Richmond Children's Arts Festival

The Richmond Children’s Arts Festival takes place at the Richmond Cultural Centre every year on Family Day which in 2024 is on Monday, February 19th.

Family Day Arts Festival in Richmond

Held annually at the Richmond Cultural Centre at 7700 Minoru Gate, the Richmond Children’s Arts Festival usually runs from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on the Monday of the BC Family Day Long Weekend. As well as art classes, there are performers, book readings and entertaining clowns at the event.

The festival is a popular event and suitable for children up to around 12 years of age. Most kids though are younger.

In 2022, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival happened as a virtual event. In 2023 there were in-person offerings and self-guided activities to enjoy from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on February 20th.

Admission Rates

General admission into the festival is free. Creativity Classes, however, cost extra. See below for details.

Children’s Festival Classes

Creativity Classes were offered for $10 each in 2023 and pre-registration was required. Below were a few of the classes that were available during 2023’s festival.

Create Your Own Storybook Character
Dance & Movement with Edward Sembatya
Circus Workshop with Circus West
Bollywood Star with Karima Essa
Broadway Bound: Musical Theatre with Jill Raymond
Clay Creations with Serisa Fitz-James

For the full list of Creativity Classes or to register when the event returns in 2024, visit the Children’s Arts Festival website.

Performances and Presentations

At the 2023 Richmond Children’s Arts Festival there were three stages that performances took place on. A variety of performers put on shows throughout the day. See below for the full schedule of events for 2023.

The performance schedule for the festival in 2024 is to be confirmed.

Once Upon A Stage

On the Once Upon A Stage various musicians and entertainers performed. The 2023 schedule for the Once Upon A Stage was as follows:

10:00 am – Peter G-G
11:15 am – ShowStoppers
12:15 pm – Ginalina and Band
1:00 pm – Harrison Lee Yo Yo Art
1:45 pm – Infinitus String Trio
3:00 pm – Penny Pom Pom

Rockin' Robin Children's Entertainer — Rockin’ Robin

Imagination Stage

More live entertainment took place on the Imagination Stage with the following groups on February 20th in 2023:

10:30 am – Circus West
1:15 pm – Bollywood Star
2:45 pm – Uzume Taiko Drumming

Kid’s Place

There were also live music and reading presentations in the Kid’s Place area at the following times in 2023:

10:45 am – Sharon Dulay Readings and Activities
11:45 am – Kung Jaadee Songs and Readings
12:45 pm – Dawn Lo Illustrator Presentation
3:00 pm – Peter G-G

Imagination Stations

The 2023 Richmond Children’s Arts Festival featured free Imagination Stations. The following drop-in activities were available throughout the day from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.