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Canada Day events: Vancouver, Coast and Mountains & Vancouver Island

June 30, 2011 | Tips from Us > Abbotsford, Festivals & Events

Travelling in BC this long weekend July 1-3rd? Staying close to home? No matter what corner of the province you find yourself in on Friday, there are lots of opportunities to celebrate Canada's 144th birthday! Here are some of our insider tips for fun events:


Vancouver, Coast & Mountains

Abbotsford
Start the day off with a pancake breakfast at the Abbotsford Exhibition Park, then check out the parade through downtown. Festivities continue all day at the Exhibition Park, including live music from Charlotte Diamond and others. 8am-10pm.

Gibsons
Be at Winegarden Park from 12-6pm for live music, and food. Also check out paddling demonstrations by the Gibsons Paddle Club.

Langley
Free concerts, mini golf, bike demos, a craft fair, a food fair, vendors, magicians, face painting, and fireworks! 11am-11pm, McLeod Park.

Mission
Head to Fraser River Heritage Park for a pancake breakfast, Superdawgs performance, extreme biking, gladiator jousting, loggers and fireworks! 8am-11pm.

North Vancouver
The parade starts at 10am at 13th Street and Grand Boulevard and proceeds down 13th Street to Lonsdale, turning north on Lonsdale. Then head to Waterfront Park from 12-4pm for live performances, with everything from bagpiping to juggling to martial arts.

Pemberton
Parade and family events at Pemberton Cottonwood Community Centre. More info

Powell River
Open Air Market 10:30-2:30 for live music and farmers' market, then on to Willingdon Beach from 4-10pm with cake and a bonfire on the beach.

Richmond
Steveston Village in Richmond closes the streets and and festivities abound near the Steveston Community Centre, including the famous salmon BBQ and Japanese martial arts, bonsai, and ikebana demonstrations. 10am-5pm.

Sechelt
Lions Club Pancake Breakfast - 8-11am. Bicycle decorating contest to be ready for the big parade at 11. Live entertainment, kids games, bike clinics and craft festival in Hackett Park and on Cowrie Street.

Surrey
Western Canada's largest Canada Day celebration includes live entertainment, fireworks and a kid zone. All concerts are free, and there are attractions and rides. More info

Vancouver
Art, entertainment and activities at the Waterfront Party from 10 am - 6 pm, featuring over 30 bands on five stages. The Canada Day Parade is at 7 pm followed by the Canada Day Burrard Inlet Fireworks at 10:30 pm. More info

Whistler
Starting at 8am in the village with yoga, pancake breakfast, parade, entertainment, live music and fireworks! Events continue all weekend and into July 4, to celebrate our American friends' Independence Day. More info


Vancouver Island

Cowichan Lake
Annual Canada Day Multicultural Storytelling Festival: multicultural music, theatre, dancing, storytelling, artists in dialogue, arts, crafts and foods. Face painting, childrens' crafts, games, and local folklore. More info

Duncan
Live entertainment, crafts, face painting and ol' time sports day. Island Savings and Peter Baljet provide the admission and train rides. More info

Gulf Islands
Fireworks, car show and music on Saltspring Island. BBQ, music, vendors, kids games and beer garden on Saturna Island.

Ladysmith
Family activities and fun, sun and music at Transfer Beach. More info

Nanaimo
Roving entertainment, cultural food, farmer's market, parade and more. 11am-3pm, Maffeo Sutton Park.

Parksville
Canada Day parade, kite flying demonstration, go karts, live music and vendors from 10am-11pm.

Port Hardy
Parade, craft booths, live music, food and more at at Storey's Beach. More info

Tofino/Ucluelet
Face painting, music, arts and crafts. 12-3pm at the Village Greens in both communities.

Victoria
Victoria Celebrates Canada Day 2011 will include family-frienddly events, music performances, fireworks, and 'A Flavour of Canada' July 1-3, 2011, at Victoria's Inner Harbour! More info


Are there any big Canada Day events going on in your BC community that we missed? Feel free to post a comment!

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Posted by Leah P, at 09:54 AM

Canada Day events: Cariboo Chilcotin Coast & Kootenay Rockies

June 30, 2011 | Tips from Us > 100 Mile House, Festivals & Events

Travelling in BC this long weekend July 1-3rd? Staying close to home? No matter what corner of the province you find yourself in on Friday, there are lots of opportunities to celebrate Canada's 144th birthday! Here are some of our insider tips for fun events:


Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

100 Mile House
Watson Barn area in the 108 Mile Heritage Site, from 11-4:30 July 1st. Music, entertainment, petting zoo, food and more.

Barkerville
Tug o' war, funny face contest, greasy pole climb, children’s races and family fun. And PBS travel documentary series Travelscope will also be joining the festivities, apparently. More info

Bella Coola
The Bella Coola Rodeo, one of the largest amateur rodeos in Western Canada, takes place annually during this weekend. Cowhands show their skills and there’s bronco riding, barrel racing, calf tie-down, team roping, bull riding and the infamous cow patty bingo (July 2-3rd). More info

Williams Lake
Celebrate at Boitanio Park - entertainment, clowns, games, displays, prizes, plus a Great Big Canada Cake! 1-4pm July 1st. The 85th annual Williams Lake Stampede also starts on Friday. Yeeha! More info


Kootenay Rockies

Cranbrook
Birthday cake and fireworks at Moir Centennial Athletic Park. More info

Fernie
Check out a mountain market with artisans and family games. There’ll also be a cake cutting ceremony, playground unveiling, luminary workshop and a Samba band. More info

Fort Steele
Kimberley Community Band start the celebrations, followed by birthday cake, family games, wagon and steam train rides, living history street dramas and more. More info

Nakusp
Celebrations begin with a Pancake Breakfast by the volunteer firefighters, a parade, plus a variety of family activities, music and games at the community. More info

Revelstoke
Pancake breakfast, parade, flag raising, cake cutting, live music, children's games, slow pitch tournament and a bocce tournament. More info

Trail
Pancake breakfast followed by the official opening ceremonies including the raising of the flag, cutting of the cake and speeches. Face painting, games and races and more.

Are there any big Canada Day e

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Posted by Leah P, at 09:03 AM

Paddle boarding in White Rock

June 28, 2011 | Tips from Us > White Rock, Surfing & Watersports

When a friend asked if I wanted to spend my day off stand-up paddle boarding in the shallow waters off White Rock beach, there was little hesitation in my response. With a resounding "OH YEAH", I helped pack up her two massive boards and headed out on the short drive to White Rock, an ocean-side suburb about 40km south of Vancouver.

Being a weekday, it was a quiet day on the water as we cruised north along the shoreline from the main beach. The gorgeous waterfront homes weren't all we got to admire  - within 15 minutes, a bald eagle had swooped over us, a huge heron landed close to shore and a seal swam right under us and popped up just 10 or so feet away! Unfortunately, he evaded my attempts to capture his curious little whiskered face on camera.

Paddle boarding is almost closer to kayaking than surfing, but it does require good balance and a fairly strong core as you have to stabilize yourself against the waves while standing up. It takes a few minutes to get used to the rocking motion of the waves and find a stance for your feet that's comfortable. I found that bending my knees helped a lot with stability. If you get tired or feel shaky, you can kneel or even sit down on the board while continuing to paddle, turning it into a boat of sorts.

It was definitely a cool experience to have the water lapping over my feet as I paddled along, and because I was standing up, the view was even better than from a kayak or canoe. And the best thing about it? You can literally paddle board anywhere there's enough water to keep you afloat. Rivers, lakes, ocean... you name it!

If you're looking for a way to get out and really experience the BC coastline, without spending a fortune or committing to learning a whole new sport like surfing, you should definitely check out paddle boarding. It's relaxing, but just enough activity that you feel like you've earned that apres patio beer ;)

For stand-up paddle boarding, you need a large, stable surfboard and a long paddle. There are several shops in Metro Vancouver that rent paddle board equipment - just Google it! Deep Cove (north of Vancouver) and Jericho Beach (in Vancouver) are two other popular spots for paddle boarders.

Can't wait for my next trip out on the water!

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Posted by Leah P, at 10:46 AM