Surrey Fest Downtown is a free one-day community festival. It includes live entertainment, family-friendly activities and community info stalls at Holland Park.
In 2022 the event happened on Saturday, June 18th. That was the same day as ScotFestBC which is a fabulous Scottish-themed festival in Coquitlam. June 18th was also when Langley Community Day happened at Douglas Park. It too is a lot of fun, and admission to it was free.
To learn more about what else is happening around the same time in the Lower Mainland, see our article about Vancouver Father’s Day Activities. To learn more about Surrey Fest Downtown, continue reading.
Surrey Fest Community Festival
Surrey Fest Downtown happens at Holland Park which is located at 13428 Old Yale Road across the street from the Central City shopping mall. It’s close to the King George SkyTrain Station in Surrey.
Previously known as the Whalley Community festival, the event is a medium-sized affair. It attracts about 4,000 or so attendees in years with good weather. In 2022 the event celebrated its 22nd anniversary when it was held on Saturday, June 18th. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus.
What to Expect
At Surrey Fest Downtown each year there are a small number of food and market vendor stalls, community organization informational booths, a silent auction and live performances.
In total, over four dozen businesses and other local groups usually participate and have a presence at the event. They represent everything from credit unions, church groups and artists to non-profit organizations such as Girl Guides and Crime Stoppers.
If you want to learn about the local community and organizations in it, Surrey Fest Downtown at Holland Park is a good place to go.
Festival Entertainment
Surrey Fest Downtown is a fairly simple and low-key affair for the most part, but it does offer great live entertainment at specific times. Below was the schedule of events in 2022. 2023’s schedule of events is to be confirmed.
(Note: Times and details are subject to change.)
- 11:00 am – Opening Welcome
- 11:30 am – Zumba Class
- 11:55 am – Sun Hang Do Martial Arts Demonstrations
- 12:30 pm – Cooking Demonstration
- 1:45 pm – Mazacote
- 3:00 pm – Reckless
Bands in previous years have included Pat Chessell (a Celtic singer and musician), Big Easy Funk Ensemble, Trilojay, and The Fab Fourever (a Beatles tribute band).
Surrey Fest Kids’ Zone
In addition to the above and other live entertainment, each year there is also a Kids’ Zone at the festival which includes a couple of bouncy castles, face painting and a craft station for children.
At Surrey Fest Downtown you can expect a tattoo station for kids and face painting. There is also often free popcorn, candy floss and other treats.
Tips and Advice
The following is a list of suggestions and information to help you make the most of your visit to the festival at Holland Park:
TIP #1: Take public transit. The King George SkyTrain Station is only a short walk away. Surrey Central Station is also just on the other side of the Central City shopping centre.
TIP #2: Unless you’re a young child, the main attraction, in our opinion, is the live music. For young children, however, the most fun will be at the Kids’ Zone (which is fairly small and simple, but still entertaining for little folk).
Other Information
For more information about the festival at Holland Park click Surrey Fest Downtown.
For information about the city and other things to do in the area, click Surrey.
In case you’re interested, other (and generally larger) major festivals at other times of the year in Surrey include the following:
- Party for the Planet – a free event celebrating Earth Day at the Surrey City Hall Plaza in April.
- Surrey Vaisakhi Parade – a major Punjabi festival in April that’s free and attracts over 200,000 people.
- Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair – a community fair and rodeo on the Victoria Day Long Weekend in May.
- Surrey Fusion Festival – a large and free multicultural event in July at Holland Park.
