Celebrate BC & World River Days
Brought to you by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, proudly representing the Port of Vancouver, RiverFest is a FREE family-friendly festival taking place on September 28 and 29. On Saturday, stroll down the boardwalk to enjoy live performances, the exhibitor expo and market, and the Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade. Sunday features guided walks in different locations along the river.
To celebrate World Rivers Day and BC Rivers Day, enjoy free admission to the Discovery Centre all weekend and join the festivities! The festival program is below; different activities are planned for each day.
NOTE: If the pedestrian overpass from 8th St. is closed, please cross the train tracks using the crosswalk at Begbie St. or the McInnes St. overpass.
SATURDAY, SEPT 28
Exhibitor Expo
Exhibitor Expo
10AM – 4PM
@New Westminster Quay
Family Fun Zone
Family Fun Zone
10AM – 4PM
@Fraser River Discovery Centre
Free Admission
Imagine life in the Fraser River!
10am to noon with Merril Hall
Help create a diptych, two piece painting to celebrate River Fest by painting what you imagine lives in the Fraser River.
How to Paint Water
1pm to 3pm with Sophie Davari
Have fun learning and exploring five easy step to paint water as we reflect on the mighty Fraser River.
Sturgeon Stage
Sturgeon Stage
11:00am Harmeet Virdee
12:00pm Glisha
1:00pm Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack)
1:45pm Musqueam Welcome
2:00pm Mayor’s Welcome
3:00pm Kristina Shelden
Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade
Lucille Johnstone Workboat Parade
2:15PM
@New Westminster boardwalk
Wooden Boat Rendezvous
Wooden Boat Rendezvous
10am to 4pm @ Sapperton Landing Park
The Vancouver Wooden Boat Society will have an open house featuring activities for the whole family and a wooden boat display on Saturday, September 28th at Sapperton Landing Park.
Photo courtesy of The Vancouver Wooden Boat Society.
SUNDAY, SEPT 29
Family Fun Zone
Family Fun Zone
10AM – 4PM
@Fraser River Discovery Centre
Free Admission
Imagine life in the Fraser River!
10am to noon with Merril Hall
Help create a diptych, two piece painting to celebrate River Fest by painting what you imagine lives in the Fraser River.
Paper Collage EcoSystem
1pm to 3pm with Clarissa Banos
Families will choose which animals they would like to include in their Fraser River ecosystem and add other visual elements like the river, plants and tugboats to their collage.
Guided Walks
10:30am – 11:30am @ Tynehead Regional Park
by The UBC Multidisciplinary Institute of Natural Therapy (MINT)
Join a certified Forest Therapy Guide from the UBC Multidisciplinary Institute of Natural Therapy (MINT) team for a guided forest bathing experience. You will be using your five senses to connect with nature. Revitalize and rejuvenate your mental fatigue!
Meeting at 10:30am at the Serpentine Hollow parking lot at Tynehead Regional Park. Shuttle service is provided to and from the FRDC, leaving at 10am and returning at 12pm.
*Minimum age to participate is 12.
Register now.
12:30pm – 1:30pm @ Quayside Boardwalk
by Jaunting Jay
Urban ecologist and wildlife educator, Jaunting Jay, is leading this workshop to provide you with a hands-on, wet and wild opportunity to learn about urban waterways, including sampling, stream assessment, mapping, riparian vegetation identification and more!
Departing from the FRDC front steps at 12:30pm. This walk will take place at the Quayside Boardwalk.
Register now.
12:45pm – 1:45pm @ Dock near Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Steveston
by Kim Anderson
Learn about different types of boats often seen in the Fraser River including their functions, propulsion, building materials, and more! Kim Anderson has been in the marine industry for 46 years and has extensive experience as a log salvager, commercial fisherman, and seine boat skipper.
Meeting at 12:45pm at the parking lot near Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Steveston. Shuttle service is provided to and from the FRDC, leaving at 12:15pm and returning at 2:15pm.
Register now.
2pm – 3pm @ Quayside Boardwalk
by Fraser River Discovery Centre
Learn about the biodiversity, commerce, and culture of the Fraser River during a Quayside Tour! Led by the FRDC’s river educators, join us along the boardwalk at 2pm to delve into BC’s longest river and the communities who live with it.
Departing from the FRDC front steps at 2pm. This walk will take place at the Quayside Boardwalk.
Register now.
3pm – 4pm @ Burnaby Lake Regional Park
by Jaunting Jay
Urban ecologist and wildlife educator, Jaunting Jay, is leading the walk at Burnaby Lake Regional Park. With an emphasis on intersectionalities such as race, queerness, and Indigeneity, Jay incorporates many aspects of ecology and birding into this beginner’s tour.
Meeting at 3pm at the Avalon Ave parking lot at Burnaby Lake Regional Park. Shuttle service is provided to and from the FRDC, leaving at 2:30pm and returning at 4:30pm.
Register now.
The Fraser River Discovery Centre would like to thank the following sponsors for their support in making RiverFest 2024 possible.
