The 130th Ladner May Days runs this weekend — Friday May 22 through Sunday May 24 — at Memorial Park in Ladner Village. That number is worth sitting with for a moment. A hundred and thirty years is a long time for anything to keep happening in the same place, and the fact that it has says something about the community that organises it every year on essentially a volunteer budget.
This year's parade theme is Pirates of the Fraser River, which is the right kind of absurd for a heritage event in a working river community. The parade steps off Sunday at noon, winding through the village before finishing at the park for the May Royal Court crowning ceremony at 1:30.
For anyone who hasn't been to Ladner May Days before, here's what the weekend actually looks like.
Friday: The Rides Come First
Shooting Star Amusements sets up at Memorial Park from 4pm Friday through to close on Sunday. It's not a massive midway — this isn't the PNE — but that's not really the point. The scale fits the village. Friday evening also opens the Ladner May Days Invitational fastpitch tournament, which runs across all three days and draws competitive teams from across the region. If you've never watched serious fastpitch, it's worth an hour of your time. The pitching in particular is something most people haven't seen up close.
Saturday: The Full Day
Saturday is when May Days reaches its full extent. The artisan market opens near the gazebo at 10am and runs through 5. Alongside the usual crafts and local makers, the activities in the park run most of the afternoon: Delta gymnastics, Yukon Dan (a storytelling and gold-panning demonstration that's been a fixture for years), paddle boats, face painting, a balloon artist, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Most of these are free. The main stage entertainment runs 11am to 5:30.
The Ladner Legion beer garden opens at noon. This is where a good portion of the adults who brought their children to the petting zoo end up by early afternoon, which is as it should be.
The fastpitch continues through the day, and if you want to see the best ball the tournament has to offer, Saturday afternoon tends to be it.
Sunday: Pancakes, Parade, Pirates
Sunday starts properly at 7:30am with the Lions Club pancake breakfast, which runs until 11. It costs a few dollars, it's good, and the lineup is part of the experience. This is the event where you run into half the people you grew up with, if you grew up here.
The parade steps off at noon. The Pirates of the Fraser River theme means you can expect a fair bit of creative interpretation from the floats and participants. The Ladner May Days Royal Court will be crowned at the main stage at 1:30, which traditionally marks the emotional centrepiece of the weekend for the families involved.
Activities and the artisan market continue through Sunday afternoon, and the beer garden runs noon to 6. The rides close at 5.
Ladner Itself Is Worth the Trip
The village core around Elliott Street and 48th Avenue is a genuine heritage streetscape — buildings from the early 1900s still in daily use as shops and restaurants. It sits on the south arm of the Fraser, and the working waterfront is right there: boats, docks, the smell of the river. It's a different texture from the rest of Metro Vancouver, and it doesn't try to be anything other than what it is.
The drive from Vancouver takes 35 to 40 minutes depending on the bridge. Parking at the park is limited on event days, so arriving early or parking a few blocks into the village and walking is the better plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ladner May Days free to attend?
Most of it. The fairground activities — gymnastics, Yukon Dan, paddle boats, face painting, balloon artist, pony rides, petting zoo, main stage entertainment, and the parade — are free. The midway rides have their own costs. The Lions Club pancake breakfast on Sunday morning has a small charge. The artisan market is free to browse.
Where exactly is Memorial Park in Ladner?
Memorial Park is at 5010 47th Avenue in Ladner. It's within easy walking distance of the historic village core on Elliott Street. Parking fills up quickly on the Saturday and Sunday of the event — arriving before 11am or parking a few blocks away and walking in makes things easier.
What is the Ladner May Days Invitational?
It's a competitive fastpitch softball tournament that runs across all three days of the event. Teams from across the Lower Mainland and beyond compete at the fields adjacent to Memorial Park. The level of play is genuinely high — adult fastpitch at a competitive level is a different experience from recreational softball, and the pitching in particular is worth seeing if you've never watched it up close. Games run from early morning through to late afternoon on all three days.
If you're making a weekend of it in Delta, Sleep Majestic is on Annacis Island — about 15 minutes from the fairgrounds. Handmade organic latex mattresses, available to try in person. Showroom by appointment, book a personalized mattress fitting here: Sleep Majestic Mattress Fittings
