Spend the weekend with family, friends, and neighbours experiencing culture, music, dancing, and so much more at the Vancouver Chinatown Festival July 16-17, 2022. Now in its 20th year, this has been one of the largest multicultural events in BC each summer with past festivals attracting up to 50,000 attendees!
Vancouver Chinatown Festival 2022
When: Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, July 17, 2022
11:00am-10:00pm Saturday, 11:00am-5:00pm Sunday
Where: Keefer St at Columbia and throughout Chinatown
Admission: Free
The festival will feature multicultural demonstrations and experiences, stage and street performances, lion dances, midway games, face painting, balloon twisting, a movie night, a Science World show and more.
New this year is an AR (augmented reality) scavenger hunt that Van Van (the festival mascot) will take you on, a giant mah jong set to play on the streets of Chinatown, and even more market vendors.
Don’t miss out on any of the fun – download the brand new Visit Chinatown app, which will serve as your festival guide and program.
One of Vancouver’s few distinct cultural historic neighbourhoods, Chinatown has a universal appeal to locals, tourists, as well as a growing number of emerging chefs, artists, and small business entrepreneurs. This destination neighbourhood was designated a National Historic Site in 2011 and its legacy lives on through its vibrant community.
I have once again opened up an online Miss604 store in support of a wonderful local cause! In partnership with MAKE Vancouver and my BFF Michelle Kim, the Surrey BFF Collection is now ready to shop with proceeds supporting Options BC youth programs in Surrey, BC.
Collaborating on projects in Surrey since 1985: Michelle Kim and I met in kindergarten at Hjorth Road Elementary and we’ve been BFFs ever since! We have worked on projects together and supported the community for over three decades – from across the playground to around the globe – and we’re so excited to work together once again on such an important campaign.
I Heart Surrey – it’s as simple as that! Show some love for the province’s largest city by land area and second most populated in Metro Vancouver. This is the heart of the whole campaign, from the love of friends and family, to the love of community and supporting youth through Options BC programming and services.
“Green Timbers Urban Forest” is one of Surrey’s largest parks with over 10 kilometres of nature trails, a regularly stocked fishing lake, picnic areas, and the Surrey Nature Centre all nestled in a scenic second-growth forest.
“Bear Creek Park” is arguably the most popular park in the city! Home to an outdoor pool, the popular track, playground, gardens, the Bear Creek Miniature Train, the Surrey Arts Centre and kilometers of walking trails.
Last year, fifty women (myself included) came together to fundraise for a new affordable housing build south of the Fraser in honour of the 50th anniversary of Options Community Services. The Women of Options campaign began in February 2021, and in November it reached its $1.5 million goal. The group’s efforts had such an impact that the organization has once again assembled a mix of senior executives, volunteers, celebrities, and leaders in their communities to raise funds for youth in the community.
Options is primarily funded by various levels of government yet are constrained in using funds to support these needs due to the number of youth who require unique support, and the variety of situations that cannot be met within a program or designated funding’s parameters.
Funds raised through the campaign will assist youth at risk in a wide variety of ways such as:
Help pay for clothing so that they can attend a graduation ceremony or a job interview with their head held high
Cover day care or tuition costs for a young mother so that she can complete an educational program that allows her to provide a better life for her young family
Pay first and last month’s rent when no other funds are available
Help a young person further their independence by paying for driving lessons or getting their driver’s licence which is often needed for employment
Help with the cost of sports or recreation fees so that children can join their peers in activities that build skills, friendships and self-esteem
One of the very best parts of summer is back, thanks to the City of Burnaby, as free outdoor movies, entertainment, and concerts return to public spaces and local parks this season.
Family Entertainment for All Ages
Entertainment weekly from July 4 to September 1, 2022
Mondays to Thursdays at Confederation Park (4709 Pandora St, Burnaby) beside the water park
Top-notch family friendly entertainers, including the Blues Berries, a unique hybrid of blues and children’s tunes, Vancouver Puppet Theatre, Cosmo’s Clown Circus Show, Kellie Haines Ventriloquist, traditional and contemporary Métis dance group V’ni Dansi, well known children’s entertainer Will Stroet and the energetic Axe Capoeira acrobatic dance troupe will take the stage as part of the Burnaby Summer Stages series.
Summer Cinema is every Friday starting August 12 until September 2
Civic Square (6100 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby)
Movies start at 8:30pm, rain or shine
Every Friday, families can enjoy great movies such as Clifford the Big Red Dog (August 12), Paddington 2 (August 19), Shaun the Sheep Movie (August 26), and Ron’s Gone Wrong (September 2). New this year will be movie night showcasing The Lego Movie on Saturday, August 20 at Edmonds Park (7433 Humphries Ave).
Free Pop-Up Performances
Look for more live music in public spaces as part of Sounds Like Summer, with outdoor entertainment popping up June 30 to September 4.
From Central Park to Maple Grove Park, Lou Moro Park to Avondale Park, Willingdon Heights, and Edmonds Youth Centre, make sure to check out the full schedule of free pop-up performances online here.
For more information, be sure to follow the City of Burnaby on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest updates on what they have planned this summer.
