Pride parade, Powell Street Festival and other B.C. Day long weekend events in Metro Vancouver
A giant rainbow flag is carried during the Vancouver Pride Parade, in Vancouver, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
Whether you're celebrating Pride, summer, Japanese culture or all of the above, there's plenty to do in Vancouver this B.C. Day long weekend. Here are some events to check out.
Vancouver Pride events
The centrepiece of the weekend's Pride festivities is the annual Pride parade, which takes place Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
This year, the parade begins at Denman and Davie streets and marches along Pacific Street to Concord Pacific Place, where the free-to-enter VanPrideFest is taking place starting at noon on both Saturday and Sunday.
Lots of other Pride-related events are taking place this weekend, and a full list of those organized through the Vancouver Pride Society can be found on the group's website.
Other notable Pride festivities this weekend include:
- Davie Village Pop-Up Pride, organized by the West End Business Improvement Association, which will see live entertainment at various stages along Davie Street from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
- Public Disco Pride Block Party, taking over a laneway and parking lots in Mount Pleasant for "an open air celebration of queer dance music" from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
Powell Street Festival
Another major celebration taking place in Vancouver this weekend is the Powell Street Festival, which takes place annually in and around Oppenheimer Park, in the heart of what was once Vancouver's Japanese-Canadian neighbourhood.
The free festival runs from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, featuring food and craft vendors, live performances, interactive workshops and more. Visit the Powell Street Festival Society's website for more information.
Pop Up Patio at BC Place
As it did for Canada Day weekend last month, BC Place is opening the city's largest licensed outdoor patio at Terry Fox Plaza.
With a capacity of 1,000, the patio at BC Place will offer food and drink, live entertainment and lawn games starting at 2 p.m. daily, Friday through Monday. The lineup of performers and details on food and beverage offerings can be found on the stadium's website.
Portobello West summer market
Head to VanDusen Botanical Garden on Saturday for Portobello West's summer market, featuring 35 B.C. artists, designers and other "makers."
The market is free to enter and takes place in the garden's Floral Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A list of participating vendors can be found on the Portobello West website.
Suburban festivals
Outside the city of Vancouver, several metro municipalities are playing host to festivals this long weekend. Here's a roundup:
- White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days: A free, three-day festival taking place in and around Memorial Park, East Beach and Semiahmoo Park in White Rock. The 73rd annual event includes live music, a car show, an outdoor movie screening, a torchlight parade on Saturday, and a fireworks finale on Sunday.
- Harmony Arts Festival: Kicking off Friday and running daily through Aug. 11, the festival will take over Argyle Avenue between 14th and 16th streets on West Vancouver's waterfront, bringing free live music and celebrating visual and culinary art in the community.
- Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival: A free two-day festival will celebrate Caribbean music and culture at the Albion Fairgrounds in Maple Ridge Saturday and Sunday.
With files from MOVE 103.5's Leanne McLaren
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