Issued on: July 31, 2023

BC Day Long Weekend Aug 3 – Aug 8, 2023

BC Day long weekend is one of the most popular times of the year for travel on the coast. This year, from Thursday to Tuesday, we expect to welcome over 580,000 passengers and 210,000 vehicles on board.

BC Ferries is introducing a virtual waiting room for online bookings that will help our website perform at its best when an extremely high number of customers are making bookings on the website and app. Customers will be placed in a first-in, first-out waiting room only when website traffic volumes are above normal. This will allow for a seamless customer experience, with displayed wait times that will help us deliver on our busiest days.

Busy travel days are expected starting Thursday, August 3 through Tuesday, August 8. We strongly recommend booking in advance if travelling between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and the Southern Gulf Islands, as reservations on direct sailings are fully bookable and may sell out during peak travel periods.

We expect warm temperatures throughout the weekend. If you plan to travel with a child or pet, bring plenty of water and snacks for all of you. You can find Gulf Island specific suggestions on our travel tips page.

Sailings between Tsawwassen and the Southern Gulf Islands:
We expect sailings between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and the Southern Gulf Islands to be especially busy on Thursday evening and all day Friday. Sailings are fully bookable, and there is very limited drive up space if a sailing is showing sold out online. Customers may consider travelling on Saturday or Sunday if reservations on Thursday and Friday are sold out. Returning to Tsawwassen on Monday, August 7 will also be busy throughout the day and customers may want to consider travel on Tuesday, August 8.

Thru fare sailings between Tsawwassen and the Southern Gulf Islands:
As reservations on direct sailings between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and the Southern Gulf Islands are very popular and often sell out, we offer alternate options to reach your Southern Gulf Island destination. The direct route between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and the Southern Gulf Islands is 100% bookable, and there is limited drive up space if a sailing is showing sold out online as a result. 

Thru fare travel with a connection at Victoria (Swartz Bay) continues to be an option. Travelling thru fare provides customers more options to travel between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and the Southern Gulf Islands for the same cost as the direct route. For travel certainty we recommend reserving the Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Victoria (Swartz Bay) route by selecting the Reservation Only option as Saver and Prepaid reservations are not valid for thru fare and connections are not guaranteed.

For travel from Salt Spring Island (Fulford Harbour), thru fare vouchers are available for purchase at the onboard kiosk in passenger lounge #4 (exact change or credit card only accepted). For travel from Galiano Island, Mayne Island, Pender Island or Saturna Island, thru fare vouchers are available at the terminal ticket booth or from any staff member on board. When you disembark at Victoria (Swartz Bay), the voucher will allow you to purchase your Victoria (Swartz Bay) to Vancouver (Tsawwassen) transfer ticket at the thru fare rate. Fare adjustments after travel are not available.

Note: A thru fare is available on any sailing between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay). You must use your thru fare ticket on the next available sailing to the Southern Gulf Islands after you arrive at Victoria (Swartz Bay). On select sailings to Saturna and Pender Islands, the reservation fee is refundable. These sailings are listed here.