There is a tremendous amount of family fun lined up for the weekend, from live music and the May Day parade (and all that goes with it) to the Fingerling and Youth Arts festivals.
Friday, May 6
BLOCK PARTY FOR BABIES
Head to Rocky Point Park in Port Moody for a family-friendly party featuring a bouncy castle, food, entertainment and more from 4 to 7 p.m. The event wraps up CTV Vancouver’s week-long Hope Starts Here campaign, which raises funds for the BC Women’s Hospital Newborn ICU; news anchor Tamara Taggart will broadcast the news live from Rocky Point at 5 and 6 p.m.
GET TO KNOW POCO
PoCo’s May Day festivities continue with plenty of family-friendly fun lined up. Tonight, join the free Heritage Downtown Walk, a guided tour with historian Bryan Ness at 6 p.m. leaving from the Heritage Centre at Leigh Square. Stay for a free performance by the Choral Connections Choir at 7 p.m., featuring folk songs from B.C. and beyond. And in the PoCo recreation complex parking lot the kids can enjoy rides to their hearts’ content; West Coast Amusements opens at 3 p.m. today and at noon Saturday and Sunday (wristbands $30 each).
ROOTS FEST
The Devon Wells Trio lights up the Gallery Bistro stage in Port Moody as the finale in the Spring Roots Fest series. With the sweet sound of the banjo, this group revels in the delightful tunes of Appalachian, bluegrass and folk tunes (bluerivermusic.ca). A set menu dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the show is at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $12 for each; call 604-937-0998 to reserve.
YOUTH ARTS FEST
Check out the artistic talent of the future during PoMo’s Youth Arts Fest this weekend. The lineup includes a world music performance — the Uzume Taiko Ensemble, known for their electrifying stage presence as much as their drumming — tonight at 7 p.m. at the Inlet Theatre, followed by the Spark: Talent Showcase Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets for each show are $5 at brownpapertickets.com.
Saturday, May 7
MORE MAY DAY
Can’t get enough May Day? That’s good, because there’s plenty more in store. Grab a pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. at Leigh Square and work it off in the all-ages May Day Mile run at 10 a.m. (from Shaughnessy Street and Wilson Avenue). Get ready for the parade with a show by the VPD Motorcycle Drill Squad at 10:35 a.m., and then enjoy all the excitement of the annual Rotary May Day Parade at 11 a.m. The post-parade party at Leigh Square features food trucks, an entertainment showcase, children’s games and activities and more. Don’t forget to check out the historical trolley tours, running from 12:30 to 4 p.m.
COQUITLAM TOWN HALL
Look, there’s no point complaining about the city on Facebook. Speak up — where Coquitlam council and staff will be all ears, all in one place — at the spring 2016 town hall meeting (part of the city’s 125th anniversary series), to share your ideas on what to celebrate and how to make the next 125 years something to remember. The event is informal, with no set agenda, and you’re free to attend in person at city hall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or online by emailing questions to [email protected], at facebook.com/cityofcoquitlam or tweet them to @cityofcoquitlam #coqthm2016. Get more info at coquitlam.ca/townhall.
FINGERLING FESTIVAL
What do Bobs & Lolo, kids’ activities, a hot dog barbecue and 40,000 juvenile salmon have in common? They’re all going to be at the Fingerling Festival, hosted by the Port Moody Ecological Society, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Noons Creek Hatchery (behind the PoMo rec complex). Parking is limited so plan to walk, bike or take transit. Visit www.noonscreek.org.
Sunday, May 8
MOTHER’S DAY MAY DAY
Bring the whole family to celebrate Mom — and May Day — with a picnic at Lions Park, where the Kinsmen Club will be cooking up a pancake breakfast ($4) from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Entertainment includes a Mad Science demo, Queen of Storytime, yoga for moms with Tola Yoga, May pole dancing and more. Visit www.portcoquitlam.ca/mayday for full details.
WALK WITH YOUR DOC
Take a walk — with your doc — from Rocky Point Park and discover first-hand the benefits that come from living an active lifestyle. Now in its seventh year, the Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice and Doctors of BC event welcomes doctors, their patients and their families to the event. Meet on the grass near the picnic shelters at 10 a.m. Visit www.walkwithyourdoc.ca for more information.
