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Big event for Family Day in Richmond

Children's Arts Festival will feature birthday cake for more than 1,000 people
Arts Festival
The Richmond Cultural Centre will be a hive of fun for kids and their parents on the B.C. Family Day holiday on Feb. 13 during the 9th annual Richmond Children's Arts Festival.

There’s plenty to do, see and enjoy this coming B.C. Family Day weekend in Richmond.

And one of the highlights is the ninth annual Richmond Children’s Arts Festival which will, among a host of other events, feature birthday cake for about 1,000-plus people.

That’s something that wasn’t on Debbie Tobin’s radar when it came to planning for this year’s festival, which takes over most of Minoru Park’s recreation and culture facilities next Monday (Feb. 13).

But with 2017 being Canada’s 150th birthday, the successful event, which can draw as many as 10,000 visitors, is the city’s first, official 150th anniversary celebration.

“When I was told I had to plan for Canada’s birthday party, I almost cried,” said Tobin, the event’s artistic director, who has seen year over year growth of the festival, which includes a sold-out series of school activity events next Tuesday to Friday for students from across the Lower Mainland.

“I’m a little swamped,” Tobin said Monday in the midst of preparations. “We are celebrating with the best kids’ party in town, complete with cake and birthday prizes. And we are celebrating everything Canadiana.

“You can make moose ears, a Canadian t-shirt, make inukshuks, and even paint your own northern lights picture using either watercolour paints or chalk pastels.”

And there is plenty more for youngsters to do with activities held in the Richmond Cultural Centre, Minoru Arenas, Minoru Seniors’ Centre and even the adjacent swimming pool.

Asked why the event has been so successful since it started in 2008, Tobin said, “I think it’s because we always put the kids first. We started with almost nothing — about 200 kids, $2,000, two people to organize it and two days to get it ready. And now we are closing in on the 100,000 mark for total attendance.”

Tobin said that the event’s success, which is helped by an army of 150 volunteers, is also related to the quality of activities laid on for the children.

“There’s 11 drop-in activities this year and seven shows you can see, all for $5,” Tobin said, adding that for an additional $12 you can also take in a specially designed performance by CircusWest called Glowing Hearts.

As for the birthday cake, it will be served up at 12:30 inside the Richmond Cultural Centre. Tobin has ordered 1,000 cupcakes in addition to the four by eight-foot sheet cake that will be designed to resemble the Canadian flag.

“We’ll be singing happy birthday to Canada (Oh Canada) and then handing out cake,” Tobin said.

General festival admission is $5 and includes access to more than 10 Imagination Stations for hands-on, creative fun. Advance sales of general festival admission passes are available (cash only) at Lansdowne Centre at the customer service desk during mall hours to purchase. Ticket sales for Glowing Hearts are $12 per person and are available online at Richmond.ca/Register. In addition to the arts festival, Richmond is hosting numerous activities on Saturday and Sunday to help celebrate the B.C. Family Day holiday, including:

• A family skate at the Richmond Olympic Oval (free with an Olympic Experience museum admission)

• City Centre Community Centre’s My First Symphony - Family Day concert

• Pancake breakfast and activities at West Richmond Community Centre (Saturday, Feb. 11)

• A magic show at Thompson Community Centre

• 15-minute tours all weekend at Britannia Shipyards

For a complete list of events and activities, visit online at: Richmond.ca/FamilyDay, or call 604-276-4300.