This weekend coming up - the 25th and 26th July is my all time #1 favorite event of the Vancouver summer - the Caribbean Days Festival at Waterfront Park next to Lonsdale Quay / the seabus terminal in North Vancouver. The music is great and there is always a party atmosphere. The festival begins with a colourful parade -

...the streets come alive with the sights and sounds of Carnival. Enjoy the spectacle of a multitude of costumed revellers cavorting down the streets of North Vancouver.

There is live music throughout the weekend, lots of food, a beer garden and a market to browse and buy trinkets. On the Saturday evening from 7pm to 1am there is a monster jam dance.

This monster jam is held at North Vancouver's Lonsdale Quay Plaza, right by the Seabus Terminal and 2 minutes' walk from the Festival grounds. Food and licensed beverages will be served.
Dance in the open air from 7:30PM - 1:00AM to Soca, Salsa, Reggae, Chutney, African & Calypso rhythms with 2 live bands and a DJ.