Billy Barker Days

Enjoy BC’s largest free festival during Billy Barker Days. Get ready for concerts, parades, dances, a drone light show and so much more.

Festival Dates: -
Listing Updated:
Location: Quesnel, British Columbia

Billy Barker Days on Social Media

This year marks the 49th year of the annual Billy Barker Days festival in Quesnel, BC. 

Back in the late 1800’s Billy Barker struck gold just outside of Quesnel in Barkerville. Today, his find still stands as the largest surface gold discovery on earth and is the reason British Columbia is a part of Canada and not the US!

You will find all kinds of tributes to Billy Barker in and around the region of Quesnel, which is the gateway to the Barkerville Highway. Come pan for gold this summer and while you are there, check out the big festival in this historic figure’s name—Billy Barker Days!

Billy Barker Dayss!

This family-friendly event is full of activities for all ages, including trivia contests, treasure hunts and amateur photo contests. That’s not even including all the events on Kids Day and Seniors Day.

Event highlights

Bring those lawn chairs and watch as floats, marching bands, classic cars, and dignitaries pass along. Watch out for the “Wet Zone” in front of City Hall.


Concerts

This year's concerts feature headliners American Woman (Guess Who tribut), a big tribute to Shania Twain and local favourites, the Milltown Philosophers (pictured below).


Drone Light Show x2

Saturday and Sunday night, stay for the finale, a drone light show!

And of course, the midway rides are a big hit! (Quick tip from local Taylor Gilkerson, as told to us at Festivalseekers: for a thrill, be sure to take a rip on the Zipper!)

Various other local associations run events in conjunction with the festival including:

The Quesnel Downtown Association hosts a huge outdoor vendor mall, the Gold Dust Mall, stretching two blocks through downtown. It's free to walk through and purchase items, with free stage entertainment at one end.

The Quesnel Auto Racing Association operates a Crash to Pass event on Thursday evenings at their South Quesnel oval as well as stock car racing on Saturdays and Sundays – admission charged.

Preview your festival experience in this feature by Jim Barr.

Tickets

Most everything is free but tickets or wristbands are needed for the Shooting Star Midway. Buy a wristband to ride at the midway every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the festival.

*Prices for the wristband - TBA for 2025: (2024 prices Thursday $30, Friday $35, Saturday $35, Sunday $25)

Quesnel is home to incredible mountain biking. Pack a bike and enjoy the trails while attending Billy Barker Days.

When you go

For more on the Cariboo region and all the things to experience, check out the Quesnel Tourism website.

For more events and fun things to do in Quesnel this summer, check out this story.

Tags

Quesnel Northern BC British Columbia Arts & Culture Food Music Sports