2024 Steveston Spot Prawn and Seafood Celebration Recap

Tourism Richmond hosted the third annual Steveston Spot Prawn and Seafood Celebration from May 16 to June 16, 2024. This event showcased the city’s vibrant coastal culture with daily fresh seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf, chef demonstrations, and locally caught seafood featured in the Dine About promotion at participating restaurants. Read on to learn about some of the highlights from the celebration!

Spot Prawn Media Event

The Spot Prawn Celebration Media Event took place on a sunny May 30th at Steveston Seafood House. Tourism Richmond invited a collection of local media to experience the spot prawn season in Steveston. The event included a visit to the wharf with Reid, a local Steveston fisher, for a lively demonstration, followed by a sampling of spot prawn dishes from Steveston Seafood House and Britannia Brewing. It was a great opportunity to spotlight Richmond’s coastal culture and culinary Dine About offerings, with affinity-building coverage whose impact will last well beyond the Celebration. The media event boosted awareness of the celebration and was featured in the Vancouver Sun, 604 News, The Georgia Straight. and Thank you to all our stakeholders who took part in making it a spectacular event! 

Dine About Restaurant Promotion

Running from June 1-16, the Steveston Spot Prawn and Dine About Promotion featured 13 local restaurants partnering with Steveston fishers to offer fresh, limited-time dishes. Participating restaurants included:

1. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine
2. Banh Mi Tres Bon
3. Britannia Brewing – Steveston
4. Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant
5. Catch Kitchen and Bar
6. Five Roads Brewing Co
7. Globe@YVR
8. Lavash Seaside Grill
9. Little Mexico Cantina
10. O’Hare’s GastroPub
11. Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill
12. The Story Café
13. Steveston Seafood House

To find the special dishes featured, please visit here.

Spot Prawn Day

New this year, Spot Prawn Day was held on June 8. The event featured activities for all ages, including the return of the Culinary Stage with professional chef demonstrations. Visitors enjoyed live music along the boardwalk, traditional Japanese fish printing workshops at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery NHS, street circus performances, and a kids’ zone. Steveston-based business Athiana Acres also hosted a booth to educate visitors about regenerative farming.

Culinary Stage

The Culinary Stage returned with seven cooking demonstrations by professional chefs throughout the day. Highlights included Spot Prawn Ceviche by Chef Mert Takis (Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel) and Spot Prawn Shakshuka by Chef Tarek Challouf (Northwest Culinary Academy).

Kids’ Zone

The Kids’ Zone allowed families to explore Gyotaku, the traditional Japanese method of fish printing, with hands-on activities. Additional attractions included face painting, an inflatable bouncy boat, and live performances.

The celebration was well-attended, with early estimates suggesting a healthy increase in visitation compared to 2023.

A special thank you to our partners for making the Steveston Spot Prawn and Seafood Celebration another successful year!