Italian Day on the Drive and other things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend

Italian Day 2023 drew a large crowd to Commercial Drive. (AlbertArt / Shutterstock.com)

The summer festival season has arrived in Metro Vancouver, with several street parties on tap this weekend, led by the venerable Italian Day on Commercial Drive.

Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of people to make their way to the 14-block stretch of the Drive between Grandview Highway and Venables Street between noon and 8 p.m. on Sunday for the annual celebration of Italian culture, food and entertainment.

Seven stages will be set up along the route, featuring live music, DJ sets, pasta-eating contests and more. Admission is free, and more information – including a map of all of this year's vendors and attractions – can be found on the Italian Day website. 

Here are several other activities you may want to check out this weekend.

Granville Island block party

On Saturday, Public Disco will be hosting its own outdoor festival, the first of four planned in its summer series, a block party on Granville Island.

The all-ages event is free and takes place from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Lot 55, behind Granville Island Brewing, which has incorporated the party into its 40 for 40 series of events celebrating the brewery's 40th anniversary. 

Live music and dancing, market vendors and food trucks, and activities for kids will all be on offer. More information can be found on Public Disco's website. 

Surrey Car Free Day

Also on Saturday, Surrey's Newton neighbourhood will play host to Metro Vancouver's first Car Free Day of 2024.

Live music, food vendors, a kids zone and a dance/DJ space are all planned for 137 Street between 72A and 74 avenues from noon to 8 p.m.

Several other Car Free Days are planned around the region later this summer. Learn more on the organization's website. 

Vancouver landfill open house

It's not a street festival, and it might not even sound like a good time to some, but the Vancouver landfill in Delta is holding an open house on Saturday.

The city is inviting the public to take "a fun-filled behind-the-scenes tour of the Vancouver Landfill and find out where your garbage ends up."

Guests will have the opportunity to "hop inside a piece of landfill equipment," take a guided bus tour of the landfill, meet trained hawks and falcons from the bird control team, take home a free bag of compost, enjoy free food and refreshments, and more, according to the city. The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information is available online. 

Summer Japan Market

More than 70 vendors will be set up in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square, the Vancouver Art Gallery's north plaza, for Japan Market's summer festival this weekend.

Offering Japanese food, crafts and entertainment, the event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and admission is $5. 

Amateur sumo exhibition

For a different kind of celebration of Japanese culture, head to Templeton Secondary School in East Vancouver on Sunday for the 2024 Vancouver Basho amateur sumo exhibition.

The event is hosted by Sumo Sundays and the Powell Street Festival Society, and is intended to expand upon the popular sumo tournament at the annual festival.

"Spectators will have the opportunity to watch three brackets featuring competitors of all body sizes and experiences from Vancouver and Seattle in an open-gender format," organizers say on their website. 

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and the event runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is on a sliding scale, with a range of $15 to $30 recommended.

Summertide Cabaret

Elsewhere in East Van this weekend, Rumble Theatre is presenting "Summertide: Untrue Stories Live" under a large tent in Woodland Park.

The cabaret-format performance will showcase three new works with a break between each performance, complimentary food from Chai Wagon and a night market featuring local vendors.

Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with each day's show beginning at 7:30. Admission is "pay what you can," with a donation of $15 suggested. More information on the performers can be found on Rumble's website.