Sea Fair

Sea Fair was Powell River’s beloved summer festival, spanning fifty-two years of the town’s history. The most recent Sea Fair took place in 2015, and a Sea Fair Parade was held in 2016, however, this event was isolated and the fair did not occur since.

The first Sea Fair held in Powell River took place on August 10, 1963. The event was put on by the local Rotary Club in the parking lot of the Westview harbour. The Sea Fair celebrations for this year included a parade from Alexander House (The Legion) down to the harbour, visits from Navy ships, a dance held at Willingdon Beach Arena, performances from Scottish dancers with the Powell River Pipe Band, and a salmon barbecue. An airshow organized by the Junior Chamber ‘Jaycees’ was planned to take place at the airport on the same weekend, however, the two events were combined and Royal Canadian Airforce Planes flew over the harbour instead for the Sea Fair Crowds.

Since the initial Sea Fair, the event became a popular event for the community, taking place nearly every summer. In the years following, the spectacle that was the Sea Fair celebration only grew. The event began taking place over an entire weekend instead of a single day, and new elements were added such as midway rides, a treasure hunt, many more performances, vendors, swimming, sailing, and bathtub races, sports tournaments, and paper packing contests.

The Sea Fair festivities of 1976 were moved to Willingdon Beach from their former location at the harbour parking lot, a location that stuck for the decades to follow.
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Sea Fair was an exciting event for the community to come together, and brought a sense of excitement and fun to the isolated region, even if it was only for one weekend each summer.