Canada Day festivities in both White Rock and Surrey may now be in the rear-view mirror, but there are still plenty of fun events planned in both cities throughout the rest of the summer.
First up on the calendar is this weekend’s events hosted by the City of White Rock and the White Rock Pride Society; on Friday at 5 p.m., the pride flag will be raised outside of city hall, signalling the start of Pride Week, and a Pride Ride will follow.
The Pride Ride – the third annual – will roll out from the Centennial Arena parking lot, and participants are asked to have “vehicles decorated and ready to roll” between 7-7:15 p.m.
On Saturday, July 23, the first-ever White Rock Pride Family Day will take place at Miramar Plaza (15165 Thrift Ave.), from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The event will allow visitors to “celebrate Pride, and enjoy food, local vendors and local entertainers.”
“This event aims to bring joy, laughter and fun to our White Rock Community, where we can show the world that White Rock is a progressive, vibrant, safe and inclusive city for everyone to visit, live and play here,” reads the synopsis on whiterockpride.com. “Where we see one another with love, the world becomes a better place.”
That evening, the Pride Society will host its Love is Love Gala, set for the Peace Arch Curling Club (1475 Anderson St.). The gala will include a drag show, silent and live auction, photo booth, 50/50 draw, dinner, dancing and a cash bar. Tickets, available at Ashberry and Logan (1231 Johnston Rd.), are $75.
The city’s other major event of the summer, the White Rock Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days, is set for July 29-31, with events scheduled throughout both days. According to the city’s events website, all the events historically associated with the B.C. Day long weekend festival are set to return – from the traditional salmon barbecue, car show, Pirates in the Park event, live entertainment and fireworks, which are set for the evening of Saturday, July 30.
Meanwhile, the Concerts at the Pier series continues at three locations in the City of White Rock.
Next up is Arrivals/Dreams – tributes to ABBA and Fleetwood Mac respectively – at Five Corners tonight (July 14).
On July 21, Wide Mouth Mason performs at Memorial Park on West Beach, followed Aug. 8 by Heart tribute act Barracuda at Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza parking lot on East Beach. On Aug. 25, Albertan country/rock artist Kadooh will perform at East Beach.
For each concert, the opening act begins at 7 p.m., with the headliner taking the stage around 8:30 p.m.
Dancing at the Pier, presented by UNITI and the City of White Rock, returns to Memorial Park (14970 Marine Dr.) on Aug. 6, from 5:45 to 10 p.m.
In Surrey, meanwhile, the city’s Sounds of Summer free concert series continues, with a July 20 show, featuring Venezuelan folk artists Asi Somos, set for Fleetwood Park (15802 80 Ave.) from 6:30-8 p.m. On July 27, the series returns to South Surrey, when Darts Hill Garden Park (1633 170 St.) will host the True North Troubadours from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Sounds of Summer concerts are all ages and free; attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. The series runs throughout the summer at locations throughout Surrey. Darts Hill Park will also host an Aug. 17 concert, featuring the funky, brass pop covers of Cooking with Brass.
For more information, visit www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/surrey-parks/park-programs/sounds-of-summer
The City of White Rock will also host the Canadian Forces Snowbirds along the waterfront next month, as the popular visitors – who have routinely drawn thousands to the beach, pier and promenade during previous visits – will arrive in the city Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. for its Fly For C.H.I.L.D. show.
The C.H.I.L.D Foundation funds research for children dealing with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and liver disorders.
The show will feature the Snowbirds’ aerial demonstration team, and the performance will last about 45 minutes. As well, White Rock resident Scott Harrold, who is the civil Snowbird co-ordinator/director of operations for the Snowbirds, will provide commentary before and during the performance.
Last year, due to COVID-19 – specifically, a desire to keep thousands of people from crowding together on the waterfront – the Snowbirds did a quick flyover of Semiahmoo Bay. The last time the Snowbirds performed a full-scale air show above White Rock was 2017.
editorial@peacearchnews.com
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