Nine O'Clock Gun — Attraction in Vancouver

Every night at 9pm it's active with a loud bang that can be heard across the water , .....history on This gun is a 12-pound muzzle-loaded naval cannon, cast in Woolwich, England in 1816. The monograms (erroneously referred to as "crests" on the plaque) of King George III and Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave, Master-General of the Ordnance at the time the cannon was cast, are on the barrel. Seventy-eight years later, in about 1894, it was brought to Stanley Park by the Department of Marine and Fisheries to warn fishermen of the 18:00 Sunday close of fishing. On October 15, 1898, the gun was fired for the first time in Stanley Park at noon.

The 21:00 firing was later established as a time signal for the general population and to allow the chronometers of ships in port to be accurately set. The Brockton Point lighthouse keeper, William D. Jones, originally detonated a stick of dynamite over the water until the cannon was installed. The cannon is now activated automatically with an electronic trigger which was installed by the Parks Board electrical department. It is still loaded daily with a black powder charge. The fluorescent lights illuminating the gun from overhead go out exactly ten seconds before it fires, and turn back on a few seconds afterward.

The gun was restored and sheltered by a new pavilion designed by architect Gregory Henriquez in 1986 and built as a centennial gift to the city from Ebco Industries, Chester Millar, First Generation Capital, and the Hudson's Bay Company.

In the past, there was a Texaco floating gas station permanently anchored in line with the gun. On Monday May 18, 1964, someone was able to toss rocks from the beach below into the barrel which then perforated the 'O' in the large illuminated sign above the barge. The barge was moved slightly...

Made it to the 9 o’clock gun! 💣🕘

Be there at 9pm and watch the gun fire, is something really cool to see.

Nine O'Clock Gun History

Originally, the Nine O'Clock Gun was located at the Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park. It was manually fired nightly by the lighthouse keeper exactly at 9pm so that people could set their timepieces. It was moved to the south side of Brockton Point in 1954. In 1986 the cannon was restored and a new secure building was built for it.

On a few occasions, people have put rocks into the barrel and they were fired out. On one occasion a rock hit the sign of the floating gas station. The new building is meant to prevent this from happening.

In 1969, the UBC Engineers 'kidnapped' the cannon in a stunt to raise money for the Children's Hospital.

The Nine O'Clock gun also has its own parody Twitter account that goes 'Boom' at 9pm every night! @the9oclockgun

The plaque on the gun says:

NINE O'CLOCK GUN

This gun is a naval-type twelve-pound muzzle-loader. Cast in 1816 at Woolwich, England. It was brought to Vancouver about 1894. The crests of King George III and of the Earl of Mulgrave Master General of Ordnance are on the barrel.

The firing of the Nine O'Clock Gun is one of Vancouver's oldest traditions. With few exceptions, the gun has been fired every day at 9:00 PM for...

We are all waiting for 9pm sharp.. I am already there at 8:45pm. everyone is ready with their tripods and phone camera. Bikers and cars stopped on the road. People eagerly waiting and setup an alarm for 8:58pm. Lo and behold, it fired at 8:57pm. 😂😂

I thought it was just a preparation for 9pm sharp. We waited until 9:01pm and it was no more.

Tips: If you want to have a good spot, people with tripods and professional cameras are setup on the left side fronting the waters. So it must be the best spot.

Be early if you really want a good spot. But you can be there around 8:50 pm if you just want to experience.

Put down your phone on a stable location or on a tripod, don’t hold it. The SUPER LOUD sound from the canon will definitely make you lose focus.

Be at least 30 meters away from the canon. Do not follow people who are close to the canon, I will guarantee you that your ears will pop! 😂

My location from the video is somehow tolerable for the sound.

Once you hear a sound from the canon, 3 warning sounds I think, then It would fire right after. It’s kinda quick. So once you hear it, better be prepared and setup. It fired off at 8:57pm, it could be earlier or 9pm sharp, but be prepared...