Family Events In Vancouver

Kids First Saturdays happens on the first Saturday of every month and is an opportunity for families of all kinds to create an art project, based on the exhibitions being shown at The Polygon Gallery. The projects are geared towards children ranging in age from 4 to 14 years old, though there is no age requirement to participate. Admission is by donation.

Advance registration for Kids First programming can be done on the Polygon’s website. Same-day registration can be done by telephoning the admission desk at 604-986-1351.

Kids First Saturdays adheres to WorkSafeBC guidelines, so space is limited.

Did your camping trip get cancelled? This spring and summer, safely spend time outdoors by completing ocean-friendly challenges with your family and friends at local Vancouver beaches and enter to win amazing prizes instead!

With 30 family-friendly challenges like examining animal tracks, doing a beach cleanup, and identifying sea stars, and 10 location-specific challenges, this will be an adventure for your family like no other!

Each challenge takes between 5-45 minutes and can be done at any beach. Start your adventure by earning badges and sharing your completed challenges using #ExploreSeaSmart for a chance to win a prize! Spend time with your loved ones outside, discovering local beaches, learning, and getting excited about protecting our oceans!

It’s easy!

Step 1: Register for Explore the Shore and download the package

Step 2: Complete challenges at your own pace. To increase your chances of winning prizes, share your explorations on social media and tag or DM us @seasmartschool with #ExploreSeaSmart.

Step 3: Safely enjoy the spring and summer in Vancouver while having a fun time exploring the outdoors with your loved ones!

Get started with our challenge package, including challenge details, Sea Smart field guides, and automatic entry into prize draws!

https://seasmartschool.com/explore-the-shore

Cost: $20 per family, all ages welcomed!

All proceeds support ocean education through Sea Smart’s environmental education programs.

Looking to get in style before going back to school? A family outing, a bite to eat or a pleasant stroll? McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport has you covered!

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet offers up to 70% off from brand partners like Versace, Tory Burch, Jimmy Choo, Herschel Supply Co, Adidas and more. You won’t want to miss the back to school deals on now until Labour Day long weekend.

McArthurGlen is also proud to support local, emerging Vancouver artists through a series of events at the centre. 

On August 28-29 and September 4-6, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet will be hosting, Weekend Vibes, a series of local entertainers, providing guests with complimentary live music while they visit. 

In addition, McArthurGlen is welcoming back The Masters Gallery, a series of live painters every weekend until the end of September. Guests are encouraged to visit the centre and watch these masters at work. 

With increased cleaning and safety measures, health and safety continues to remain a number one priority for McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver.

Address: 1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond, BC V7B 0B7

Schedule/Date:

Saturday, September 4, 2021

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Live music performed by Emily Best

Live painting from Mahmoud Awad

Sunday, September 5, 2021

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Live music performed by Cory Curtis

Live painting from Colby Urrutia

Monday, September 6, 2021

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Live music performed by Neal Ryan

Live painting from Taka Sudo

Saturday, September 11, 2021

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Karen Hollowell

Sunday, September 12, 2021 

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Monica Deac

Saturday, September 18, 2021

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Sascha Westendorp

Sunday, September 19, 2021

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Farahnaz Samari

Saturday, September, 25, 2021 

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Karen Lorena Parker

Sunday, September 26, 2021

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Live painting from Jace Kim

For more information, please visit McArthurGlen.com.

In Partnership with the Chali Rosso Art Gallery.

Have you felt overwhelmed, confused, doubtful or frustrated about how to deal with your child’s behaviour and communication?

Circle of SecurityⓇ Parenting Series is an attachment-based parent reflection class intended to engage parent’s understanding of the path to secure attachment. COS focuses on the child’s needs and the caregiver’s state of mind rather than the child’s behaviour.

In an 8 session weekly program, caregiver’s learn to see the child’s needs all around the circle, often these are hidden in plain sight. In addition the group will explore our ability to be Bigger, Stronger, Wiser and Kind.

Circle of SecurityⓇ Parenting Series:

• Next Group: September 13th -November 8th, 2021
• Mondays 5:30-7:30pm
• Location: 303, 2902 West Broadway, Vancouver

Please contact 604-730-8944 or
Dr. Sherry de Rappard, MD at sherryderappard@gmail.com if you are interested

In these classes, students develop acting skills integral to all theatrical disciplines including ensemble-building, storytelling, and character creation. Not only are students expanding their physical, vocal, and communication skills, but they are also learning transferable skills such as confidence, focus, listening, and trust-building.

Acting Intro is for ages 6-7 and will run Saturdays 9:30 – 10:30 am.

Fall Session: Sept 18 – Dec 11

Winter: Jan 8 – Apr 23

Please visit our website for more information and registration!

Dragon Boat BC has officially announced that the 2021 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival will be held from September 18 to 26, along with a reimagined and expanded program celebrating the community. The 9-day event’s main highlight is the return of dragon boat racing during Championship Weekend on September 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — while featuring local artists on the 102.7 THE PEAK Main Stage and pavilions sharing Chinese and Indigenous cultures within a controlled site at Concord Pacific Place. This also marks the first time in two years that dragon boat races will hit Vancouver waters.

Special activities during the week-long festival:

• Championship Weekend Races at Concord Pacific Place: September 25
• Championship Weekend Main Stage Concord Pacific Place: September 25
• Championship Weekend Cultural Pavilions Concord Pacific Place: September 25
• Paddles Up! The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Exhibit at BC Sports Hall of Fame: September 24-26
• Mid-Autumn Festival at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden: September 21-24 and 26
• A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia with the Chinese Canadian Museum (with Dragon Boat Festival Archive Display): September 18-19, 24-26
• Keys to Living Heritage: Chinatown’s Society-Owned Buildings: September 20, and 24-26
• Cross Cultural Walking Tours: September 23-26

After being postponed earlier this year and cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, the festival’s expansion and evolution will connect with more communities over a longer period of time at multiple sites around Vancouver for the first time. “While COVID has impacted what our Festival normally looks like, we’ve taken this as a challenge to reimagine what comes next and look for creative ways to bring our community back together,” said Dominic Lai, Marketing and Operations Director for Dragon Boat BC. “We’re excited to unveil our Festival’s new direction, to safely welcome paddlers and the community to the world of dragon boat, and to highlight the culture that inspires this popular Vancouver tradition.”

All programs in the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival are either free or by donation. For more detailed information, safety and health protocols, please visit www.concorddragonboatfestival.ca. 

Time: Saturday, September 18th – Sunday, September 26th, 2021 (Championship Weekend on September 25th, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

Admission: Free or By Donation

Location: Various locations

Concord Pacific Place, BC Sports Hall of Fame, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Chinese Canadian Museum, Chinatown

Event contact: 

False Creek Office at the Creekside Community Centre

1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, BC

info@dragonboatbc.ca

604. 688.2382

Explore A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia, the inaugural project of the Chinese Canadian Museum. This temporary exhibition explores historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging. Featuring interactive experiences to provide snapshots from the lives of Chinese Canadians, it looks to food and restaurant culture as an entry point and while showcasing stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experience and of the communities immigrants develop.

To mark the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, specially selected items from the Festival archives are displayed. Plus, record and add your personal stories to the collection and be a part of the living exhibit that continues to grow with every visitor. 

Online pre-booking recommended, walk-ups depending on space and availability.

Admission: Free or By Donation

Location: Hon Hsing Building, Chinese Canadian Museum, 27 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1S9

Event contact: 

False Creek Office at the Creekside Community Centre

1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, BC

info@dragonboatbc.ca

604. 688.2382

Website: concorddragonboatfestival.ca/program/heritage

Pre-Book: chinesecanadianmuseum.ca

In these classes, students develop acting skills integral to all theatrical disciplines including ensemble-building, storytelling, and character creation. Not only are students expanding their physical, vocal, and communication skills, but they are also learning transferable skills such as confidence, focus, listening, and trust-building.

Acting C is for students ages 14-18 and meets Sundays 1-4pm. Please visit our website for more information and registration!

http://www.gatewaytheatre.com/fall-winter-sessional-classes/acting-classes-theatre-education-children-youth

Expanding on the successful Young Ravens Yoga program, we have created a play therapy, yoga inspired group, giving young people an opportunity to build resiliency through intentional, evidence based activities.  Led by a Registered Social Worker/Yoga Instructor, we utilize movement, games, art, and music, to assist children in developing resilience, self reliance, and coping strategies for managing big feelings. 

We offer weekly sessions, allowing children to create safe and nurturing friendships, while building on skills from the week prior and recommend this consistent approach for optimal results. 

Additionally, we have four specialty workshops focused on specific skills for building resilience. Workshops include all required supplies. 

Fall 2021 workshops dates will be released soon!

Grateful & Empathetic –  We will begin by exploring gratitude through sharing circle and using art to create a gratitude jar to take home for daily gratitude practice. We will then work on developing empathy through discussion, role playing, and games, exploring how through the service of others we can feel good about ourselves by creating an art project to give to others.  

Release – Children will explore movement, breathwork, and journaling as forms of releasing big feelings. Each child will be able to select a journal of their choice to keep and continuing journaling. 

Pause & Stillness –  Children will be placed in teams to complete an outdoor sensory scavenger hunt fostering teamwork, critical thinking, and opportunities to pause and activate different senses, followed by an opportunity to explore different meditation techniques and breathwork. Each child will have a chance to develop their own guided meditation to share with friends/family at home. 

Calm – Under the supervision of a professional seamstress and therapist, children will discover the joy and calm of the repetitive motion of sewing (proven to release dopamine in the brain!) creating their own upcycled weighted stuffie to use for calming. 

All Resilient Kids programs are led by a Registered Social Worker/Yoga Instructor and are eligible for extended health coverage where counselling by an RSW is a benefit. Receipts will be issued where applicable. Please contact dawn@rvnwellness.com if you are uncertain about your benefit coverage. 

*If you do not see a date/time that works but would like to enroll your child in a class or workshop, please reach out to dawn@rvnwellness.com. We may be able to add an additional class time with a minimum of 3 children*

The Fraser River Discovery Centre, located on the New Westminster Boardwalk, is very excited to announce the return of RiverFest for its 19^th year! Presented by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, RiverFest is a FREE family-friendly festival coinciding with BC and World Rivers Day. This year, RiverFest will take place between September 21^st to 28^th, and features a variety of in-person and on-line activities hosted by the Discovery Centre. It’s a great way to welcome the arrival of fall along the beautiful Fraser River!

From outdoor activities in Lower Hume Park to the always-popular exhibitor expo & the return of the Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade, RiverFest 2021 is sure to be an engaging and enjoyable experience for all ages!

COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place for all in-person activities, and the Discovery Centre will adhere to all PHO mandates to ensure the safety of all participants, staff, and volunteers. Visit our website to see what we’ve got in store for the week of Sept 21-28: https://fraserriverdiscovery.org/riverfest/

Join us at Canada’s only Ming-dynasty style garden museums to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with music, star-gazing, storytelling, and food tastings. Plus, visit the second exhibit in the Garden’s year-long Indigenous and Chinese Canadian art exchange “Look Towards the Sun,” — created by Lam Wong, a Chinese Canadian diaspora artist from Hong Kong and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, a Cowichan and Syilx First Nations artist — opening September 23.

Online pre-booking recommended, walk-ups depending on space and availability.

Admission: Free or By Donation

Location: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens, 578 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K2

Event contact: 

False Creek Office at the Creekside Community Centre

1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, BC

info@dragonboatbc.ca

604. 688.2382

Website: concorddragonboatfestival.ca/program/gardens

Pre-Book: www.myzonetickets.com/e/212841/garden-admission-79

Learn about the history and significance of the Fire Dragon through storytelling, art installations, poetry, fire dragon dance workshops, as well as the all important ritual of inserting incense in the Fire Dragon for good luck and prosperity. Programs include dragon dancing workshops, mooncake demonstrations, lantern making and more.

Online pre-booking recommended, walk-ups depending on space and availability.

Admission: Free or By Donation

Location: Chinese Cultural Centre Courtyard, 555 Columbia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 4H5 (Enter from 578 Carrall Street)

Event contact: 

False Creek Office at the Creekside Community Centre

1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, BC

info@dragonboatbc.ca

604. 688.2382

Website: concorddragonboatfestival.ca/program/creation

Pre-Book: firedragonfestival.com/activities

Expanding on the successful Young Ravens Yoga program, we have created a play therapy, yoga inspired group, giving young people an opportunity to build resiliency through intentional, evidence based activities.  Led by a Registered Social Worker/Yoga Instructor, we utilize movement, games, art, and music, to assist children in developing resilience, self reliance, and coping strategies for managing big feelings.

We offer weekly sessions, allowing children to create safe and nurturing friendships, while building on skills from the week prior and recommend this consistent approach for optimal results.

Additionally, we have four specialty workshops focused on specific skills for building resilience. Workshops include all required supplies.

Grateful & Empathetic –  We will begin by exploring gratitude through sharing circle and using art to create a gratitude jar to take home for daily gratitude practice. We will then work on developing empathy through discussion, role playing, and games, exploring how through the service of others we can feel good about ourselves by creating an art project to give to others.

Release – Children will explore movement, breathwork, and journaling as forms of releasing big feelings. Each child will be able to select a journal of their choice to keep and continuing journaling.

Pause & Stillness –  Children will be placed in teams to complete an outdoor sensory scavenger hunt fostering teamwork, critical thinking, and opportunities to pause and activate different senses, followed by an opportunity to explore different meditation techniques and breathwork. Each child will have a chance to develop their own guided meditation to share with friends/family at home.

Calm – Under the supervision of a professional seamstress and therapist, children will discover the joy and calm of the repetitive motion of sewing (proven to release dopamine in the brain!) creating their own upcycled weighted stuffie to use for calming.

All Resilient Kids programs are led by a Registered Social Worker/Yoga Instructor and are eligible for extended health coverage where counselling by an RSW is a benefit. Receipts will be issued where applicable. Please contact dawn@rvnwellness.com if you are uncertain about your benefit coverage.

*If you do not see a date/time that works but would like to enroll your child in a class or workshop, please reach out to dawn@rvnwellness.com. We may be able to add an additional class time with a minimum of 3 children*

Art 4 Life

From fine art to fun art this group exhibition is geared to the young and the young at heart. Art 4 Life runs five-weeks and includes in person and virtual art, activities and events for the whole family. The goal is to cultivate artistic growth in our community by inspiring and engaging children, while raising opportunities for active participation and discussion. The benefits of an arts education affect every area of life and we hope it’s a lifelong journey.

Visit PoMoArts Gallery to see exhibitions in person or view the digital gallery on

https://pomoarts.ca/exhibitions/art-4-life-2021

Check the website for hours and our COVID 19 Safety Plan.

September 23 – October 28, 2021 in the Gallery 

Location: Port Moody Arts Centre 2425 St. Johns Street

Virtual Exhibition Opening & Artist Talk: Thursday September 23| 7:15 pm | Facebook live

In these classes, students develop acting skills integral to all theatrical disciplines including ensemble-building, storytelling, and character creation. Not only are students expanding their physical, vocal, and communication skills, but they are also learning transferable skills such as confidence, focus, listening, and trust-building.

Acting A is for ages 8-10 and meets Thursdays from 5 – 6:30pm. Please refer to our website for more information and registration!

http://www.gatewaytheatre.com/fall-winter-sessional-classes/acting-classes-theatre-education-children-youth

In these classes, students develop acting skills integral to all theatrical disciplines including ensemble-building, storytelling, and character creation. Not only are students expanding their physical, vocal, and communication skills, but they are also learning transferable skills such as confidence, focus, listening, and trust-building.

Acting B1 is for students ages 11 – 13 and meets every Thursdays 7 – 9 pm. Please visit our website for more information and registration!

http://www.gatewaytheatre.com/fall-winter-sessional-classes/acting-classes-theatre-education-children-youth

BC Culture Days presents a dynamic new line-up of free and interactive creative events hosted by artists and cultural organizations from across B.C. and Canada in its 12th annual celebration of arts and culture, September 24 to October 24, 2021. Featuring an ever-expanding roster of events, the month-long celebration invites British Columbians to ‘reimagine’ a post-pandemic world through creative exploration and artistic expression. Designed with all comfort levels in mind, and in strict compliance with provincial health regulations, participants can enjoy a wide range of socially-distanced outdoor and pre-registered indoor workshops including art journaling, medicine pouch-making, dance and music jam sessions; livestream events featuring visual art exhibitions, artist talks, and poetry readings; an online film festival that delves into the climate crisis, and much more. For more information, visit culturedays.ca/bc

Enjoy free local performances on the 102.7 THE PEAK Main Stage during Championship Weekend at the 2021 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival. Lineup features local artists and musicians including: Hotel Mira, Mathew V, Desirée Dawson, Missy D, Fionn, Jasper Sloan Yip. Representatives and performers from the three host nations on which the Festival is held will be present, including: Eagle Song Dancers (Squamish), Coastal Wolf Pack (Musqueam), and Children of Takaya (Tsleil-Waututh). 

The 102.7 THE PEAK Main Stage welcomes our community to our waterfront Festival setting to enjoy performances and music from a range of local entertainers, while celebrating every aspect of our cultural sport community.

Admission: Free or By Donation

Location: Concord Pacific Place, 88 Pacific Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2R6

Event contact: 

False Creek Office at the Creekside Community Centre

1 Athletes Way, Vancouver, BC

info@dragonboatbc.ca

604. 688.2382

Website: concorddragonboatfestival.ca/championshipweekend/mainstage