Children from all over Metro Vancouver attend the Teddy Bear Picnic in Coquitlam each year. At the event there are fun activities, music and a parade.
The Teddy Bear Picnic & Parade
The Teddy Bear Picnic & Parade is a free annual event in Coquitlam that’s great for children.
In years when there isn’t a pandemic, you can watch from the sidewalk as the parade rolls down Pinetree Way from City Hall to Town Centre Park. The parade is usually made up of colourful floats, characters in costumes, and performers like stilt-walkers and musicians.
After the parade in the afternoon, you can hang out at Town Centre Park and take part in various activities. This includes puppet shows, gymnastics, some hands-on crafts and more. There are also the main stage performances which include singers, dancers and other entertainment.
The atmosphere and all of the different activities at the event are geared for children and their families. The Teddy Bear Picnic advertises itself as a kid-friendly event and it focuses on giving the young ones a fun time. As the name suggests, everyone is encouraged to bring their teddy bears from home and let them in on the festivities as well.
The Picnic & Parade Details
In 2023 the Teddy Bear Picnic likely happens on Sunday, June 11th. Exact details, however, are to be confirmed.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took place virtually in 2021. In 2022, both the picnic festival and parade happened as in-person events. As of February 2023, full details about the event this year are still to be confirmed.
2022 Teddy Bear Picnic
The Teddy Bear Picnic returned to its in-person format in 2022. It took place on Sunday, June 12th, from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm at Lafarge Lake. Admission to the event was free, and food trucks were on-site selling food as well.
As usual there was live entertainment on hand at the event. There were concerts from Mom Bop Band, Bobs & Lolo, Mr. I & The Rainbow Singers and Penny Pom Pom. As well, there were performances by Mellado Dance Elite, Club Aviva Gymnastics, Yuen Martial Arts and Darcy the Magician.
For more details, see the Festival Coquitlam website.
2021 and 2022 Parades
In 2021, there was a virtual parade, although it took place separately. For the parade the organizers put out a form for anyone to sign up and participate. Those who did had one of the organizers stop by their house on either June 26th or 27th to take a photo. The pictures were included in a video posted on the Festival Coquitlam Facebook page later in the summer.
The parade happened in 2022. It was a procession of children and people in costume through the park around the festival grounds.
Other Information
For more information about the Teddy Bear Picnic visit the Festival Coquitlam website.
To learn more about the area see our article about the City of Coquitlam.
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