News Brief: Upcoming events around the Lower Mainland to ring in spring
Various spring events are taking place around the Lower Mainland next month. (Unsplash/Daiga Ellaby)
It’s finally spring and sunny, hot weather is right around the corner. Many events are taking place throughout the Lower Mainland next month to get you out of the house and engaged in the community.
The Vancouver Sun Run, owned by Vancouver Holdings ULC and sponsored by The Vancouver Sun newspaper, will take place on April 16 at 9:00 am. Starting in Downtown Vancouver and stretching through Beach Ave, across the Burrard Street Bridge to finish at BC Place Stadium, this 10-kilometre running event is one of the largest in North America.
The event also offers the 2.5-kilometre Shaw Mini Sun Run for kids and those who prefer a shorter course. The goal of this event is to promote health, fitness, and a sense of community. Registration pricing starts at $45, but everyone is welcome to watch the race and cheer on the runners.
In Stanley Park, an Earth Day event on April 22 starts at 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, managed by the Stanley Park Ecology Society. They will be removing invasive plant species at the park, and attendees can register to participate through the society’s website. The event will also feature guided walks through the park’s wetlands and will be based out of Stanley Park Brewing Brewpub & Restaurant.
Other Earth Day celebrations include Party for the Planet on April 29 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm at the Surrey City Hall. This is one of the largest Earth Day events in the Lower Mainland and, in recent years, around 20,000 people attend over the course of the day. It’s free to attend and will feature live performances, environmental workshops, food trucks, a tree and plant sale, and various vendors.
The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade, which celebrates the Punjabi New Year, is returning for the first time since the pandemic on April 22. Over half a million people are expected to attend and the parade route will begin and finish at Surrey’s Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple.
The event starts around 9:00 am and ends around 4:00 pm and, in the past, businesses and homeowners along the route offer the crowd free food. Typical participants in the events include a 60-member Sikh march band, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which is a float carrying holy Sikh scriptures. Everyone is welcome to attend this Sikh cultural celebration.
Also expected to take place next month is the Chilliwack Tulip Festival, which features over 20 acres of Tulip fields. The festival started in 2006 and is the first of its kind in the Fraser Valley. The field grows over 25 Tulip and 16 Double Daffodil flower varieties attendees can roam through. Ticket information will be posted on the festival’s website.
