The Sounds of Summer Music Series are FREE outdoor concerts at different parks in Surrey on Wednesday evenings in July and August from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
In 2018, in two cases, there are also concerts on Friday afternoons from 1:00 until 2:30.
Sounds of Summer Music in 2018
Residents of Surrey and the entire Lower Mainland are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to sit on, plus their picnics, and come out and enjoy the free music entertainment.
Below is the summer schedule of dates and locations for 2018, along with suggestions on what else to do on the different days while in the area.
- July 4th at Glades Garden Park
- July 11th at Fleetwood Park
- July 13th at Darts Hill
- July 18th at Bear Creek Park
- July 25th at Darts Hill
- August 1st at Holland Park
- August 8th at the Sullivan Park
- August 15th at the Surrey Nature Centre
- August 17th at Francis Park
- August 22nd at Stewart Farm
In addition to the above, on Wednesday, May 30th, there is also a Sounds of Spring event at Crescent Beach‘s Blackie Spit Park from 6:30 to 8 pm.
Note: the Surrey concerts details are subject to change.
See below for more details about each date and venue.
July 4 (2018) Concert at Glades Garden Park
This free outdoor concert takes place at Glades Garden at 561-172nd Street in South Surrey and features the Pop-eclectica band Caviar & Lace.
The park itself is beautiful, open only on select days and is highly recommended. Gates open at 5 pm for garden viewing and the music runs from 6:30 to 8 pm. Note: parking is limited and pets are not permitted.
Glades Garden isn’t far from White Rock, which makes the concert a great activity after spending the day at the resort town, or at nearby Crescent Beach.
July 11 (2018) Concerts at Fleetwood Park
On Wednesday, July 11th, the live music is at Fleetwood Park Gardens at 15802-80th Avenue in Surrey from 6:30 until 8:00 pm. There the music is Celtic with the band Tiller’s Folly.
In addition to the great music, Fleetwood Park also has attractive gardens, tennis courts, a water playground and 1.8 km of nature trails.
July 13 (2018) Concert at Darts Hill
July 13th is a Friday, not a Wednesday, and on this day the free concert at Darts Hill Garden Park runs from 1:00 until 2:30 pm (instead of the usual 6:30 until 8:00).
The live music is Jazz with the Razz MaJazz Trio Jazz. Gates open at 11 am for garden viewing and pets are not permitted.
Darts Hill is located at 1633-170th Street in South Surrey not far from White Rock. It’s a beautiful semi-private garden that’s open to the public only on specific days of the year.
July 18 (2018) at Bear Creek Park
The concert on July 18th takes place at Bear Creek Park at 13750-88th Avenue and features Folk Blues with the group Cannery Row.
Bear Creek Park is one of the finest parks in the Lower Mainland, complete with miniature train, mini golf, walking and cycling trails, an outdoor pool and beautiful gardens.
Bear Creek is also right next door to the Surrey Art Gallery, which is open on Wednesdays until 9 pm and has a couple of small gallery rooms with admission by donation.
July 25 (2018) Concert at Darts Hill
The free concert at Darts Hill Garden Park on Wednesday, July 25th, runs from 6:30 until 8:00 and features Bluegrass with the Rusty Rails.
This is the second time that Darts Hill is a venue for Surrey’s Sounds of Summer Music Series in 2018. The previous time, as noted above, was on the afternoon of July 13th.
Darts Hill is a pretty semi-private garden at 1633-170th Street in South Surrey. Gates open at 5:00 pm for viewing of the garden.
Darts Hill Garden Park is open on just select days during the year and for special events. Darts Hill is not far from White Rock, so good to combine with a trip there, or to Elgin Heritage Park and Crescent Beach which are also not too far away.
August 1 (2018) Concert at Holland Park
Holland Park is a beautiful green space in downtown Surrey across the street from the Central City shopping mall, at the opposite side from the main SFU campus entrance.
Holland Park’s free outdoor concert is on Wednesday, August 1st, and features a mix of Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Motown and Funk with the 11-member band Top City from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
Holland Park is at 13428 Old Yale Road, but there is no parking or park access along that road. There is a limited amount of free street parking along 98b Avenue, as well as 134th Street on the other side of the park.
Public transit, meanwhile, is convenient at Central City just a few blocks away, which also has pay parking in the area. The King George SkyTrain Station is also just across the street from Holland Park.
If you like shopping, check out Central City before the concert. It’s an older shopping centre, but in an impressive building, and it’s the second largest mall in Surrey with close to 140 stores.
Also, the Surrey Urban Farmers Market takes place on Wednesdays from 2 until 6 pm at North Surrey Rec Centre on the north side of Central City, which makes it a convenient place to pick up tasty picnic fixings before the concert. It’s a fairly small market, but still a good one to check out.
August 8 (2018) Concert at Sullivan Park
The free concert on Friday, August 8th, takes place in the evening starting at 6:30 pm at Sullivan Park which is located at 6272 – 152 Street. The concert features the Roots & Blues duo of David Sinclair and Keith Bennett.
Sullivan Park is located in south-central Surrey about halfway between Surrey Newton and Cloverdale.
August 15 (2018) Concert at the Surrey Nature Centre
The Surrey Nature Centre at 14225 Green Timbers Way hosts the Sounds of Summer Music Series on August 15th featuring Rocky Mountain Folk and Pop with Flint & Feather from 6:30 until 8:00 pm.
The Surrey Nature Centre at Green Timbers is open every day except Mondays until 4:30 pm and includes both indoor and outdoor activities.
August 17 (2018) Concert at Francis Park
August 17th is a Friday, not a Wednesday. For the second time this year the Sounds of Summer Music Series takes place in the afternoon, from 1:00 until 2:30, instead of in the evening.
The concert on the 17th is with the True North Troubadours which is a tribute band playing Folk music by the 1960’s band Peter, Paul and Mary.
Surrey’s Francis Park is a small park located at 15951 – 83rd Avenue by the Fleetwood Community Centre just south of the Fraser Highway.
August 22 (2018) Concert at Stewart Farm
The final Sounds of Summer Music Series concert of 2018 takes place at historic Stewart Farm in Elgin Heritage Park at 13723 Crescent Road near Crescent Beach.
The free concert on Wednesday, August 22nd, takes place in the evening starting at 6:30 pm and features the Folk Fusion group Wheat in the Barley.
Stewart Farm is an attractive heritage site. Check out the house and other buildings while you’re there, and/or go for a walk through the trails in Elgin Heritage Park.
For a list of other things to do in the area, see the City of Surrey.
Other Free Summer Music Venues
The Sounds of Summer Music Series in Surrey is not the only place to find free (or almost free) live music in the Lower Mainland in the summer. Other places with good free concerts include the following:
- Most days in the second half of June at various locations during the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
- Friday evenings in July and August in Edgemont Village, Lynn Valley and Deep Cove as part of the North Vancouver Summer Concert Series.
- Friday evenings from early May to late September at the Shipyard Night Market in North Vancouver.
- Nightly in late August and early September at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), where the concerts are included with the cost of admission to the fair.
- Music on the Wharf – outdoor concerts on the Port Haney Wharf in Maple Ridge on a few evenings in the summer.
For a list of other best places to find free concerts in the Lower Mainland, check out our Free Outdoor Music page.
