Wondering what to do in Vancouver this weekend? There’s a lot happening in the Lower Mainland including a number of festivals and other events.

This Weekend in Vancouver

Highlights of the May 24th to 26th weekend are Ladner May Days, Family Fun Day at Britannia Mine, the Cloverdale Food Truck Festival, Thomas the Train in Squamish, the Royal Canadian Family Circus in Tsawwassen and various other events throughout the Lower Mainland.

Note: Event details are subject to change.

Boat Tours FLASH SALE on Friday May 24th

Pacific Ferries offers a 2.5-hour boat tour from Coal Harbour to Indian Arm as well as a 3-hour Eco-Wildlife Excursion to Howe Sound. Prices for the two trips are usually $99 and $119 respectively. Go on either one of their two tours on Friday May 24th – and that day only – and get a 35% discount. Call 778-877-3329 to book your trip and ask for the Flash Sale pricing. Children ages 4 and under are free. Click Pacific Ferries Tours for details.

Friday, May 24, 2019

• Ladner May Days – first day of the 3-day community event in Ladner’s Memorial Park with live bands, amusement rides and fastball tournament.
• Royal Canadian Family Circus – under the big top at Tsawwassen Mills near the BC Ferries Terminal. (TIP: Use promo code VANSBESTPLACES and get 2-for-1 general admission tickets.)

• Boat Tour Flash Sale – Pacific Ferries offers a 2.5-hour boat tour from Coal Harbour to Indian Arm as well as a 3-hour Eco-Wildlife Excursion to Howe Sound. Prices for the two trips are usually $99 and $119 respectively. Go on either one of their two tours today – Friday May 24th – and get a 35% discount. Call 778-877-3329 to book your trip and ask for your 35% savings. Children ages 4 and under are free.

• Surrey International Children’s Festival – art activities, workshops, storytelling and live performances at the Surrey Arts Centre and Bear Creek Park.
• Darts Hill Garden – open to the public by donation from 11 am to 3 pm at 1633-170th Street in Surrey.
• Coastal Swap Meet – an automotive-themed swap meet featuring as many as 500 vendors at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford. Admission for shoppers costs $8 for folk ages 17 and older. The cost for vendors is $45 per stall.
• Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – guided tours around Gastown and other parts of downtown Vancouver. Today features the Forbidden Vancouver Tour at 7 pm and the Lost Souls of Gastown at 8 pm.
• Night Markets
  • Richmond Night Market – Vancouver’s famous weekend Asian market at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
  • Shipyard Night Market – evening concerts and market activities at the Lower Lonsdale waterfront in North Vancouver.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

• Royal Canadian Family Circus – under the big top at Tsawwassen Mills near the BC Ferries Terminal. (TIP: Use promo code VANSBESTPLACES and get 2-for-1 general admission tickets.)
• Family Fun Day at Britannia Mine – the historic site up the Sea to Sky Highway is hosting 2 days of special extra activities and exhibits this weekend.
• Ladner May Days – a 3-day community event in Ladner’s Memorial Park with live bands, amusement rides and fastball tournament.
• Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – today features the Art Deco & Chocolate Tasting Tour in the morning, the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour in the afternoon and both the Forbidden Vancouver Tour and Lost Souls of Gastown in the evening.
• Surrey International Children’s Festival – a 3-day event featuring art activities, workshops, storytelling and live performances at the Surrey Arts Centre and Bear Creek Park.
  
• Hyack International Parade – a parade with over 120 floats, marching bands and other entries in New Westminster.
• Cloverdale Market Days – a large artisan market featuring over 100 vendors in downtown Cloverdale on 176th Street (between 56A Avenue and 58 Avenue) from 10 am until 3 pm.
• Glades Garden Open House – a beautiful garden in Surrey at 561-172nd Street that’s open to the public only a small number of days. Admission by donation.
• Cloverdale Food Truck Festival – a food truck event at Surrey’s Cloverdale Exhibition Grounds between 11 am and 6 pm. The event includes both live and DJ music, kid-friendly activities, a magic show and a beer garden. Admission is free.
• Alexandra Festival – a community event at Alexandra Neighbourhood House at 2916 McBride Avenue in Crescent Beach, Surrey. It takes place on the last Saturday of May each year and as many as 3000 people attend.
• Coastal Swap Meet – an automotive-themed swap meet featuring as many as 500 vendors at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford. Admission for shoppers costs $8 for folk ages 17 and older. The cost for vendors is $45 per stall.
• Thomas the Train – rides with Sir Topham Hatt on the classic storybook train take place at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish. Book your tickets well in advance.
• Survival of the Fittest – 18 km and 35 km runs on rugged trails in Squamish.
• Darts Hill Garden – open house and plant sale from 10 am to 4 pm at 1633-170th Street in Surrey.
• Saturday Markets
  • Abbotsford Farm and Country Market – from 9 am until 1 pm in Abbotsford.
  • Burnaby Artisan Farmers Market – from 9 am to 2 pm in the parking lot of Burnaby’s City Hall at 4949 Canada Way.
  • Fort Langley Village Farmers Market – between 10 am and 3 pm at 9025 Glover Road in Fort Langley.
  • Haney Farmers Market – at 11900 224th Street in Maple Ridge from 9 am until 2 pm.
  • Lonsdale Quay Farmers Market – a small artisan market at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver between 10 am and 3 pm.
  • Riley Park Farmers Market – a small to medium-sized market from 10 am until 2 pm at Riley Park near Nat Bailey Stadium.
  • Squamish Farmers Market – at the corner of Victoria Street and Cleveland Avenue in Squamish from 10 am to 3 pm.
  • Trout Lake Farmers Market – from 9 am to 2 pm at Vancouver’s John Hendry Park.
  • West End Farmers Market – first market of the season at 1100 Comox Street from 9 am to 2 pm.
  • Vancouver Flea Market – from 9 am to 5 pm at 703 Terminal Avenue not far from Science World.
  • Richmond Night Market – at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
• Family Favourites Movies – $2.99 movies at select Cineplex theatres at 11 am.

Sunday, May 26, 2019

• Royal Canadian Family Circus – under the big top at Tsawwassen Mills near the BC Ferries Terminal. (TIP: Use promo code VANSBESTPLACES and get 2-for-1 general admission tickets.)
• Family Fun Day at Britannia Mine – the historic site up the Sea to Sky Highway is hosting 2 days of special extra activities and exhibits this weekend.
• Fair in the Square – a free community event featuring a BBQ, artisan market, live music and family-friendly activities from 11 am until 2 pm at Vancouver’s Victory Square at 200 West Hastings Street.
• Ladner May Days – a 3-day community event in Ladner’s Memorial Park with live bands, amusement rides, pancake breakfast and fastball tournament.
• Vancouver Turkic Festival – a free event celebrating Turkish culture with live music and market vendors at North Vancouver’s Shipbuilders’ Square in the afternoon and early evening.
• Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – this afternoon features the Really Gay History Tour in Vancouver’s West End and the Forbidden Vancouver Tour around Chinatown, Victory Square and Gastown.
• Thomas the Train – rides with Sir Topham Hatt on the classic storybook train take place at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish. Book your tickets well in advance!
• British Columbia Polish Festival – a cultural event at 2253 Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam from 1 pm until 9:30 pm. (Formerly called Polish Culture & Heritage Day.)
• European Festival – a festival highlighting European culture at the Vancouver Alpen Club. (In previous years the event took place at Swangard Stadium, but now no longer.)
• Vistas Run – a 5 km walk/run and 10 km race event benefiting the Ridge Meadows Hospice Society at Kanaka Creek Regional Park.
• Darts Hill Garden – open to the public by donation from 11 am to 3 pm at 1633-170th Street in Surrey.
• Farmers Markets
  • Coquitlam Farmers Market – from 9 am to 1 pm at 624 Poirier Street in Coquitlam.
  • Ambleside Artisan Farmers Market – in West Vancouver between 10 am and 3 pm.
    
  • Kitsilano Farmers Market – from 10 am to 2 pm outside the Kitsilano Community Centre at 2690 Larch Street in Vancouver.
    
  • Whistler Farmers Market – at the base of Blackcomb Mountain from 11 am to 4 pm.
    
  • White Rock Farmers Market – at 15154 Russell Avenue in White Rock between 10 am and 2 pm.
• Flea Markets
  • Cloverdale Flea Market – a large weekly flea market at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey from 6 am until 3 pm.
  • Vancouver Flea Market – from 9 am to 5 pm at 703 Terminal Avenue not far from Science World.
  • Abbotsford Flea Market – a giant flea market at Abbotsford Exhibition Park from 6 am to 4 pm.
• Richmond Night Market – at 8351 River Road in Richmond.
• Free Jazz Vespers
  • A jazz concert-style service hosted by St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church but taking place at First Baptist Church at 969 Burrard Street between 4 and 5 pm. Admission is by donation.
  • At Northwood United Church at 8855 156th Street in Surrey from 4 to 5 pm. Admission by donation. Today features the Karin Plato Quintent.
  • With Siobhan Walsh at St. Andrew’s United Church at 4 pm at 1044 St. George’s Avenue in North Vancouver. Admission is by donation.

• BOOM! at Britannia Mine – the much anticipated new “live-action experience” at the National Historic Site opens on June 1st. Located at #1 Forbes Way at Britannia Beach, the Britannia Mine Museum will now be even more interesting and impressive than ever! Be one of the first to check it out!

UPCOMING EVENTS

In case you were interested, coming up on the May 31st to June 2nd weekend are the Coquitlam Food Truck Festival, Pitt Meadows Day, Hats off Day, BOOM! at Britannia Mine, West Vancouver Bridge Festival, Royal Canadian Family Circus performances in Surrey and various other events throughout Metro Vancouver.

Other Information

For a list of things to do on other days this month, check out Vancouver’s May calendar of events.