Britannia Mine Museum is rolling out a summer season of events and new attractions, including returning drag performances, Canada Day and BC Day live music, and a sprawling new exhibit built around one of the largest mining trucks most visitors will ever see up close.
Old Town, New Queens returns June 13 from 6 to 9:30 p.m., with 14 drag performers from across British Columbia taking the stage in two shows at the historic Mill No. 3 building. Queens, kings, non-binary performers and disco divas are all on the bill. A family-run Mexican food vendor, Totomoxtle by La Poblanita, will be on site.
Squamish-based duo Riverbank Roses plays Canada Day on July 1, with sets at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The pop, folk and soul act will be joined by family-friendly activities throughout the day. Vancouver’s Little Mountain Brass Band takes over for BC Day on August 3, performing the same three time slots.
The season’s centrepiece is a new exhibit, “Giants at Work: Big Jobs, Bigger Machines,” open until September 7. According to the news release, the exhibit features a Cat 793C Mining Truck donated by Finning Canada — standing over 21 feet tall, weighing more than 325,000 pounds, and a veteran of a northern B.C. mine where it hauled more than 43 million metric tons over 78,500 operating hours. Visitors can climb to the truck’s upper platform or try a new ticketed Cat Mining Truck Simulator, which puts guests behind the virtual controls of a machine that size.
The museum sits on the Sea-to-Sky Highway 45 minutes north of Vancouver. According to the news release, tickets and memberships are available at britanniaminemuseum.ca.
