BC Day falls on Monday, August 3, 2026, and the long weekend around it stretches from Friday, July 31 through the Monday holiday. If you are picturing a dedicated civic BC Day festival with a main stage and headline entertainment the way a couple of neighbouring Lower Mainland cities run this year, Abbotsford does not have that kind of event on the calendar for August 3 itself. What Abbotsford does have is bigger in almost every other sense: the 117th Abbotsford Agrifair, the city’s largest annual fair, which lands right on top of the long weekend at Exhibition Park from July 31 to August 2.
The honest thing to tell you up front is that the Agrifair wraps up on the Sunday, so the fairgrounds are closed on BC Day Monday itself. That means the long weekend really splits into two parts: three packed days of fair programming from Friday to Sunday, then a quieter, more do-it-yourself BC Day Monday once the midway lights go dark. We built this guide around both halves, starting with what the Agrifair actually has on offer this year and finishing with genuine options for spending BC Day Monday once the fair has closed for the season.
Inside the 117th Abbotsford Agrifair
The Abbotsford Agrifair is now in its 117th year, and the 2026 edition runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2 at Exhibition Park, located at 32470 Haida Drive. Gates are open from 9 am to 9 pm on all three days, and this year’s fair theme, Welcome Neigh-bours, is a nod to the fair’s headline attraction. The fairgrounds sit just off Highway 1, close to the heart of Abbotsford, with dedicated on-site parking available for a flat daily fee.
On-site parking runs $10 per vehicle per day with no in-and-out privileges, so plan to settle in for the day once you arrive rather than making multiple trips back to the car. The midway is run by Shooting Star Amusements, operating Friday through Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm on the Lower Grounds, with ride passes available to buy online in advance of your visit. Beyond the rides, the fair packs in an expanded 4-H show, a Country Horse Classic, chainsaw carving demonstrations, and an expanded demolition derby that organisers are billing as bigger than ever.
Evenings bring live music to the fair as well, with Appaloosa playing country rock in the Motorsports Arena on Friday night, Topaz covering classic rock on Saturday evening, and Morgan Griffiths closing out the weekend with a country set on the Red Truck stage Sunday evening. Families with younger kids will want to budget time for the new Kids Zone and the perennial crowd favourites, Pig Races and the Extreme Dogs show, both of which tend to draw a full house of onlookers along the rail.
RCMP Musical Ride Returns to Abbotsford for the First Time Since 2018
The single biggest draw at the 2026 Agrifair is the RCMP Musical Ride, making its first Abbotsford appearance since 2018 and the first stop of its British Columbia tour this year. The performance features up to 20 serving police officers and their horses executing intricate formations and drills set to music, a Canadian tradition more than a century old. Each show runs about 30 minutes and takes place in the Agrifair Arena, which has limited seating, so arriving well ahead of showtime is worth the trade-off against squeezing in one more ride on the midway first.
The Ride performs five times across the three days: once on Friday at 5 pm, then twice on both Saturday and Sunday, at 1 pm and 5 pm. Admission to the Musical Ride is included with your Agrifair gate admission, so there is no separate ticket to track down once you are through the gates. Each performance is followed by a meet and greet with the RCMP members and their horses, which is worth staying for if you have kids who want a closer look or a photo.
The rest of the animal and agricultural programming at the fair builds around that same theme. Look for horse shows running throughout the weekend, the Fraser Valley Antique Farm Machinery Association’s static and working exhibits, and the expanded 4-H displays that give a good sense of the agricultural roots the fair grew out of long before the midway rides and wrestling matches were added. For a fair with rides and a demolition derby on the schedule, the animal side of the grounds still gets a genuine amount of real estate.
What to Do in Abbotsford on BC Day Itself
Once the Agrifair gates close on Sunday evening, the fairgrounds go quiet for BC Day Monday, and Exhibition Park is not the place to plan around for August 3. That is a real gap for anyone hoping the fair would carry through the whole long weekend, and we would rather tell you that plainly than send you out to Haida Drive on a holiday Monday to find an empty parking lot.
The good news is that Abbotsford has plenty else running on a summer holiday Monday, just at a smaller and more self-directed scale than a fair. Mill Lake Park, close to the centre of the city, keeps its paved loop trail, playground, and picnic areas open as usual, and the Centennial Outdoor Pool next to the park is a good bet for cooling off on a warm August afternoon if it is running its regular summer schedule. For a fuller look at the park, see our guide to Mill Lake Park.
If you would rather spend BC Day Monday on foot somewhere with shops and patios open, Historic Downtown Abbotsford along South Fraser Way and Essendene Avenue is a reliable option, since most independent businesses there keep normal holiday Monday hours. We cover the heritage buildings, murals, and walkable core in our downtown Abbotsford walking guide, which works well as a slower second half to a long weekend that started with three loud days at the fair.
Abbotsford BC Day Long Weekend 2026 at a Glance
The chart below breaks down the key details for the 2026 Abbotsford Agrifair alongside the reality of BC Day Monday itself, so you can plan which days call for fair tickets and which day calls for a quieter backup plan.
Keep in mind that showtimes and vendor lineups can shift closer to the date, so it is worth a quick check of the Agrifair’s own site before you finalize plans, particularly if the RCMP Musical Ride is the main reason for your visit.
Getting to Exhibition Park and Buying Tickets
Exhibition Park sits at 32470 Haida Drive, a short drive from Highway 1 near the heart of Abbotsford. On-site parking costs $10 per vehicle per day with no in-and-out privileges, so budget for a full day once you commit to parking there, and consider carpooling given how quickly the lot fills on Saturday and Sunday. Ride passes and general admission tickets are sold in advance through the fair’s official ticket page, and buying online ahead of time is worth it since the fair’s own site notes savings over paying at the gate.
For the most current details on showtimes, vendor lineups, and any last minute schedule changes, the official Agrifair 2026 event page is the best source to check before you go. Local coverage of the RCMP Musical Ride announcement, including comments from fair manager Cory Cassel on what the visit means for this year’s event, is available from Abbotsford News.
Tips for the Agrifair and BC Day Weekend
Arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes before your preferred RCMP Musical Ride showtime, since the Agrifair Arena has limited seating and the Ride is the single biggest draw of the weekend. If you only have time for one performance, the Friday 5 pm show or one of the weekend 1 pm shows tends to be less crowded than the Saturday and Sunday evening slots.
Bring sun protection and a refillable water bottle for the fairgrounds, since most of Exhibition Park is open pavement and grass with limited shade during the 9 am to 9 pm gate hours. Cash is still useful at a fair this size for smaller vendors and games, even though most larger booths accept cards.
If BC Day Monday is the day you actually have off work, do not assume the fair carries through to the holiday itself. Plan Monday as a separate, calmer day around Mill Lake Park or downtown, and treat Friday through Sunday as your window for the Agrifair, the RCMP Musical Ride, and the midway.
Questions Often Asked
When is the Abbotsford Agrifair in 2026?
The 2026 Abbotsford Agrifair runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2 at Exhibition Park, 32470 Haida Drive. Gates are open 9 am to 9 pm each day, and it is the 117th edition of the fair.
Is the Agrifair open on BC Day, Monday, August 3?
No. The 2026 fair runs Friday through Sunday and closes before BC Day Monday. For August 3 itself, Mill Lake Park and Historic Downtown Abbotsford are reliable, open-as-usual options in the city.
When does the RCMP Musical Ride perform at the 2026 Agrifair?
The RCMP Musical Ride performs five times over the weekend: Friday at 5 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm and 5 pm, all in the Agrifair Arena. Admission is included with your fair gate ticket, and each show is followed by a meet and greet with the riders and their horses.
How much does parking cost at the Abbotsford Agrifair?
On-site parking at Exhibition Park costs $10 per vehicle per day, and there are no in-and-out privileges, so plan to stay once you park. Ride passes and gate admission are sold separately through the fair’s official ticket page.
