Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford

Symphony in the Park is a great outdoor concert with a full orchestra in Abbotsford‘s Mill Lake Park. The event happens in August and admission is free.

The concert in 2025 takes place on Friday, August 15th. At the event the park is full of people and music. There are food trucks on site too. It’s a fabulous event and highly recommended. And it’s free (although donations are greatly appreciated)!

For videos of what the event looks like, click Symphony in the Park Videos. For the event’s official website, visit calvindyck.com.

NOTE: Symphony in the Park has a Contest in 2025 where the winner will be able to conduct the orchestra at the event on August 15th. There are other prizes too. See below for details.

This article contains the following information about Symphony in the Park:

Abbotsford’s Symphony in the Park in 2025

Symphony in the Park is produced by Calvin Dyck who is also the director of the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra and Concertmaster of the Vancouver Island Symphony (which is based in Nanaimo). The evening of music in Abbotsford features orchestral performances of popular movie soundtracks and classical favourites.

In 2025 the concert features a 50-piece orchestra as well as a guest appearance of the talented dancers from the Fraser Valley Academy of Dance. Highlights from the show include music from the Sound of Music, Superman and Mission Impossible. Classical tunes include Finlandia and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto featuring outstanding soloist Mark D’Angelo. There will also be a spine tingling performance of the 1812 Overture with audience involvement (which involves the popping of as many as 3000 paper lunch bags to provide the sound of cannons on cue).

For the event’s official website visit calvindyck.com.

Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford — Calvin Dyck and the Symphony

When & Where is the Concert

Presented by Songs Strings and Steps, Symphony in the Park takes place every year on a select evening in the summer at Mill Lake Park. In 2025 the concert is on Friday, August 15th, and it starts at 6:30 pm. At the event there are about two hours of wonderful, free entertainment to enjoy.

The park is located in central Abbotsford. It’s a big park, however. The concert itself happens near the lawn bowling on the Bevan side of Mill Lake Park (so on the south side, in the middle of the park, more or less halfway between Emerson Street and Ware Street).

Depending on which entrance and parking lot you use, addresses for the park include 32960 Mill Lake Road, 2310 Emerson Street and 33015 Bevan Avenue. Attendees can also park at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre, Abbotsford Middle School and the MSA Skating Arena.

Orchestra and Music

The orchestra at Symphony in the Park is conducted by Calvin Dyck. The symphony features professional musicians from the Lower Mainland as well as from Vancouver Island. The orchestra is composed of over 50 talented musicians playing a variety of instruments. There’s a blend of violins, clarinets, horns, trumpets, trombones, percussion, bass, piano and more.

2025 Program

The program for Symphony in the Park in 2025 is listed below. Between the first and second halves of the night there is a 20-minute intermission. The concert began at 6:30 pm and runs until about 8:30 pm (plus or minus).

First Half (in 2025)

O Canada (by Lavallee)
Symphony No. 5 (1st movement, by Beethoven)
Clarinet Concerto (by Mozart)
Hornpipe from Water Music (by Handel)
Blue Danube (by Johann Strauss Sr.)
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 (by Edvard Grieg)
Cinema Paradiso (by Ennio Morricone)
Carmen Suite No. 1 (by Bizet)

Second Half (in 2025)

Happy Birthday
Irish Suite (by Leroy Anderson
Can-Can (by Jacques Offenbach)
El Medico de Pianos (by Jorge Marin)
Zigeunerweisen op. 20 (by Pablo Sarasate)
Pirates of the Caribbean (by Klaus Badelt and arranged by Ted Ricketts)
Radetzky March (by Johann Strauss Sr.)

For the event’s official website, visit calvindyck.com.

Symphony in the Park Contest

New for 2025, Symphony in the Park has a contest that anyone can enter for free. At this year’s concert at Mill Lake Park, one lucky winner will be chosen to conduct the orchestra! Obviously, you have to be there to win.

The contest happens through the Abbotsford News where three lucky winners will be announced at the event. There are three prizes to be won. They include a gift basket from Lepp’s Farm Market as well as four tickets to the annual SSS Christmas Concert. The grand prize, meanwhile, is an opportunity to conduct the Symphony Orchestra in front of the audience at Mill Lake Park on August 15th. To enter the contest, visit abbynews.com.

For the event’s official website visit calvindyck.com.

Symphony in the Park Videos

To give you an idea of what to expect at the concert, check out the following videos. The first one shows scenes from Symphony in the Park in 2019 (which was the event’s third year). The scene is pretty much the same as this every year. As you’ll see in the video, it’s a very popular event!

Video of Concert in Mill Lake Park

Below is a video of Symphony in the Park at Mill Lake Park in Abbotsford from a few years ago.

Drummers at Concert

The following video is also of a scene of the event from a few years ago. In addition to more traditional performances of both classical and more modern popular tunes, the orchestra usually plays one or two special pieces that include a bit of a show, like you’ll see with these drummers from the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra. In 2025 the guest performance is with the Fraser Valley Academy of Dance.

Tips & Advice

Listed below are some tips and advice to help you plan and make the most of your experience at Symphony in the Park.

TIP #1: The concert takes place in a park. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Just don’t bring anything that would obstruct the view of people sitting behind you. So no large umbrellas or tents!

TIP #2: Symphony in the Park is an outdoor event that happens rain or shine. If the forecast predicts cold weather or a chance of rain, be sure to dress accordingly.

TIP #3: Everyone can bring their own snacks and beverages. However, it’s good to know that there are food trucks at the park on the day and stations to refill water bottles.

TIP #4: Organizers of the event recommend parking at Abbotsford Middle School, Seven Oaks Mall or the MSA Skating Arena. However, if you’re bringing seniors and young children, you might want to drop them off with your lawn chairs at the playground along Bevan Avenue before searching for parking.

Other Concerts

Calvin Dyck is involved with other concerts at other times of the year too. In 2025 there is a Christmas Gifts concert at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford on the weekend of December 12th and 13th. It too is a symphony orchestra concert presented by Songs, Strings & Steps. For details, visit the calvindyck.com website.