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Burnaby’s Symphony in the Park Concert

June 16, 2017

Symphony in the Park is a free outdoor evening concert with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby.

Symphony in the Park was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event returned as an in-person concert in 2022 and took place on July 16th.

In 2023 Symphony in the Park took place on Saturday, July 15th. That was the same weekend as other events such as the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, TD Uptown Live in New Westminster, and Surrey Latin Festival (the last two of which are free). In 2024 the concert takes place on Saturday, July 13th.

Vancouver Symphony at Deer Lake Park

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra offers a free outdoor performance at Deer Lake Park.

In 2019 the event was on Sunday, June 30th, from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm, with a prelude-concert starting at 6:00 pm. In 2020 organizers had to cancel the concert because of the coronavirus pandemic. The concert didn’t happen in 2021 either, but it returned in 2022 and was back again in 2023!

Symphony Crowds at Deer Lake Park — Concert Crowds in Front of the Shadbolt Centre

Where and When

Symphony in the Park takes place on the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park which is located at 6450 Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby. The lawn is in front of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. A special outdoor stage is normally set up for the day at the far end of the field, not far from the water. It’s a beautiful venue.

The event usually happens in mid-July. In 2024 the event happens on Saturday, July 13th from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. On the following day, on Sunday, July 14th, there is Opera in the Park also running from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

What to Expect

Weather permitting, at the Symphony in the Park event you can expect a beautiful evening of classical music outdoors in the fresh air. At the event you’ll see several thousand orchestra-lovers in lawn chairs or sitting on the grass spread out over the field at Deer Lake Park.

SYMPHONY IN THE PARK IN ABBOTSFORD

The event at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park isn’t the only one in the Lower Mainland that involves classical symphony music at a beautiful outdoor venue. It’s also not an event with a completely unique name. Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford is also a fabulous event, and it’s also free to attend. In 2024 the Fraser Valley event takes place at Mill Lake Park on Friday, August 16th.

The Repertoire

2023’s repertoire showcased a variety of better-known popular pieces from movies and productions from the past. It included the overture to Barber of Seville, themes from the movies James Bond, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Hook, and other well-known pieces.

The repertoire for the concert in 2024 is to be confirmed closer to the event date.

Here was the full program for 2023’s Symphony in the Park Concert:

Barber of Seville, The: Overture (Italian) (by Rossini)
Jurassic Park: Highlights (by John Williams)
Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra I. Main Title (by John Williams)
Hook: The Flight to Neverland (by John Williams)
E.T.: Adventures on Earth (by John Williams)
Carmen: Suite No.1 (by Bizet)
James Bond Theme (by Norman)
Samson and Delila: Danse Bacchanale (by Saint-Saëns)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone I. Hedwig’s Theme (by John Williams)
Pomp and Circumstance: March No. 1, Op. 39 (by Elgar)
Shagadelic Suite: The Music of Austin Powers (by George S. Clinton)
Through the Lions’ Gate: The Mountains (by Michael Conway Baker)
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo (by Pietro Mascagni)
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Raiders March (by John Williams)

Symphony Audience at Deer Lake — Crowds on the Deer Lake Park Lawns

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions and important things to know to help make your experience at Symphony in the Park as enjoyable as possible.

TIP #1: Take a lawn chair, blanket and your picnic or other (non-alcoholic) refreshments.

TIP #2: Arrive early! If you hope to get parking anywhere remotely near the venue, get to Deer Lake Park at least a couple of hours before the show. There will be thousands of people and parking is limited.

TIP #3: If you can’t arrive early then get someone to drop you and your friends off at the park and then have them go find parking. Wish the driver luck, remind them in advance to wear good walking shoes, and then hope that if they do find parking somewhere that you’ll be able to find them later among the crowds. If the driver has a car with a bike rack, then taking a bicycle for the ride back to the park can be a good idea.

TIP #4: If you do arrive early, then explore the park! It’s a beautiful place!

TIP #5: If you’re ever in the City of Victoria on the BC Day long weekend, you might want to check out Victoria’s Summer Symphony Festival (which used to be called Symphony Splash). It’s a similar event, but with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra performing in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. That event is also highly recommended and includes a short display of fireworks at the end.

Other Things to Do

While at Deer Lake Park there are plenty of other things to do before the concert begins.

There are some beautiful gardens between the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and the Burnaby Art Gallery just steps from the concert venue.

The walk around Deer Lake itself is exceptional. You can stroll along the trails and wooden boardwalks for as long as you like in one direction and then turn back when you’re done, or walk the whole way round. At the east end of the lake there’s a small sandy beach.

The Burnaby Art Gallery houses a small collection of art in a beautiful heritage building. It’s usually open from around noon until 5:00 pm on Sundays (or at least it was the last time we checked).

Burnaby Village Museum is just a 10-minute or so walk from the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake. It’s an exceptional museum with free admission and open from 11:00 am until 4:30 pm.

Other Information

To learn more about the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra‘s free outdoor concert (when it happens), click City of Burnaby Events.

Another similar event to this is Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford. It’s also a free event in the summer, but at a different location and with a different orchestra. In 2022, Opera in the Park also took place for the first time. The same as Symphony in the Park, the event with the Vancouver Opera happened at Deer Lake Park in mid-July.

For details about the City of Burnaby, click Burnaby.

For a list of other free concerts taking place in the Lower Mainland, click Free Summer Concerts.

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