Spring Break 2020: 30 + outings & activities for families & kids
Spend some time exploring what the city has to offer over the two-week Spring Break. There are lots of great family and kid activities and events going on. Some are free, many are cheap and all are worth the price of admission. Think wild rides, beaching, learning, swimming, artsy fun, indoor play, hiking, live performances and even bird-watching.
>> Cancellations & postponements due to COVID-19
Spring Break 2020: 30 activities for families and kids
Spring Break Explores at ArtStarts *Free*
March 17–20 and March 23–27 2020 Vancouver
From Tuesday–Friday, 11am–12pm, enjoy an hour to explore gravity, spinning, birds, puppetry and more through a process of play and creativity with your family.
Microcosmos at the Cinematheque
Sunday March 15 2020 Vancouver
Munch on some free popcorn, get shrunk to the size of a critter on The Cinematheque’s big screen, and watch in wonder as you get a bug’s-eye view of the world with the nearly wordless Microcosmos.
>> Microcosmos
Monster Jam at the PNE
Saturday March 14 & Sunday March 15 2020 Vancouver
Kick of Spring Break with a Bang! Think mind-blowing stunts and explosive displays, Monster Jam is loud, smash ’em up, crash ’em up fun if you like that kind of thing!
Spring Break Festival with Dufflebag Theatre
March 17-19 2020, Coquitlam
Six shows, three days, 747 laughs! Evergreen welcomes DuffleBag Theatre back for this annual family-friendly fest of interactive story theatre. This year’s shenanigans begin with witty original adaptations of classic fairy tales Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan with audience participation.
>> Evergreen Theatre Spring Break Festival
Playdome – Cancelled
March 20-28 2020 Vancouver
Playdome is back this year! Playland and amusement park lovers can get a taste of summer on their favourite rides right inside BC Place. Try your luck at carnival games or treat yourself to time-tested carnival fare favourites including cotton candy, mini donuts, slushies and more!
Wildlife Weeks at the Lynn Ecology Centre
March 15 – 26 2020 North Vancouver
This Spring Break, celebrate the natural world by learning more about our local plants and wildlife at the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre. Learn about birds of prey, reptiles, salmon, bears and more. A super reasonable $5 / family.
Mine at The Cultch
March 18-22 2020 Vancouver
A group of gamer/performers aged 11 to 46 enact different classic mother-son narratives —using the video game Minecraft. Inspired by the relationship between the director and her 11-year-old son, and his obsession with Minecraft. MINE looks at the role technology plays in our modern parent-child relationships.
>> MINE
Check out the birdies at Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Get up close and personal with all kinds of waddling and flying fowl at this jewel of a bird sanctuary on Westham Island. Pick up some seeds on-site and feed the birdies, just beware of the overly friendly sandhill cranes. A steal at $3 for kids and $5 for adults. Pro tip: Bring binoculars and a thermos of hot chocolate for the warming hut.
Rhythm in Your Rubbish
March 29 2020 Vancouver
Magic, music and wonder abound as two friends find themselves in a junkyard one night and explore hidden sounds that live all around them. A saw plays a duet with a cello. Bottles and flutes interweave in a beautiful serenade. Pots, bowls, horns and even sandpaper transform into instruments. Go early for Instrument Play Zone!
Spring Break at the Cannery
March 16-29 2020 Richmond
Something fishy has happened at the Cannery – Can you solve the mystery? Explore the historic cannery and find clues to solve the mystery of the missing fortune, ‘stolen’ from inside the safe of the Plant Manager’s Office, and set during the Great Depression in 1930.
>> Spring Break at the Cannery
Healthy Family Expo – POSTPONED
March 29 2020 Vancouver
Canada’s largest food & health event for families is back at the Vancouver Convention Centre on March 29th. This full-day celebration features 200+ exhibitors, a 35,000 sq ft Active Kid Zone, and a star-studded line-up on stage (did we mention the Paw Patrol gang) plus circus workshops, and so much more.
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
March 14 – 29 2020 UBC
Join the Beaty every day at noon for a different hands-on activity. Explore different aspects of the biodiversity around us from identifying incredible insects, to art, games, crafts, and hands-on activities. You’ll be a biodiversity pro in no time.
Free crafts at Granville Island’s Kids Market
March 16 – 27 2020 Vancouver
Free crafts for kids including a DIY backdrop photo booth, monster piñata-making, printmaking, lantern making and watercolours plus all the other fun stuff at Kids Market (like the $9.99 ball room). When you’re done, escape to the duck pond, check out the nearby crystal shop venture over to the market for some tasty treats at the Granville Island market.
Burnaby Village Museum *Free*
March 16-27 2020 Burnaby
Free entry for everyone break. Wander the fascinating heritage village that has something for everyone, Hammer and bang at the Blacksmith shop, talk to the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse, watch a silent movie, explore the restored Interurban tram, and cap it off with a ride the carousel for $2.65 a pop.
>> Spring Break at Burnaby Village Museum
HR MacMillan Space Centre
March 14-29 2020 Vancouver
Do you have a young space enthusiast in the family? Join Space Centre over Spring Break for special family friendly activities.
>> Spring Break at the Space Centre
Spring Break at the Gallery
March 23-27 Vancouver
Inspired by the Gallery’s exhibitions, participants will explore an array of media, processes and ideas at their fingertips as they embark on their own exciting adventures in art-making. New this year are professional artist-led workshops.
>> Spring Break at the Gallery
Van Dusen Gardens & Bloedel Conservatory
Check out the sprawling gardens at Van Dusen where the kids can really roam around or head up to Queen Elizabeth Park and take in the view, the fountains and warm up inside the tropical clime of the Bloedel Conservatory, home to colourful exotic birds and tropical plants.
Sea to Sky Gondola, Kids under 12 are Free
March 14-29 2020 Squamish
Children 12 and under ride free over the break. Ride the gondola, walk along the suspension bridge and check out the trails. There’s also snowshoeing, tubing and daily children’s activities at the summit.
Steveston Village
Steveston Village is a family paradise. There’s a wonderful playground for little ones, the Interurban tram (see below) as well as a series of great beaches at Garry Point Park. Plus there’s Pajo’s for lunch as well as loads of cafes and ice cream shops. Check out the boats, kick the ball around, ride bikes or visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
>> Five fun things to do in Steveston Village
Interurban Tram
March 2020 Steveston
Drop by the free-entry Steveston Interurban Tram, located adjacent to an amazing kids park and close to all the Steveston Village amenities. Take a family selfie with the red-painted, century-old interurban car.
Vancouver Aquarium®
March 14 – 29 2020 Vancouver
Meet a penguin, get up close with a red tortoise, marvel at the adaptations of sharks, take in a story and puppet show or go behind the scenes with and sea otters, sea lions or penguins. Experience the weird and wonderful this Spring Break at the Aquarium.
>> Spring Break at the Vancouver Aquarium
Britannia Mine Museum
March 16 – 27 2020 Squamish
Spring Break at the Britannia Mine Museum features a family-friendly scavenger hunt that explores the whole site; Unique historical artefacts, colouring sheets, and activations; arts and crafts (design your own copper queen crown!) and hands-on experiences with Earth Sciences including minerals and seismology.
Science World
March 14 – 29 2020 Vancouver
Check out the brand new Lego exhibition Towers of Tomorrow; make things in the tinkering lab; watch an interactive science show or check out an Omimax movie.. Also, Circus West and Monster Theatre will be performing in Science Theatre. When you’re done, let the kids run around at Creekside playground.
Baby Shark Live – POSTPONED
Saturday March 28 2020 Vancouver
The world’s most famous ear worm comes to the QE Theatre this March. Baby Shark Live (no there are no live sharks involved) will have you and your littles singing along to to the catchiest of modern baby pop tunes. Altogether now! “Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo… “
Powerhouse at Staves Falls
The Powerhouse at Stave Falls is a 100-year-old power generating facility and a National Historic Site of Canada. It’s a great place to take kids with lots of interactive and historic displays. Be sure to check out the Tesla coil electricity demonstration. Family fee: $15
Fort Langley National Historic Site
March 14-29 2020 Langley
Explore the fort, check out a blacksmithing demo, pan for gold and be sure to check out the children’s Play Area. Cap it off with a visit to the charming town of Fort Langley to visit the train stroll by the water or pick up a fancy ice cream. Free admission for kids and youth up to 17 years of age.
>> Fort Langley
Richmond Nature Park
For nature loving families, the Richmond Nature Park is hosting free, hour-long naturalist tours illuminate the area’s plants and animals. Be sure to spend some time in the Nature House interpretive centre then take the family on some of the park’s trails.
The World of Kidtropolis
Children can use their imaginations to become firefighters, police officers, restaurant owners, teachers, stage performers and more when they explore this 18,000 sq ft interactive mini-city.
Bowen Island Day Trip
Pick up coffee and fresh croissant at Snug Café and head for a walk around Killarney Lake. Or walk to the rocky beach and thrown rocks in (or perhaps over) the lilypads. If you want to go farther, drive over to Cape Roger Curtis and wander along the trail admiring the views. Who knows? You might even see see an orca pod.
Head to the pool!
When it doubt, head to the pool. It’s inexpensive active fun for all ages, and Metro Vancouver has some spectacular options: beach entries, lazy rivers and spray features for the little ones, diving boards, water slides and wave pools for the bigger kids. And of course, a hot tub for mom.
Cheap kids movies at Cineplex
March 16-20 & 23-27 2020 various locations
I know a few kids who’d happily watch a movie a day over Spring Break. Well they can for 10 days anyway, and for only $2.99 a show! Screening daily all break long (Monday to Friday) are Missing Link, Arctic Dogs, The Adams Family, Paw Patrol and Smallfoot which are perfect offerings for little kids.
