Events in Vancouver This Weekend March 31-April 2

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt

April is here and so are the cherry blossoms! This Sunday is the Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival (free) at Garry Point Park in Steveston. Find this event and many more things to do around Vancouver this weekend listed below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend Spring

Events in Vancouver This Weekend March 31-April 2

Friday, March 31, 2023

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Explore Local History with Surrey Archives

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If you’ve ever wanted to time travel, Surrey Archives is making it (somewhat of) a possibility with an online program April 13th. Featuring archival photographs of well-known Surrey locations, the virtual session will compare historic places to their current counterparts.

Esso Station photo from 1962
Photo submitted, Esso Station 1962

Explore Local History with Surrey Archives

  • When: April 13, 2023 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm
  • Where: Online via Microsoft Teams
  • Registration: Online or call (604) 501-5100

Surrey has transformed from a rural municipality to an urban centre over the last century. While the intersection of King George Highway and 72nd Avenue has changed significantly, the Esso Station there still echoes the past. Re-purposing is also a theme ingrained in Surrey. Take Newton’s former Fire Hall 10 building for example. It opened in 1962 but has served as the Newton Cultural Centre since 2010.  

Attendees can expect photos of businesses, landscapes, community facilities, and infrastructure from various periods as the archives staff delve into the history of each location.

To take part in the virtual session register online or call Surrey Archives. If you can’t make the program, you can check out the Surrey Time Lapse tool online, featuring archival photos  geo-located to modern-day locations in Surrey.

Related: Surrey History: Charlie’s Tree, Local History: King George Boulevard, Canadian American Border at Peace Arch Park: History Photos, New History Book Surrey: A City of Stories

Art and Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon in Surrey

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Gender inequities contribute to a bias in content and language leading to erasure of knowledge and history. You can help increase the representation of women and non-binary artists on WIkipedia during the next Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon in Surrey hosted by the Surrey Art Gallery and Rungh Magazine.

Art and Feminism at Wikipedia Edit-a-thon in Surrey
Participants at a Surrey Art Gallery Wikpedia Edit-a-thon in 2019. Photo by Pardeep Singh

Art and Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon at Surrey Art Gallery

  • When: April 19, 2023 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm
  • Where: Surrey Art Gallery, 13750 88 Ave
  • Registration: Free

Art + Feminism is an international initiative building a community of activists committed to closing information gaps in gender and the arts starting with Wikipedia. For more than 10 years, everyone of all genders identities and expressions are welcome to attend or organize events to edit Wikipedia.

Learn how to research, create a user account, publish Wikipedia pages, edit, and maintain entries. You are welcome to come with ideas for entries that need updating or creating. Pre-researched artists and artworks from the Gallery’s permanent collection will also be available for entry.

No prior knowledge or practice of editing Wikipedia is required. However, to create new entries, participants must be registered Wikipedia users and have made ten previous edits on existing pages.

Rungh Magazine is a Canadian multidisciplinary space for creative explorations, featuring work by Indigenous, Black, and people of colour artists. Consisting of a magazine, programming, archive, advocacy and more, Rungh is committed to Canada-wide conversations by and about people of colour. Rungh questions and challenges ideas about diversity in the Canadian cultural landscape.

Related: Surrey

Portobello West Spring Market 2023 Giveaway!

Comments 26 by Rebecca Bollwitt

The first Portobello West Market of the year is here! Happening April 22-23 at the Roundhouse in Yaletown, you can shop fabulous finds from a curated selection of over 65 local BC vendors of quality handmade family fashion, jewelry, art, home decor, skincare, pet accessories, gourmet treats, wine and spirits, and more. Plus, I have partnered with the Portobello Spring Market to offer up two $100 shopping sprees!

Portobello West Market at the Roundhouse - Photo by @david_lloyd_edwards David Lloyd Edwards
Portobello West Market at the Roundhouse – Photo by @david_lloyd_edwards David Lloyd Edwards

Portobello West Spring Market 2023

  • When: Saturday April 22 & Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 10:00am to 5:00pm
  • Where: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver)
  • Admission: $5 tickets available online now (kids 12 and under, free)

Support local and shop safely from the curated selection of vendors. Meet vendors that produce quality and handmade family fashion, jewelry, art, home decor, and skincare. Enjoy offerings from local food trucks just outside the main exhibition hall all day as well including: Crack On, Mr. Taco, Planted Love, and Tornado Truck.

Vendors

AfterTimesArt
Arbutus Candle Company
Art to Wear
Asiri Cosmetics
Atelier ROHAN
Beautitionary
Blood Moon
Circular Harvest
Cleo’s Origami
Connies Craving’s
Dana Keli Ceramics
Dancing Leaf Design
Dante’s Doggy Delights
DinArt Candles
Egg Atelier
Flaming Chocolates
Friendly Lines
Frosted Fox Bath Co.
Infusion Premium Foods Inc.
Irit Sorokin Designs
I Wed The Sea
JACLOT
John Died
Juniper Designz
Kaaj Artisan Chocolate
Leaf & Lotus Co Macrame Studio
Learning Disabilities Society
Lethal Lites Candles
Love & Lemons Life Essentials
Mallory Donen
MEEKU
Meliora Candle Co
Mountain Mornings
Northyards Cider Co.
Oenomel Chocolate
Orchid Lane
Peak Bakery
Quilts by Belle
Raincity Distillery
Rarity
Redden of Canada Holding LTD.
Soufflé Studio
Sumas Laser Engraving & Design
TERME
The Nut Merchant
The Woods Spirit Co.
Tree Fort Toys
Trudy Ann’s Chai & Spices
Two Brothers Toffee
Umlaut Jewellery
Uni Design
Vanluxe
Viva Health Skincare

Enter to Win

We have two $100 shopping sprees to give away. To enter to win, simply follow @Miss604 and @PortobelloWest on Instagram. Get a bonus entry if you share this photo in your Instagram stories and tag us both as well:

Portobello West Spring Market 2023

Two winners will be drawn at random on April 20, 2023 at 12:00pm. The winner must be able to attend in person, and the prize is non-transferrable. The $100 must be used/spent on either April 22 or April 23 exclusively. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winners are Johanna Newman and Cressida Buckberry!

For over 15 years, Portobello West has sought and presented top-notch emerging and established BC local talent. Featuring up to 90-local artists, designers and producers at a time, Portobello West’s seasonal markets offer up a curated selection of locally designed fashion, jewelry, art, home decor, skincare, gourmet treats, wine and spirits, and more. Portobello West’s nonprofit mandate is to foster support and a sense of community for local creatives living and working here.

Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the Portobello West Spring Market

10 Gardens to Visit in Vancouver

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From the sweet scent of flowers to the serene tranquility of nature, gardens offer a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. We’re fortunate to have a wide variety of these beautiful spaces in our region and while it was hard to just pick a handful, here are 10 gardens to visit in Vancouver this season:

10 Gardens to Visit in Vancouver - Stanley Park Rose Garden
Stanley Park Rose Garden – Miss604 Photo

10 Gardens to Visit in Vancouver

All admission prices for these gardens in Metro Vancouver are those available online at time of publishing. Prices posted by the venues online or in person are always deemed as correct.

  • The Glades Woodland Garden
  • Where: 457 172 St (Surrey)
  • Details: 5 acres of historic gardens. The Glades features rare plants, including over 3500 mature rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants. Some of the rhododendrons are more than 6 metres tall, and are ablaze in colour in the spring. Admission is $7 for adults and youth, free admission to children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online.
  • Darts Hill Garden Park
  • Where: 16th Avenue and 170th Street (Surrey)
  • Details: Darts Hill was donated in 1994 to the residents of Surrey by Francisca and Edwin Darts who wanted to make learning about horticulture and enjoying their garden accessible to those in their community.The park features 7.5 acres of historic gardens and facilities with an additional 7 acres to explore. Darts Hill features varieties of local and exotic plants. Admission is by donation onsite, free admission to Garden Members and children 12 and under.
  • VanDusen Botanical Gardens
  • Where: 5251 Oak St (Vancouver)
  • Details: VanDusen Botanical Gardens is a 55 acre oasis featuring thousands of different plant species from all around the world. Explore through and Elizabethan hedge maze, sit down in the Cafe or Restaurant onsite for food and beverages, and more. Admission for the Spring/Summer season ranges from $8.30 for seniors, $12.30 for adults, $6.15 for kids ages 5-12, free for those under 5. Full list of pricing is available online.
  • Nitobe Memorial Garden
  • Where: 1895 Lower Mall (Vancouver)
  • Details: Considered one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC was created as a memorial to Dr. Nitobe. The garden acts as a bridge connecting cultures as visitors from around the world meet and learn about each other and Japanese culture. Trees native to BC and Japan, carpets of soft moss, bridges across koi ponds, stone paths crossing waterfalls, and more welcome visitors. Admission can be purchased online.
Nigella damascena. UBC Botanical Garden photo.
Nigella damascena. UBC Botanical Garden photo
  • UBC Botanical Garden
  • Where: 6804 SW Marine Dr (Vancouver)
  • Details: A place for visitors to learn and explore about both native and foreign plants. Walk through and learn about a variety of plants in the BC Rainforest Garden, Food Garden, Carolinian Forest Garden, and far more in different designated collections of species from across the globe. Admission can be purchased online.
  • Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
  • Where: 578 Carral Street (Vancouver)
  • Details: A classical Chinese Garden and museum, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden is a Ming Dynasty-style garden home and the first of its kind outside of China. Walk along the winding paths and take in the views of the rock formations and plants around the garden. Admission for Adults is $16, $13 for seniors, and $12 for students; tickets may be purchased online.
  • Shakespeare & Rose Garden in Stanley Park
  • Where: Located in Stanley Park on the Northwest side of Pipeline Road
  • Details: Discover poems plastered to a home of around 45 diverse trees planted in harmony in the Shakespeare Garden. These trees have all been mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and poems and are planted here in his honour. Nearby is the Stanley Park Rose Garden which is composed of over 3,500 rose bushes. The bushes climb and crawl up the support of an arbour.
  • Queen Elizabeth Park
  • Where: 4600 Cambie St (Vancouver)
  • Details: A perfect spot for picnics in the park, Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in the City of Vancouver which makes it the perfect place for views of the city and North Shore mountains.
  • Bloedel Conservatory
  • Where: Located in Queen Elizabeth Park 4600 Cambie St (Vancouver)
  • Details: A domed conservatory situated in Queen Elizabeth Park housing over 100 exotic birds and 500 exotic plants and flowers living inside the temperature controlled environment of the Bloedel Conservatory. Admission prices range by age of children and $7.40 per adult or $5.20 per senior. Full list of pricing online.
  • Derek Doubleday Arboretum
  • Where: 21177 Fraser Hwy (Langley)
  • Details: Learn about sustainable gardening techniques while exploring the Derek Doubleday Arboretum. Have a picnic at one of the tables available and take in the views of the Willow Garden, Dyer’s Garden (featuring plants with natural dyeing properties), Les Clay Rhododendron Garden, and more all while educating yourself on plant diversity.

Do you have a favourite local garden? Leave a comment below to share!

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