The Korean Cultural Heritage Festival is a free event at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium that showcases Korean culture, food and music in the summer.
This article contains the following information about the festival:
What Happens at the Korean Festival? | Schedule of Events | Other Information
Korean Cultural Festival
In 2024 the Korean Cultural Heritage Festival takes place on Saturday, August 3rd. The event runs from 10:30 am until 7:00 pm. The festival happens at Swangard Stadium which is located at 3883 Imperial Street in Central Park not too far from the Patterson SkyTrain Station.
What Happens at the Korean Festival?
The Korean Cultural Heritage Festival is a fairly simple, yet enjoyable cultural event. It’s not huge, and tends to attract primarily people of Korean descent, but it’s open to everyone. The festival is free and offers a variety of things to see and do.
Activities at the festival include Tae Kwon Do demonstrations, live music, art exhibits and crafts, games and face painting for children. There are community organization displays and a small number of food vendors selling both Korean and other types of food most years.
If you’re interested in Korean culture and Asian food, and you’re in the area, then this can be an interesting event.
TIP: Swangard Stadium is located in the northwest corner of Burnaby’s Central Park which is full of forested trails and features a fabulous children’s play area, Pitch and Putt Golf, a couple of ponds and an outdoor swimming pool. While in the area, go for a stroll and explore the park!
Schedule of Events
The 2024 Korean Cultural Heritage Festival features Taekwondo demonstrations, a K-Pop competition and all sorts of other live entertainment.
As of the end of July, there is not yet a schedule of events for the festival. For an idea of what you might be able to expect, below was the schedule of performances and activities from 2019.
- 10:15 am – Little Mountain Brass Band
- 10:30 am – Korean Line Dancing
- 10:45 am – Taepyeong-Mu by the Charm Dance Company
- 10:50 am – K-Pop Dance by the Mamakeish Dance Company
- 11:00 am – Opening Ceremonies
- 11:30 am – Harmony in Motion Korean Dancing
- 11:50 am – Taekwondo Demonstrations
- 12:15 pm – Fan Dance & Feast of Drums
- 12:35 pm – Little Mountain Brass Band
- 12:55 pm – Korean Line Dancing
- 1:10 pm – Live Music with the Rumble St. Boys
- 1:35 pm – West Sumatera Indonesian Dancing
- 1:50 pm – Live Music with the Kwantlen Chamber Singers
- 2:00 pm – Nanta with the Light Presbyterian Church
- 2:15 pm – Live Music with the Rumble St. Boys
- 2:30 pm – Harmony in Motion with the Canadian-Korean Dance Arts Society
- 2:50 pm – Taekwondo Demonstrations
- 3:20 pm – Belly Dancing with SV Dance
- 3:35 pm – Fan Dance & Feast of Drums
- 3:55 pm – K-Pop Dance by the Mamakeish Dance Company
- 4:05 pm – So-Go Dance by Sorichoom
- 4:15 pm – Nanta with Hanta & the Light Presbyterian Church
- 4:40 pm – DJ Show
- 5:00 pm – K-Pop Contest
- 7:30 pm – Award Ceremonies and Closing
Other Information
For more information about the event, visit the Korean Culture Heritage Association website.
If you enjoy this type of event and want to experience even more Asian culture, then check out the Powell Street Festival which takes place in late July or early August. The Powell Street event is a two-day Japanese-Canadian festival that’s also free and offers even more activities and food truck options.
For a list of other things to do this month see Vancouver’s June Calendar or click Festivals & Events.
Other great Asian-themed cultural events in the Lower Mainland include the following:
- LunarFest – a series of events celebrating the Lunar New Year in January or February.
- Taiwanfest – a multicultural festival in downtown Vancouver on the Labour Day long weekend in September.
- Nikkei Matsuri – a Japanese festival in Burnaby on the Labour Day Weekend in September.
- South Asian Family Festival – a multicultural festival with rides and entertainment at the PNE Fairgrounds in July.
- Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival – a multicultural festival showcasing Taiwanese and other cultures on the Canada Day Long Weekend in July.