Is Barry's Bay a Real Place? All About the “Every Year After” Filming Locations
Is Barry's Bay a Real Place? All About the “Every Year After” Filming Locations
Jordana ComiterSat, June 13, 2026 at 12:30 PM UTC
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Matt Cornett as Sam Florek in 'Every Year After'Credit: Apple TV -
Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune's novel Every Summer After, premiered on Prime Video on June 10
The series' setting is based on Barry's Bay, Ontario, but was filmed somewhere else in Canada
Leading lady Sadie Soverall said one of her favorite parts of filming was swimming in Minaty Bay
It's impossible to talk about Every Year After without talking about Barry's Bay.
Based on Carley Fortune's 2022 novel Every Summer After, the Prime Video series premiered on June 10. It stars Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett, who bring main characters Persephone "Percy" Fraser and Sam Florek to life.
The show follows Percy as she reconnects with Sam — her ex-best friend and first love — after returning to the lake town known as Barry's Bay years after the former couple became estranged.
The lake plays a big role in the series, so much so that Sam even has a brief fling someone named Lake. Following the show's release, Soverall told Decider she was "really proud" of how she and her costars adjusted to swimming in "beautiful," but "cold" waters.
So, where is Every Year After filmed? Here's everything to know about the real-life locations seen in the romance series.
Is Barry's Bay a real place?
Joseph Chiu as Jordie and Abigail Cowen as Delilah in 'Every Year After'Credit: Apple TV
Yes, Barry's Bay is a real lake town in Ontario — and happens to be where Fortune spent much of her childhood.
"I grew up on the lake in Barry's Bay, and our house was kind of on a dirt road in the bush. There were only three permanent residences on the road," she told Decider. "The other houses were cottages, and every summer — it would be very quiet in the winter, and then every summer it was full of action and kids."
She also explained how her upbringing mirrored her book characters Sam and Charlie's, noting that she also grew up working at her family's restaurant.
However, although the story is rooted in Fortune's memories of Barry's Bay, the show was not filmed there.
Where was Every Year After filmed?
Michael Bradway as Charlie Florek, Robyn Ross as Diane Fraser, Sadie Soverall as Percy Fraser, Matt Cornett as Sam Florek, Elisha Cuthbert as Sue Florek and Fred Ewanuick as Arthur Fraser in 'Every Year After'Credit: Justine Yeung/Prime Video
Every Year After wasn't really filmed in Barry's Bay, but it did stay true to its Canadian ties.
"The thing I felt most strongly about was the setting and making sure the book was set in Canada," Fortune told Decider in June 2026. "The first version of the script that I read, which which was about two years ago, was before our showrunner, Amy B. Harris, was on board. It was set in a town called Barry's Bend in Wisconsin."
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Harris told Teen Vogue in May 2026 that the story being set in Canada is part of what makes it "so beautiful." Once they realized they couldn't film in the real Barry's Bay, producers chose to move filming to Bowen Island, which is a nearly 20-minute ferry ride off the coast of Vancouver.
According to Bowen Island Tourism, local establishments featured include Union Steamship Marina Resort, Doc Morgan's Pub and Restaurant, Tippy's Cookhouse and the Lagoon Causeway.
Harris also explained why the welcome sign for Barry's Bay says British Columbia rather than Ontario: "Because the locations we found were so stunning and really met what we hoped for in terms of the look of the dock and the water, and the mountains added this majestic element, we didn't want to lie and say it was Ontario," she said.
Since British Columbia doesn't look like Ontario cottage country, Fortune advocated for the show's Barry's Bay to be set on the opposite coast.
"Setting is so key to me in my books," she told the outlet. "As a Canadian, we get very used to seeing our cities represent other places, so let's let British Columbia be British Columbia for once."
As for the outdoor swimming scenes, Soverall told Decider that they primarily took place in Minaty Bay.
What has the cast said about filming in Canada?
Juliette Hawk as Young Percy and Blue Clarke as Young Sam in 'Every Year After'Credit: Apple TV
Every Year After costars Soverall and Cornett both spoke about their love of the filming locations.
"I think for me, anything swimming I was really excited to do," Soverall told Decider. "I mean, I think in the actual doing of it, it was an interesting challenge because we were at Minaty Bay. It was a beautiful, glacier-fed lake. So it was cold."
Her costar Cornett shared similar sentiments while speaking with Boys By Girls in June 2026, going as far as to call the "beautiful locations" his favorite part of working on Every Year After.
"Barry's Bay was filmed on an island near Vancouver called Bowen Island, which is just stunning," he said. "Every time I would pull up to the location, it never ceased to blow my mind."
Based on Instagram, it's safe to say Cornett had fun bringing Barry's Bay to the screen.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
