‘Every Year After’ Filmed in British Columbia Instead of Ontario for Good Reason

For fans of Carley Fortune’s cherished novel, the town of Barry’s Bay is as integral to the story as Percy Fraser or Sam Florek. The narrative thrives in its lakeside setting, a quaint Canadian cottage town where summers are filled with the scent of pine and first love feels everlasting. When Prime Video announced the adaptation of ‘Every Summer After’ into the series ‘Every Year After’, devoted readers had one pressing question: could the production truly capture the magic of that locale on screen?

The answer lay in a specific stretch of British Columbia coastline, a construction crew ready to hang a faux town sign, and a 20-minute ferry ride.

Principal photography for the series kicked off on June 4, 2025, in Vancouver and wrapped up on September 18, 2025. Instead of filming in the actual Barry’s Bay in Ontario, where Fortune grew up, the production shifted the fictional version of the town to British Columbia. While the novel is set in the real Barry’s Bay, the adaptation takes place in a fictional Barry’s Bay in British Columbia. Soundstage work was conducted at North Shore Studios, with location filming spread across Vancouver and its picturesque surroundings.

The most visually captivating real-world location featured in the series is Bowen Island, a small community reachable by ferry from West Vancouver. Filming took place on Bowen Island’s Snug Cove boardwalk, at the Union Steamship buildings, and along the Dorman Point Trail. This choice was made with a deep understanding of the story’s needs.

Executive producer Grace Gilroy, a Bowen resident for 24 years, immediately thought of the island after reading the script, believing it possessed the right small-town charm and natural beauty to represent Barry’s Bay. Locations like Doc Morgan’s, Tippy’s Cookhouse, and the Causeway appeared in the series, with some undergoing significant transformations. A sign placed on the Causeway welcoming visitors to Barry’s Bay puzzled some tourists during filming, and clever editing was employed to turn the ocean into a lake.

Gilroy stated, “I think we showed Bowen off to its best advantages. You know, we made it feel special, and it is, you know, it’s a special place.”

The decision to remain in Canada was intentional. Showrunner Amy B. Harris prioritized this from the outset. Speaking to ELLE, Harris explained, “Her stories always are about her Canadian life and the worlds that she loves and knows. It was very important that it not be generic, like, ‘Oh, this could be anywhere.’ No, Barry’s Bay is a Canadian town. It’s not the Hamptons. It’s this very beautiful, down-to-earth, grounded place.”

For Fortune, arriving in Vancouver to see a recreated version of her hometown was an emotional experience. She recalled, “I was walking onto this, like the town of Barry’s Bay that had been constructed out in Vancouver. I grew up in Barry’s Bay, so that was incredible. Before meeting anybody, I watched some of the scenes be filmed, and hearing the actors in the scene call each other by these names that I created felt very strange. There were a lot of people around me, or else I think I would have been in tears.”

That emotional connection resonated with the cast as well. Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett approached the source material with great respect, carrying copies of Fortune’s novel throughout filming. Soverall shared with ELLE, “I had it with me every day on set. I would read it moments before we were about to film, to get back into what was happening, at the time, for Percy, in her head.”

The choice to film in and around Vancouver reflects a broader sensibility that shapes the entire production. British Columbia has become a favored location for romance dramas seeking a blend of lush landscapes, accessible infrastructure, and authentic natural beauty. ‘Every Year After’ joins titles like ‘Virgin River’ and ‘Off Campus’ in calling the region home. However, unlike many productions that treat the province as a neutral backdrop, this series specifically embraced its coastal and small-town characteristics to honor the essence of Fortune’s world.

As filming progressed through the summer months, the tranquil landscapes of the region echoed the heartfelt tone of the story, with fans of the novel noting how closely the waterfront visuals aligned with the imagery Fortune crafted in the book. For a series so reliant on the feeling of a specific place at a particular time of year, getting the setting right was essential. It was the entire point.

Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know if you think the British Columbia locations captured the essence of Barry’s Bay.