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Welcome to The Playground, a place for Vancouver parents and their awesome kids. Every Wednesday I post a roundup of upcoming family-friendly events and activities. I’m always on the lookout for fun stuff to do, so if there’s something happening that you think I should know about, contact me at [email protected]. Because Vancouver is awesome for kids too! |
The Vancouver Aquarium is celebrating its World Oceans Week Festival from June 5 to 13. It kicks off this Saturday and Sunday with the Ocean Wise Salmon Sizzler BBQ at 11:30 (get there early for a free salmon skewer, yum) and live music featuring steel drum band The Tropitronics and musical duo Gogo Bonkers. Also, free admission for anyone who shares a birthday with the Beluga calves! (June 7 & 10, in case you’re wondering.)
Lots of family fun on wheels this week with Velopalooza kicking off on June 4, including the “Velopa-Zoo-La” Animal-on-Bike Ride starting in Grandview Park and a Kid-dy Cat Race for kids 8-12 at Trout Lake. My personal favourite is the Superhero Ride on Saturday starting at Science World: Calling all Superheroes, it's time to patrol our city and strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers! Dress up as your favourite existing Superhero (or heck, Supervillain) and Bif! Bam! Pow! your way around town. How awesome does that sound?? It’s not specifically flagged as a kids-friendly event but is BMX and cruiser friendly and promises regular stops to make sure no one is left behind. Check out the Velopalooza website for details on all of these events and more.
This is definitely the weekend for neighborhood festivals. They’re happening all over Vancouver --
The Cedar Cottage Community Carnival is on Saturday from 10-4 at Cedar Cottage Neighborhood House on Victoria Drive. Cake walk, silent auction, bake sale, dunk tank, kids' carnival, flea market, food, fun and games, prizes, face painting, clowns, bingo, entertainment, fun for all ages!
Other community celebrations on Saturday include the "Celebrate Mt. Pleasant" Festival at Mt. Pleasant Community Centre, Marpole Community Day and the Champlain Summer Country Fair.
It’s Hats Off Day in The Heights on Saturday from 9am-3pm. A one-day extravaganza featuring a colourful main-street style parade with real local flavour and a big street party afterwards. Parade starts at 9 am and runs along Hastings Street from Beta Avenue to Boundary Road. Street festival kicks off at 11 am with a vintage Show & Shine, lots of music, food, kids' activities and more.
And Sunday, June 6 is Italian Day on Commercial Drive. From pizza tossing to grape crushing, bocce ball to soccer ball, and art exhibits to auto displays, the Italian Day festival promises to be a fun-filled day for everyone to enjoy. The streets will be lined with activities and entertainment, and stages will engage the audience with performances for the love of all things Italian!
If that's not enough to keep you busy, the In The House Festival is this weekend as well. Live performances of all kinds are happening right in the homes of Commercial Drive. Living rooms and backyards become intimate and vibrant cultural spaces that are multicultural, multi-disciplinary, and open to all ages. 19 shows in 3 days in a dozen houses. Music, dance, theatre, circus, spoken word and more to regale your senses and send you in a tizzy of excitement over the talent that exists in this city of ours! Check out details here.
Divas to Diapers…And Back Again is a family picnic to raise awareness about postpartum depression featuring children's entertainment, a demo from Salsa Babies, and a talk by Sheri Brown of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society. This Saturday from 12-2pm at Ceperley Park (Stanley Park). Free, donations welcome. Rain or shine, bring your own food and a blanket. RSVP before the event for a chance to win a gift basket. More information at [email protected].
And last, but certainly not least, Yo Gabba Gabba Live is coming to Vancouver this September, YAY! I’m ridiculously excited about this because our entire family is nuts for DJ Lance Rock and the gang. Tickets go on sale June 5 (check Ticketmaster), or you can spring for the VIP package now and join the private backstage party (pricey but I won’t lie, we were tempted).
That's it for this week, see you next Wednesday!
