Sunday, September 28, 2025
JOIN US FOR THE 45TH ANNUAL BC RIVERS DAY — CANADA’S LARGEST RIVER APPRECIATION EVENT!
BC Rivers Day was founded by world-renowned river advocate Mark Angelo and the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC in 1980. It celebrates and builds public awareness for British Columbia’s waterways. Our waterways are incredibly important, yet rivers and freshwater ecosystems are among the most at-risk ecosystems on the planet. They are threatened by urbanization, pollution, industrial development, invasive species, damming, excessive water extraction and climate change.
Good news for BC’s waterways, the love for our waterways runs deep! Recreation clubs, conservation organizations, community groups, schools, local governments and others mark BC Rivers Day by hosting film screenings, community barbeques, stream cleanups, paddling trips, and community ceremonies that help improve the health of BC’s rivers.
We'd love for you to take part!
Photo: Tamarack Media from the 2023 Friends of Kootenay Lake clean up
Host a BC Rivers Day event
Help bring attention to the recreational, environmental, and economic importance of BC’s rivers. Here are just a few ideas for events you can coordinate and host—live or virtually:
Local riverside clean-ups
Local native plantings
Educational presentation
Relevant film screenings
Live entertainment
Group paddle, riverside hike, or gold panning
Community BBQ
Interactive booths and displays
Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly or Marine Trails Code of Conduct education events
If you have any questions about BC Rivers Day or how to plan an event, contact us.
Photo: Karen Barkley from the 2023 Wildsight Invermere Paddle on the Columbia
BC Rivers Day Micro-grants are back!
Thanks to the support from Fortis BC, BC Parks Licience Plate Program, and Flipside Creative, the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC is thrilled to launch Year 2 of our BC Rivers Day Micro-Grant Program! We’re once again offering a limited number of $300 micro-grants to help outdoor groups and communities host BC Rivers Day events.
These small, one-time cash grants are available to support river-related events happening on or around Sunday, September 28, 2025, that celebrate and raise public awareness of British Columbia’s waterways.
Micro-grants are open for registered non-profit organizations or charities working in outdoor recreation, waterway protection or environmental stewardship, local governments and Indigenous governments. Preference will be given ORCBC members, projects that demonstrate clear links to outdoor recreation and BC Rivers Day goals, and collaborative events.
Funds can help pay for a variety of expenses including tools, supplies, equipment, food, rentals, materials, honorariums for Indigenous knowledge and other items essential to the event.
Applications are open now until Sunday, August 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm.
JOIN US IN CELEBRATING OUR RIVERS.
2025 BC Rivers Day Sponsors and Supporters
The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC is grateful to the generous sponsors and supporters that help make BC Rivers Day a success. We can’t do it without you! Get in touch to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.
