100 Family Fun Things to do in Vancouver this Summer (2018)

Presented by Paint Nite

We’ve compiled a super-sized summer survival checklist that includes all the must-dos for your family to prevent the boredom blues. Print off this list, stick it to the fridge and see how many you can get through before the Fall arrives. And be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the list to get a 30% discount code from Paint Nite.

1.  Paint Nite has launched All Ages experiences! Moms everywhere know how much fun Paint Nite is – you drink wine or cocktails, chat with girlfriends, and create a one-of-a-kind painting to take home. Now that same experience is family-friendly. Why not book a family outing at Paint Nite this summer?
2. Water slides are an essential part of summer so be sure to visit the iconic Cultus Lake Waterpark. And don’t forget to allocate some of your day – or even come back another day – to enjoy the Cultus Lake Adventure Park.
3. Check out the 4 day Golden Spike Days Festival in Port Moody June 29 – July 2.
4. West 4th Ave shuts down for the annual Khatsahlano Street Party on July 7th.
5. Check out the FREE family fun at Newton Days in Surrey. Saturdays noon – 4pm through July (July 7, 14, 21 & 28).
6. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs, for FREE, at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park on July 8th.
7. Need a day of play? Why not explore one (or more) of these playgrounds with serious WOW Factor?
8. Check out the 35th annual Whistler Children’s Festival July 6-8.
9. Book a salmon & crab charter tour with Ocean Adventure Centre. The awesome crew, Vancouver’s gorgeous geography & tasty seafood make this an unforgettable experience!
10. Soar about the forest floor when you visit the Greenheart TreeWalk at UBC Botanical Garden.
11. Visit the world of imaginative play at Richmond’s Kidtropolis. If you are looking to avoid the crowds, don’t visit on a cloudy / rainy day.
12. If you missed booking a test-swim don’t worry, the brand-new, totally awesome, Otter Co-op Outdoor Experience opens to the public on July 16th. A 25 m pool, 1 and 3 m diving boards, a hot tub, a leisure pool, a sauna, a steam room,a lazy river channel, a spray park, tidal pool, THREE water slides, and food trucks!
13. Pack a picnic and have a family dinner either on the beach or at one of these 5 lesser known picnic spots.
14. Ride the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway in Cloverdale. The 55 minute ride will take you on a fun journey & teach you a bit of history.
15. If your kids are a little bit older take them to the magical Bard on the Beach. The plays for the 2018 season are: As You Like It, Macbeth, Timons of Athens, and Lysistrata. Family nights happen June 26, July 24, and August 21.
16. Carnaval del Sol is a Latin America fiesta with outdoor salsa & zumba lessons, a mini world cup street soccer tournament, an arts and crafts market, a children’s tent and much more! The fun happens July 7 & 8.
17. The Aldergrove Fair Days return July 14 – 16. A tractor pull, zucchini races and loads of mid-way games.
18. Theatre Under the Stars brings 2 great productions to Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park (July 4 – August 18). The family-friendly production is the bippity-boppity-boo perfection of Cinderella (odd days in July; even days in August). The classic Broadway hit, 42nd Street, runs even days in July & odd days in August. Family Fun Vancouver is running a contest for FOUR tickets to each of these shows.
19. In need of some good BBQ? Don’t miss the Port Moody Rotary Ribfest July 20 – 22 at Rocky Point Park.
20. Ride aboard a Paddleboat River Tour and take in the grandeur of the Fraser River
21. Grab a bag full of birdseed and feed the geese at Granville Island and ride the water taxis.
22. The 8th annual Indian Summer Festival returns July 5 – 15th. Celebrating the Indian culture through food, performances, talks, and activities.
23. Start hiking as a family! These 7 Kid-Friendly Hikes are great for kids of all ages.
24. Find a perfect spot to view the Celebration of Light fireworks show. The countries competing this year are: South Africa, Sweden, and South Korea.
    

    ---

25. Go bowling with your kids. Did you know that in the summer Kids Bowl Free at various lanes around Metro Vancouver. All you have to do is sign them up!
26. With over 30 rides and attractions Playland has something to offer guests of all ages. Which ride is your favourite?
27. Raise your pinky finger and practice your English accent at high tea!  Try either Secret Garden Tea Company or Adorabelle
28. Embrace all things aviary and visit the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
29. Burn off some of the endless kid-energy at the ultra cool – and completely free – parkour park in Langley.
30. Visit the night markets: Richmond Night Market & Shipyard Night Market.
31. Bring popcorn and watch a FREE outdoor movie in a number of communities across Metro Vancouver.
32. Go for a drive and explore Harrison Hot Springs!  Don’t forget to check out their Festival of the Arts.
33. Does anything scream SUMMER like a bucket full of fresh berries? Kids need to experience picking berries and there are U-Pick farms all over the Lower Mainland!
34. Bring your rollerblades or bikes and have fun on the hills at the Seymour Demonstration Forest
35. Spend a day in historic & charming Fort Langley. We love visiting the birthplace of BC…check out our top 6 reasons!
36. Soak in the tunes of the Folk Music Festival at Jericho Beach July 13 – 15.
37. Book a stay-cation at the family-friendly River Rock Casino in Richmond. The pool and slide kept our kids busy for hours!
38. Climb in the trees at WildPlay. An air-borne obstacle course perfect for tall 5 year olds & up. The kids love it – especially the zipline!
39. Play a round of mini golf
40. Spend the evening outdoors and enjoy live music in a beautiful setting! Outdoor music concerts happen around Metro Vancouver all summer long (and most of them are FREE!)
41. Soar over the trees and explore the Capilano Suspension Bridge
42. Visit your local library and sign up for the summer reading club. Lots of prizes to be won!
43. Find treasures in your backyard or wherever your summer ramblings take you. Geocaching is a FREE family activity you can do literally anywhere.
44. Say hello to some exotic animals at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove. Bring your bikes because the paved pathways are perfect for 2-wheeled fun.
45. Slurpees are FREE on July 11th at your local 7-Eleven store.
46. Don’t miss the two FREE Home Depot Kids’ Workshops this summer. The events happen on the 2nd Saturday of every month (July 14th & August 11th).
47. Get soaked at one (or many) of the spray and water parks in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
48. Take a walk back in time and go to a drive in movie at Twilight Drive-In out in Aldergrove.
49. Come for fun family activities all day at the Honeybee Festival (July 14 & 15): bee beards, beekeeping demos, live music, food, farmers market and a variety of fantastic local vendors.
    

    ---

50. 2018 marks the 11th anniversary of the Surrey Fusion Festival. This year Walk Off the Earth performs. The fun happens at Holland Park July 21 & 22nd.
51. Country Fest has been celebrated in Maple Ridge for more than 100 years!  The FREE entertainment; crazy lawnmower races; animal exhibitions of all sorts…the list of activities and entertainment goes on!
52. Feel the beat with the Caribbean Days Festival in North Vancouver July 28 & 29.
53. The Richmond Maritime Festival returns to the Britannia Shipyards July 28 & 29. The FREE family-friendly festival includes live music, roving performers, visual artists, stilt walkers, puppets, storytellers and dancers plus wooden boat displays.
54. The 28th annual Harmony Arts Festival (August 3 – 12) takes over Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. Enjoy FREE musical entertainment plus foodie events, and loads of kids workshops for just $2 each.
55. The 46th annual Tsawwassen Sun Festival is 3 days of fun over the BC Day Long Weekend. Enjoy a ball tournament, great food, fireworks, an antique fair, a skateboard competition, a parade, an international market, a petting zoo, a children’s festival, a bike show and more!
56. If you missed the Caribbean Days Festival in North Van at the end of July, don’t fear there is a Caribbean Festival happening in Maple Ridge August 4 & 5.
57. Families will enjoy building sand castles, making kites, listening to live music and watching paddleboard races at the White Rock Sea Festival (August 4& 5). Fireworks and a lantern parade are part of the celebrations too.
58. Take in a 365 degree view of downtown Vancouver at the Vancouver Lookout
59. Burn off some of the kids energy at the outdoor – and completely free – parkour park in Langley
60. Got a little detective on your hands? The Police Museum is the place for you.
61. FREE admission at Fresh Family Fun Field at Krause Berry Farms on August 19th includes: jumping pillows, games, tether ball, peddle cart race track & more.
62. Exhaust the kids at Bear Creek Park: ride the miniature train, play a round of mini golf, splash around at the water park, have a picnic in the beautiful gardens.
63. Soak in the blues at Jazz Vespers every Sunday at 4pm.
64. Take in a horse jumping show at Langley’s Thunderbird Show Park
65. Swim in an outdoor pool.
66. Catch a Vancouver Canadians game at Nat Bailey Stadium
67. If your kids love pirates you won’t want to miss stopping by Pirates Adventure Canada
68. Go on an ice cream tasting comparison. Be sure to check out: Earnest Ice Cream, Beta5 Chocolates, Rain or Shine, Bella Gelateria, and La Casa Gelato.
69. It is worth the drive. Visit Hell’s Gate Airtram
70. Check out the Way Cool Biodiversity Series on the first Sunday of every month. The museum is located on the UBC campus.
71. Ride the SkyTrain from one end to the other. Explore all three lines: Expo Line, Millennium Line, Canada Line.  Try and get the front seat and then pretend you are the driver!
72. Queen Elizabeth Park offers entertainment such as lawn bowling, tennis, roller hockey, disc golf, pitch & putt and more.
73. Visit the Pop-Up Adventure Playground in Coquitlam; it celebrates unstructured play. No parents allowed!
74. For 146 years the Chilliwack Fair has been entertaining families in the Fraser Valley. Don’t miss this year’s celebration August 10 -12. New for 2018: 35ft dual zip line for you to race your friends down! Happens only on August 12.
75. On Wednesdays & Saturdays throughout July & August you can enjoy the big-movie-theatre experience for just $2.99. The Cineplex Summer Favourites start at 11am. Some of the movies being shown this summer include: Princess Bride, Peter Rabbit, Captain Underpants, and The Secret Life of Pets.
    

    ---

76. Explore gorgeous Port Moody: Rocky Point Park, Rocky Point Ice Cream, Port Moody Station Museum
77. Get your mini-donut fill at the PNE. The summer concert line up is amazing! Did you also know there are a number of ways to visit the PNE for FREE or super cheap?
78. Ride the waves at Watermania in Richmond.
79. Buy local and support the farmers at the many local Farmer’s Markets.
80. Explore an independent, locally owned toy store: Splash Toys (Richmond), The Village Toy Shop (Port Moody), and Dilly Dally Kids (Vancouver)
81. The Circle Farm tours are a great way to learn about agricultural treasures in your back yard.  The Circle Farm tours exist for: Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Agassiz/Harrison Mills, and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows
82. Head in the other direction and go West to the Britannia Mine Museum.  The kids will love the underground train
83. Grab the kids and go explore Richmond’s Larry Berg Flight Path Park. While the planes fly overhead, kids can scramble over the globe and run up & down their own runways.
84. The RCMP Musical Ride is touring the country again this year and stopping in BC a few times. Catch the red serge riders in Hope, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Richmond, and Langley.
85. Immerse yourself in the beauty of our country at Fly Over Canada. Travel from the Newfoundland icebergs to our expansive West Coast and see all the provinces in between.
86. Have you tried the crazy game of disc golf? Give it a go at Little Mountain, Jericho Jill, Eastview Park, Rockridge or Qualichena.
87. Visit the spectacular Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish.
88. Have you heard about the AMAZING Pop-Up Adventure Playground in Coquitlam? Parents aren’t allowed in; kids are meant to dig, hammer, scrambling, climb, and get dirty! It’s all about unstructured play.
89. Absorb the beauty with the walls of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Cabin Fever is on display June 9 – September 30.
90. Visit the FREE Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
91. Spend a rainy summer day in the Bloedel Conservatory
92. Enjoy a peaceful walk through the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens. Why not pack a picnic and make an afternoon of it?
93. If the weather is being disagreeable but the kids want to dig in the sand, head to 6Pack Indoor Beach and experience an 18,000 sqft indoor beach. Lots of digging fun for the kids!
94. Hike the trails that surround the beautiful Cleveland Dam in North VancouverVisit the ArtStarts Gallery and check out their FREE exhibits
95. Bike the seawall.
96. Spin in circles on the antique carousel at the Burnaby Village Museum. Admission to the museum is FREE all summer long; carousel rides are $2.65 each.
97. Learn about urban farming at the UBC Farm. The Farmers Markets run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Saturdays until the end of October.
98. Come kick some tires at the Langley Good Times Cruise In on September 8th.
99. Looking for something free? Have a gander at our list of 25 FREE Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer.
100. Have fun, take photos, and make the summer of 2018 one the kids talk about for years to come.  Happy summer!

Been there, done that?  Check our calendar to see exactly what’s happening this week in Metro Vancouver.

About The Author

Lindsay Follett

Lindsay is the City Editor for Family Fun Vancouver. Her greatest joy is found spending time with her family and heading out on new adventures: be it taking in a theatre performance, tumbling with her kids at a play facility, cheering at a sporting event or indulging at a yummy new restaurant. Lindsay truly believes family experiences give fuel to daily life. In addition to being the fabulous Vancouver City Editor, Lindsay is also the National Sales & Marketing Director for the entire Family Fun Canada network. Looking to work with Family Fun to promote your event or destination? For advertising opportunities on any of the Family Fun sites please email her at lindsay@familyfuncanada.com!