside the Pinetree Way corridor with parking on site; the Dogwood Pavilion market lot fills by mid-morning on sunny Sundays, with street parking nearby as the overflow.
For Monday swimming, Mundy Park Pool’s 9am opening is the play if you want a calm lane; the 12:30pm Eagle Ridge window suits an early lunch first. And a reminder that the Coquitlam Public Library’s City Centre branch is closed on the Monday, with the Poirier branch closed both the Sunday and the Monday.
Pack as if it is still summer, because statistically it is: sunscreen for the market line, a layer for the lake loop after sunset.
Questions Often Asked
Is there a festival or fireworks in Coquitlam on Labour Day weekend?
No. The city’s summer festival season closes with the Friday, September 4 concert, and nothing is scheduled for September 5 to 7. The next big civic moment is the Terry Fox Run on September 20.
Is the Coquitlam Farmers Market open on the long weekend?
Yes. It runs every Sunday 9am to 1pm at the Dogwood Pavilion lot, including Sunday, September 6, and the season continues to October 25.
What is open in Coquitlam on Labour Day Monday?
Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex from 8am to 8pm, Eagle Ridge Pool from 12:30pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8:30pm, and Mundy Park Pool from 9am to 8:30pm. Most other city facilities, including City Hall and the community centres, are closed for the statutory holiday, and the City Centre Aquatic Complex is closed for maintenance through October 4. Coquitlam Centre runs 11am to 6pm.
Is the new Evergreen gallery exhibition free?
Admission is free. The exhibition runs September 5 through November 22, with gallery hours of Wednesdays noon to 5pm, Thursdays and Fridays noon to 6pm, and Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5pm; check evergreenarts.ca for current details before you go.
