The Colombian Independence Picnic is a free family-friendly community event held at Burnaby’s Central Park on a weekend afternoon in July most years.
(Note: This event isn’t happening in July in 2022. There is a small chance that it could happen in August. Exact details, however, are to be confirmed.)
Picnic de la Independencia de Colombia
With about 75% of participants coming from Vancouver’s local Colombian community, in years that it does take place, the mini festival is open to the public and attracts somewhere between 1000 and close to 2500 people annually.
At the event there is food for sale, live music, games for children and lots of people wearing yellow shirts and the colours of the Colombian flag.
In 2020 the Colombian Picnic was tentatively scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 19th. The picnic was unable to take place due to COVID-19. It doesn’t look like the event happened in 2021 either. Hopefully it will be back for 2022.
Where and When
In 2019 the Colombian Independence Picnic was going to take place on Sunday, August 11th, at Central Park which is bordered by Kingsway, Boundary Road, Imperial Street and Patterson Avenue in Burnaby. The park’s physical address is 3883 Imperial Street.
The event, however, was postponed. It did not happen on August 11th as originally planned. In 2020 the organizers were hoping to hold the event at Central Park on the Sunday of July 19th, but the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the event was unable to take place. Dates and details for 2022 are to be confirmed.
The Colombian Independence Picnic usually takes place close to the middle of Central Park, at the northern end of the Upper Pond, from around noon until 5 pm.
For reference, Swangard Stadium is in the park’s northwest corner and the Pitch and Putt Golf Course is in the southeast corner. The Patterson SkyTrain Station is conveniently located in the park’s northeast corner just a short distance from Kingsway, which makes it about a ten or so minute walk through the forested paths to the event.
What Happens at the Picnic
At the Colombian Independence Picnic there is food for sale, games for children and live entertainment throughout the afternoon. Some of Vancouver’s best local Latin American musicians perform, and various community and children’s groups sing or dance in front of the audience.
The Colombian Independence Picnic isn’t a large event. The picnic/festival usually runs from about noon until 5 pm and is at its busiest during the last couple of hours or so, at which time, in good weather, there can be over a thousand people.
Unless you are Colombian or have Colombian friends, the festival isn’t something most people would drive across the Lower Mainland to go and see. It is a great little event if you are in the area, however, and the music and fiesta atmosphere are worth checking out.
The picnic also presents an excellent opportunity for anyone wanting to practice their Spanish, and Central Park itself is one of Metro Vancouver’s nicest parks. The park is a beautiful place worth visiting any dry day of the year, with its outdoor swimming pool, duck ponds, children’s playground, pitch and putt golf and forested walking trails.
Central Park is a great place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon any day in the summer, but especially when the Colombian Independence Picnic is happening, with its free music, all the Colombian families having fun, and all the yellow, red and blue colours and clothing. Again, all are welcome.
For more information, see the Colombian Community of BC‘s Facebook page.
This page is sponsored by Just Perfect Cleaning, a proudly Colombian-Canadian, socially-responsible and locally-owned residential and commercial cleaning company.
