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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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)
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.
We have two $100 shopping sprees to give away. To enter to win, simply follow @Miss604and@PortobelloWest on Instagram. Get a bonus entry if you share this photo in your Instagram stories and tag us both as well:
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
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:
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
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!
