Burnaby Blooms in Burnaby

An eco-friendly springtime event at Deer Lake Park in May, the Burnaby Blooms Festival has workshops, live entertainment and more to enjoy for all.

Burnaby Blooms at Deer Lake Park

Burnaby Blooms is one of Metro Vancouver’s largest free spring celebrations. It transforms Deer Lake Park and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts into a vibrant festival filled with flowers, sustainability, art and community activities. The annual event celebrates gardening, environmental awareness and local creativity with live entertainment, eco-art installations, artisan vendors, educational workshops, guided nature tours, and family-friendly attractions throughout the day.

The festival combines gardening inspiration with arts and culture, making it appealing for families, nature lovers, artists and anyone looking to enjoy a spring day outdoors. Attendees can browse plant sales, explore artisan vendor stalls, join educational talks, meet community organizations and participate in hands-on workshops focused on sustainability and creativity.

When and Where

Burnaby Blooms takes place on a Sunday in May. In 2026 it happened on May 3rd from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. 2027 will likely be similar, but with exact details to be confirmed.

The event happens on the Deer Lake Park Festival Lawn and in the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts at 6450 Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby. Admission and entertainment are free for everyone.

What To Expect at Burnaby Blooms

Visitors can expect a full day of spring-themed activities spread across the park grounds and indoor venues. Throughout the festival there are live performances, roving entertainers, eco-artist exhibits, food trucks, plant sales, pottery demonstrations and community displays celebrating sustainability and nature. There are also lots of selfie opportunities.

The Artisan Market is inside Studio 100 at the Shadbolt Centre. The market features local creators and small businesses selling handmade goods, artwork, jewelry, baked treats, natural products, fibre art, coffee, leather goods and more. Community booths outside showcase local organizations and environmental groups including wildlife rescue organizations, conservation societies, urban gardening groups, and sustainability programs.

Family activities are available throughout the day and include free face painting, henna art, a free photo booth, planting stations, reusable bag decorating, pressed flower crafts, sun-catcher making, clay flower painting and giant outdoor games. Children can also participate in hands-on workshops with rescued animals, crafting stations and eco-art activities.

Burnaby Blooms Festival

2026 Festival Schedule

A major feature of Burnaby Blooms is its lineup of musicians around Deer Lake Park. The schedule for musicians’ performances is listed below.

East Plaza

11:00 am — Ross Curran
12:30 pm — Boris Favre & Allan Dionne
2:30 pm — Wilson Gibbons Duo
3:30 pm — Music with Mayor Hurley

Fishing Dock

12:30 pm — Norine Braun
2:30 pm — Lache Cercel & Roma Jazz Duo
3:30 pm — Girl A Girl B

Burnaby Village Museum – Bandstand

1:30 pm — Caden Knudson
2:45 pm — Caden Knudson

Robin Layne at Burnaby Blooms

History of Burnaby Blooms (For Peter to Look after)

Formerly known as the Rhododendron Festival, which ran for many years under that name up until 2019, Burnaby Blooms expanded to cover flowers and horticulture of all kinds in a festival that took place over the course of a few weeks. More recently, the festival was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, but returned in 2022.

In 2022 the festival had its big kick-off event on the first Saturday of the month and then three “micro-events” on the following three Saturdays. Each of the events took place at a different park in Burnaby. The first of the four events took place at the Shadbolt Centre and Deer Lake Park. The three subsequent micro-events took place at Confederation Park, Central Park and then Burnaby Mountain.

In 2023 Burnaby Blooms was a three-day event. It happened indoors at the Shadbolt Centre and outdoors at Deer Lake Park on the Saturday and Sunday of the Mother’s Day Weekend. There was also a micro-event at Burnaby Mountain on the last Saturday of the month. At this second event there were more eco-art installations, gardening workshops, plants for sale, live music and family-friendly activities.

In 2024 Burnaby Blooms was a four-day event, held on the first Sunday of May. Up until that year, for some of the activities, participants had to register in advance and pay a small fee. This year was the first time all activities were free for residents of Burnaby. You just had to pay for any food or market products you purchased. Smaller follow-up events also happened on a couple of other Saturdays in May at different parks.

In 2025, the same as in 2026, Burnaby Blooms was just a one-day event, with all activities at the Shadbolt Centre and Deer Lake Park.