Ladner

Ladner is a historic fishing village on the Fraser River in Delta, about 27 kilometres south of Vancouver. Brothers Thomas and William Ladner settled here in 1868, and the village that grew around their farming and fishing operations still keeps its small-town shape: a heritage main street on Delta Street and 48th Avenue, a 1912 former city hall that now holds the Delta Museum and Archives, and a working harbour with fishing boats and floating homes. Add Westham Island birdwatching, the summer village market, and Delta's longest-running festival, and Ladner makes an easy half-day trip from Vancouver.

[PHOTO 1: Ladner Village main street, Delta Street and 48th Avenue]

Ladner Village

Ladner Village is the historic heart of the community, north of Ladner Trunk Road and west of Arthur Drive. The heritage main street has wide boulevarded sidewalks, open-air cafes, pubs, bakeries and local shops, and the village is where Ladner still feels like the fishing town it was. The Ladner Village Market takes over the streets every other Sunday in summer, one of the largest open-air markets in Western Canada, with local produce, food, live music and handmade crafts. In late November the village holds its annual tree lighting festival at 48th Avenue and Delta Street (2026: Thursday, Nov 26).

[PHOTO 2: Delta Museum and Archives, former city hall on Delta Street]

Delta Museum and Archives

The Delta Museum and Archives sits in the centre of Ladner Village, in the 1912 former city hall on Delta Street. The building has played a courthouse, a police station, a medical building, a library and a city hall on screen, and the town clock outside is one of the oldest in the Lower Mainland. It is the best first stop for the village's story, from the Ladner brothers' settlement in 1868 to the fishing and farming years that built the town.

[PHOTO 3: Ladner Harbour, fishing boats and floating homes]

Ladner Harbour and the Waterfront

Walk down from the village to the water to see the fishing boats and floating homes in Ladner Harbour's channels, a reminder of the village's origins on the Fraser. Ladner Harbour Park and Lions Park sit along the waterfront, and the canals that once moved boats through the village are still clean enough to fish from their banks. It is a short, flat walk from the main street, and the harbour is at its best in the late afternoon light.

[PHOTO 4: Reifel Bird Sanctuary boardwalk, Westham Island]

Westham Island and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Westham Island sits just west of Ladner, reached by a small bridge, and it holds the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary at 5191 Robertson Road, 13 km west of the village. The sanctuary is a wetland refuge in the Fraser River estuary on the Pacific Flyway, and in fall and winter huge flocks of snow geese, ducks and shorebirds pass through, with eagles, hawks and owls hunting the fields. A free reservation is required for every visit, booked on the sanctuary's website, and the sanctuary is closed Mondays. Check the Reifel Bird Sanctuary planning page for hours and admission before you go. Dogs are not allowed, and there is no transit to the island, so drive. See our Westham Island guide and our bird watching guide for more.

Emma Lea Farms

Emma Lea Farms is the farm stop on Westham Island, with a farm market, sunflower fields in summer, donkeys, and an ice cream shop. It is an easy add-on to a bird sanctuary visit, since both sit on the same island road. See our Emma Lea Farms guide for the farm itself.

Diefenbaker Park

Diefenbaker Park is Ladner's big neighbourhood park, with a pond, duck-filled boardwalk, trails, a playground, a splash pad and a musical garden. Film fans will know it as the spot where the "Summer" title card in Juno was filmed. See our Diefenbaker Park guide for the park itself.

Boundary Bay and Centennial Beach

South of Ladner, Boundary Bay Regional Park and Centennial Beach give Delta its shoreline: a sandy beach, dyke trails, picnic areas and Mount Baker views across the water. It is the classic pairing with a Ladner Village morning, and the beach is at its best at low tide. See our Boundary Bay Regional Park guide and our Centennial Beach guide for both.

Ladner Pioneer May Days

Each spring Ladner hosts the Ladner Pioneer May Days, Delta's longest-running festival, first celebrated in 1896. The volunteer-run fair takes place in Memorial Park in late May, around Victoria Day, with a parade, midway, and community events. It is the village's biggest weekend of the year, and the one that most shows off the small-town character film crews keep coming back for.

Movies Filmed in Ladner

Ladner Village is one of Hollywood North's favourite small-town sets. Hallmark has filmed Christmas movies on Delta Street, Fifty Shades of Grey shot its hardware store scene at Ladner Village Hardware, The Adam Project turned the Sundance Inn into a motel, and Resident Alien dressed downtown Ladner as Patience, Colorado. See our movies filmed in Ladner guide for the full list with filming locations.

Frequently asked questions

For more in the area, see our Delta guide and our movies filmed in Ladner guide.