Burnaby, as a proudly diverse city, lives up to its moniker by reaching into the past to understand our present, always with eyes wide open to the future of arts and culture. Go deep inside the conceptual experiments at the galleries of Simon Fraser University, or dance on the lawn at Deer Lake Park where the world’s biggest acts grace one of our region’s most gorgeous outdoor stages. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it in Burnaby.
Just as “Umami” represents the rich and complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from
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Just as “Umami” represents the rich and complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from emerging to established, including Japanese Canadian Legacies Art fund awardees. From traditional to contemporary art practice, the Umami exhibition shares the rich essence of our Japanese Canadian creative community.
Anchoring the full run of the exhibition is an interactive heritage inspired contemporary multi-media installation by Annie Sumi and Brian Kobayakawa called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is best known as a traditional Japanese technique of mending ceramics with gold. Annie and Brian’s Kintsugi conceptually mends broken and shattered experiences of what it means to be Canadian of Japanese ancestry through original music and spoken word activated by the visitor manually manipulating a Singer sewing machine that survived the era of Japanese Canadian internment and dispossession.
In Part 2, we introduce Molly JF Caldwell, the estate of Yoshiko Hirano, Marlene Howell, Vivien Nishi, and Reiko Pleau. All of the artists investigate Japanese Canadian experience in their own style and media. Caldwell reimagines vintage textiles. Hirano, a long-term resident of Nikkei Home honed her skill in sumi-e. Howell paints for the love of her heritage and sometimes dark history. Nishi honours her father’s internment era experience with manga-like illustrations, and Pleau mines the complex history and connection to her maternal ancestors. Artists, and Robert Hirano representing his mother’s work, will be in attendance at the Thursday, May 29, 2025 opening and artists’ conversation. The public is invited to attend.
Our community feels the weight of sorrow, but we also feel the warmth of compassion, the power of unity and the call to come together with purpose.
Let’s turn grief into
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Our community feels the weight of sorrow, but we also feel the warmth of compassion, the power of unity and the call to come together with purpose.
Let’s turn grief into grace, and pain into purpose.
Join our community at Pinoy Festival and together let’s celebrate our culture, our unity and our pride.
Recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
Honour and recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day by joining us for a free community celebration
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Recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
Honour and recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day by joining us for a free community celebration at Civic Square (6100 Willingdon Ave).
The celebration will feature an Indigenous artisans market, activities for the whole family, and a variety of performances that feature dance, modern and traditional music, spoken word, storytelling and artisans.
Thousands of people visit the Scandinavian Community Centre every year to celebrate the traditions and festivities of Scandinavian Midsummer. In June 2024, it will be the 27th time a Midsummer
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Thousands of people visit the Scandinavian Community Centre every year to celebrate the traditions and festivities of Scandinavian Midsummer. In June 2024, it will be the 27th time a Midsummer Festival will be arranged, with a weekend of fun-filled activities, living history and non-stop entertainment for the whole family.
Viking Village
The Midsummer Festival has always been proud to host a life-size Viking Village on the festival grounds where Vikings live, work, eat and play all weekend long. The Vikings share their Viking life, arts & crafts and culture – you never know what else may happen in the village! Vikings can be very unpredictable. You never know what they are going to do next – so this is something you don’t want to miss!
Food, Folk Dancing and Fun!
Traditional Scandinavian entertainment continues throughout the weekend with folk dancing, choirs, and cultural displays. Enjoy a salmon BBQ and Scandinavian foods such as Swedish meatballs and Danish smørrebrød and at the end of the day, put up your feet and cool off in the Valhalla beer garden.
There’s lots of fun kids activities throughout the weekend with carnival games, an Amazing Nordic Race, storytelling and much more!
Sunday Breakfast
Midsummer Breakfast on Sunday morning at 10am to 11.30am (in the Beer Garden).
Hobby Horse Race
The cock horse, more commonly known as the hobby horse, has been around since at least the 16th century. It’s usually a straight stick with a horse head made of wood or stuffed fabric, sometimes with a wheel on the bottom end. The “rider” holds it between their legs and pretends to be a horse or riding one. This will take place on Saturday afternoon.
Wife Carrying Contest – Be the fastest team to complete the course and win the Wife’s* weight in beer!
In the olden days, in small town Finland, there was no social networking or internet dating – if a man wanted a woman from a neighbouring village he had to go and take her! This show of worthiness and determination – together with rumours and hearsay – evolved into the Wife Carrying Contest, where a “husband” carries a “wife” through an obstacle course for a prize.
