Sun Run, Vaisakhi and 4-20 highlight weekend festivities in Metro Vancouver
Large gatherings are the theme of the weekend in Metro Vancouver, with several big crowds expected to assemble for very different reasons. Here's what's happening.
Surrey Vaisakhi parade
A week after Vancouver's Nagar Kirtan, it's Surrey's turn to celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi this Saturday.
Organizers of the Surrey parade say it's the largest Vaisakhi celebration in the world, with approximately 500,000 people expected to assemble along the route from Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple down 124 Street and back.
Stages and food stalls line the route, and people of all backgrounds are welcome.
Vancouver Sun Run
On Sunday, crowds and road closures are coming to downtown Vancouver and False Creek for the 40th Vancouver Sun Run.
Canada's largest road race and the third-largest timed 10K race in North America, the Sun Run course begins at Georgia and Thurlow streets and runs through the West End, across the Burrard Street Bridge and around False Creek to the finish line near Rogers Arena.
Non-participants are welcome to cheer on the runners along the route, and to check out the Sun Run Expo at the Vancouver Convention Centre, which is open from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
4-20 festivities
While the longtime organizers of Vancouver's annual April 20 cannabis protest/celebration were not involved in planning last year's event at Sunset Beach and are sitting out this year's festivities as well, there is still a gathering in the works, according to event listings on Facebook.
A variety of other 4-20 events and parties are also scheduled, including "420 Grassroots" in East Vancouver, New Amsterdam Cafe's annual 4-20 party and "42024" at The Birdhouse in Mount Pleasant.
Other festivals
Several other large events are also taking place this weekend, including Brewhalla North Vancouver on Friday night, the Coast City Country Festival at BC Place and the Commodore Ballroom, and the sold-out BrickCan LEGO exhibition at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond.
Saturday is also Record Store Day, an annual event that sees musicians issue exclusive vinyl releases and often draws long lineups at participating shops.
Earth Day at Vanier Park
Earth Day is Monday, April 22, but three attractions in Vanier Park are inviting the public to celebrate early.
"The Museum of Vancouver, the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre join forces as representations of land, sea and sky to honour the Earth on April 20 with kid-friendly activities," the museum says on its website, which also has a schedule of events.
Activities include poetry readings, crafts and a storytime, with admission by donation to the land and sea portions of the event.
Verses Festival of Words
This weekend also marks the start of the Verses Festival of Words, which begins Thursday and runs through April 27.
Now in its 10th year, the event is billed as "Canada’s largest alternative literary festival." It features poetry readings and workshops, as well as the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam, which is a national championship competition.
A schedule of events, lists of participating poets and ticket information can be found on the Verses website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders push back on 'misguided criticism' of grocer as boycott begins
Loblaw's new chief executive, as well as chairman Galen Weston, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a push to boycott the company gains steam online.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.