Celebrate salmon spawning with ‘Light up the Night: Lantern Walk’ at Tynehead Regional Park

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Metro Vancouver Regional Parks is hosting a “Light up the Night: Lantern Walk” on Friday at Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey.

The event, which runs from from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, will allow participants to explore a 1.5-kilometre lantern-lit trail through the park, which features “magical” animal lanterns. Attendees will get “time to reflect and take in the beauty of nature at night,” the event’s website reads. 

Registration, which includes fun facts about salmon and instructions on how to make your own lantern at home, is $5 for all age groups. 

The event began in 2021 to focus on the importance of salmon and how they feed the rainforest, says Zoey Slater, special events assistant for Metro Vancouver Regional Parks.

“We wanted to celebrate the salmon returning to the creeks and spawning in the fall time,” she says. “We also wanted to have a more special moment and a quieter, more reflective opportunity by delivering it at night.”

Salmon, coyote, and raccoon lanterns are a few of the many types of displays that will light up the night. 

“Each year, we do some of the same things, but we add different elements,” Slater says. “This year, we have a new, great blue heron lantern. So we’re trying to celebrate all the wildlife that are in Tynehead and just also focusing on salmon returning to the creeks to spawn.”

There will also be some stations for kids to investigate invertebrates with black light. 

“The fun thing about this event is that it’s a night event, which we don’t always get to do …. It’s a lot quieter and you can see things differently at night,” Slater says.  

“[The event connects] people to the park, into the place, and understanding about the whole ecology of the park that exists.”

To learn more about “Light up the Night: Lantern Walk” and register for the event, visit www.metrovancouver.org/events/Event/2464.