Fort Langley is truly a magical place. As the starting point for the Fraser River Gold Fields in 1858, this little town transports you to the early 20th century with well-kept, historic buildings and a glimpse of a simpler way of life. On October 12, 2013, the main street of Fort Langley was transformed into a huge market place to celebrate the 18th annual Cranberry Festival. Since the first time I visited Fort Langley I had been itching to go back, so early Saturday morning my boyfriend and I made the drive out to the little town, both of us not too sure what to expect.
As we pulled into Fort Langley at around 9:30am, well before festivities were supposed to take place, there were a ton of cars already fighting for parking spots. I didn’t realize this was such a big event! How had I not heard about it at all before? We found parking soon enough and made our way to the main strip in town. As I looked, for 3 blocks all I could see were vendors and more vendors selling fruit, baking, jewelry, and flowers. I was in awe immediately. We took our time, making our way from vendor to vendor, picking up little goodies along the way and trying a ton of free samples. To celebrate the Cranberry Festival, each vendor had a cranberry themed product. I saw cranberry tea, cranberry popcorn, cranberry jam, cranberry wreathes, and much more!
As the day went by and the sun continued to shine, thousands of people made it out to the festival. Live entertainment was set up at Fort Langley Town Hall and the singers could be heard throughout the town. This town was buzzing! Both the vendors and the employees in the retail shops along the strip were very friendly and informative about both the town itself and the cranberry festival.
My boyfriend and I ended the day with a late lunch at the Little White House and indulged in turkey sandwiches (with cranberries – obviously!), cranberry scones, and pumpkin cream puffs. Our experience at Fort Langley’s Cranberry Festival will be an experience I will not soon forget! It was so wonderful, I have decided to make this an annual autumn event! Thank you Fort Langley for a great day!
Written by: Micaela Monk
