Nine O’Clock Gun

There are so many small things to see in Stanley Park and I just happened upon the nine o’clock gun as I was rounding Hallelujah Point after coming from the lighthouse just up the way.
The gun has the appropriate warnings on and around it to ward of naysayers on how load the gun is. It’s wonderfully crafted and is surprisingly a cool addition to Stanley Park. You can’t really get super close to the gun for obvious reasons but if you peer through the wires of the gated box surrounding the gun you can check out the detail. The placard nearby says it s a naval type twelve pound muzzle loader which I don’t know what that means but it’s still a killer gun… no pun intended.
Luckily it wasn’t nine o’clock because I will admit I was genuinely scared to wait around until 9 to hear the gun go off. So I opted to head on out before nine. There are so many small cool things like this in the Stanley Park area.
Even if the gun isn’t your bag, the view near Hallelujah Point or at the gun is so open that you get a great view of the water and can see all the way over to Canada Place. You can also see the planes taking off and landing on the water.

who doesn’t like a loud gun going off every 9pm?

I live in Coal Harbour, right across the water from the gun. Some nights it’s really loud and scares the bejesus out of me if the wind is blowing right, but most of the time it’s a friendly reminder of the time.
We took a walk out to see it live for the first time the other day and it was quite the event. As 9:00 neared, families, photographers & joggers gathered around. Some of the kids were experienced 9 O’Clock Gun watchers and were squealing with anticipation.
The red light starts flashing, then the other red lights start flashing, 3, 2, 1… BOOM! Fire, Squeal, shriek, giggle, puff of smoke. Good times!
Make sure to stop by the east side of Stanley Park for 9 pm. Bring your camera for some beautiful photo ops!

I can hear it on certain nights when the humidity and wind are right in South Granville, it has been banging away for over a century and will continue for another, it’s tradition, I don’t care what residents of Coal Harbour say, I lived for several years on a boat right across from it and had no problem with it. I hear it from all over town and check my watch as have mariners from the past. Vancouver’s best and longest tradition.

The 9 o’clock gun has been in Stanley Park for over 100 years booming out the time every day at nine o’clock.
Strangely there are still a ton of locals who are still surprised to learn of it. In the warmer months it’s a fun place to end an evening run or rollerblading session around the Seawall seeing it go off at 9 sharp with a plume of smoke.
What’s more fun is watching all the unsuspecting people/​cars freak out or get jolted when it fires.