Richmond has a number of interesting places to visit including Steveston Village, the Richmond Night Market and several popular attractions for children.

Other first-rate attractions include the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Clip ‘n Climb Vancouver and a number of alternative venues.

This article contains the following information about Richmond:

Richmond’s Best Places | Richmond Festivals and Events | Other Information

About Richmond, British Columbia

With a population of around 200,000, Richmond is Vancouver’s fourth largest city. It also has Canada’s most concentrated immigrant population, with close to 60% of its population being born overseas. As a result, Chinese, not English, is the most common first language in this important Lower Mainland city.

Check out Richmond’s Best Bars and Restaurants for places to eat and drink.

Richmond’s Best Places

A large percentage of travellers come through Richmond to get to Vancouver, owing to the fact that it’s where you’ll find Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Other important places in the area include the following:

Parks in Richmond

Finns Slough – a lesser-known area in Richmond along the Fraser River that’s home to squatters’ residents and interesting trails to explore.
Garry Point Park – a 75-acre waterfront park in Richmond not far from Steveston Village.
Minoru Park – a nice park downtown with sports facilities at 7191 Granville Avenue. Nearby are the older Minoru Aquatic Centre, Richmond Art Gallery and the Richmond Public Library.
Terra Nova Rural Park – a 63-acre park south of YVR Airport that’s home to the Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment that’s popular with children.
West Dyke Trail – one of the best places in the Lower Mainland for walking, cycling and jogging along the waterfront.

Sports and Sports-Related Venues

Clip ‘n Climb Vancouver – a colourful indoor climbing centre at 1751 Savage Road not far from the Knight Street Bridge.
Extreme Air Park Richmond – a popular indoor trampoline adventure park at 14380 Triangle Road.
Richmond Olympic Experience – an interactive Olympic museum located at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Richmond Olympic Oval – a great place to swim or ice skate at a 2010 Olympic venue.
South Arm Pool – a popular outdoor public pool facility with water slides that are popular with children in the summer.
TBC Indoor Kart Racing – located at 2100 Viceroy Place and open seven days a week. Participants need to be age 11 or older.
Watermania – one of the largest, most exciting and best aquatic centres in the Lower Mainland.

Steveston's Britannia Shipyard — Britannia Shipyard at Steveston Village

Tourist Attractions in Richmond

Britannia Heritage Shipyard – a historic collection of buildings along the river near historic Steveston Village.
Gulf of Georgia Cannery – a national historic site in Steveston Village.
International Buddhist Temple – the largest Buddhist temple in North America, located at 9160 Steveston Highway.
London Heritage Farm – a late 1800s farm not far from Steveston Village.
Richmond Sunflower Festival – a flower festival at Richmond Country Farms in the summer.
River Rock Casino Resort – a venue for gambling and live entertainment at 8811 River Road.
Steveston Village – one of Metro Vancouver’s best places to visit, and an exceptional area for walks and bike rides along the water.

London Farm in Richmond — London Heritage Farm

Shopping Malls in Richmond

The following are some of the main shopping centres in Richmond:

Aberdeen Centre – a large shopping mall located at 4151 Hazelbridge Way with a significant number of Asian stores.
IKEA – a mammoth-sized blue Swedish store that’s good for affordable home furnishings as well as cheap food in their cafeteria. It’s not a shopping mall, but it is like one and just as big.
Lansdowne Centre – an older mall located at 5300 No.3 Road.
Richmond Centre – a shopping mall located at 6551 No. 3 Road in Richmond.
McArthurglen – an outlet mall near the Vancouver International Airport.

To learn about similar places in other parts of the Lower Mainland see our article about Best Places for Shopping in Vancouver.

Other Places of Interest in Richmond

Gateway Theatre – a community theatre venue at 6500 Gilbert Road (near Minoru Park).
Kidtropolis – a miniature village attraction where children can dress up and pretend to be anyone at Unit 110 – 5940 No. 2 Road.
Richmond Country Farms – a farm and produce market that’s home to the Richmond Sunflower Festival in the summer and a large pumpkin patch event in the fall.
Richmond Night Market – a large Asian-themed summer night market.
Vancouver’s International Airport (YVR) – the airport is one of the largest in Canada.

Richmond Festivals and Events

The City of Richmond hosts a number of great events each year including the following:

Cultural Events

Chinese New Year’s Eve – celebrations take place the day before Chinese New Year at Richmond’s International Buddhist Temple in Richmond in January or February.
Tibetan Lunar New Year Celebration – a small but culturally-interesting event at the Thrangu Monastery at 140 Number 5 Road in (or close to) February most years.
Richmond World Festival – a large and free multicultural event that used to take place at Minoru Park on the Labour Day long weekend in September (but not since the COVID era).

Sporting Events

Big Superhero Run – a family-friendly running event in August with a superhero theme outside the Richmond Oval.
Big Pirate Run – a running event with a pirate theme for all ages at Garry Point Park in the fall.
Steveston Dragon Boat Festival – a medium-sized dragon boat racing event in Steveston Village in August.

Child and Youth-Focused Events

Richmond Children’s Arts Festival – a family-friendly event at Minoru Place on the Family Day statutory holiday in February.
Carnival at Lansdowne Centre – West Coast Amusements sets up its rides and midway games in the mall’s parking lot for a number of days in March and/or April each year.
Royal Canadian International Circus – the touring circus sets up in the parking lot at Lansdowne Mall for a few days in May. It’s a fabulous, family-friendly circus. Children love it!

Other Festivals and Events

Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival – a free event featuring music, performances, cherry blossoms and displays of Japanese culture at Garry Point Park near Steveston Village in April.
Sockeye Run Car Show – a large car show in Steveston Village in June. (Note: This event no longer takes place.)
Lavenderland – a flower-themed attraction in Richmond between June and September.
Richmond Community Block Party – a food truck event with live music.
Steveston Salmon Festival – Canada Day is celebrated with a parade and community festival at Steveston Village on July 1st.
Richmond Maritime Festival – a free event at Steveston Village’s Britannia Heritage Shipyard in July.
Richmond Pumpkin Patch – an autumn-themed event with pumpkins and hay rides at Richmond Country Farms in the fall.
Feast: Asian Dining Festival – an event involving special menu deals at participating restaurants in Richmond.
Halloween – Richmond is one of the few cities in the Lower Mainland that hosts an event with fireworks on October 31st. The fireworks and other community activities take place on Halloween night at Minoru Park.
Remembrance Day – Richmond commemorates November 11th and remembers the sacrifices of war at City Hall each year.
Winter in Steveston Village – a variety of holiday activities including a visit from Santa and a car show between late November and the end of the Christmas season.
Steveston Santa Claus Parade – a Christmas parade at night on Christmas Eve.