Surrey’s event season is kicking off this April with a bounty of special events, productions, and garden openings taking place. Here are ten fun and fabulous activities that you’re not going to want to miss!
Food Truck Wars
April 8 – 10
Cloverdale Exhibition Grounds
The Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival’s first event of the season is coming to Cloverdale and it’s going to be one heck of a party! With 40 different food trucks over the 3 days, Food Truck Wars will be Vancouver’s largest food truck festival. Enjoy main dishes like pierogies from Hunky Bills, a Japanese-Hawaiian sandwich from Kyu Grill or “Can-donesian” food from Oh My Gado, then hit the dessert trucks for loukomades from Betty’s Greek Honey Ballz, ice cream from Rocky Point Ice Cream or mini donuts from Little Ooties! And it’s not just about the food, there will also be local market vendors courtesy of BC Shop Local, 2 stages for live music and entertainment, site-wide beer and wine (sponsored by JRG) and much more to come! Best of all, admission is free!
Filipino Restaurant Month
April 1 – 30
Have you ever tried Filipino food? If not, you’re in for a treat! Canada’s first-ever Filipino Restaurant Month kicks off April 1! Jointly presented by the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa and the Philippine Consulates General in Toronto and Vancouver, the event will showcase Filipino restaurants, chefs and dishes across the country, and Surrey has two restaurants participating!
Grandt Kitchen – From April 1 – 7 and April 16 – 23, Grandt Kitchen will be offering a $25 prix fixe menu of Chicken Inasal (marinated in local herbs & spices and grilled), rice, vegetable spring roll, Buko Pandan (dessert of young coconut, pandan leaves and sago pearls) and mango or Kalamansi (similar to lemonade) juice. (10257 King George Blvd)
Lyra Lou Cakes – This Filipino inspired bakeshop is full of mouthwatering pastries, cakes and treats, and they also serve traditional Filipino dishes like chicken or pork adobo, Corned Beef Kaldereta (classic Filipino stew) and Pork Belly Sisig (chopped pork dish). Don’t miss their famous Ube halaya covered cup halo halo dessert, which is basically (though there’s nothing basic about it) a layered shaved ice dessert with fruit, topped with a purple yam pudding. (102-14370 64th Avenue)
True Home – Sikh Heritage Month
April 8 – 10
8240 188 Street (Hubcast Studios)
April is Sikh Heritage Month, a celebration of arts, culture and rich heritage of Sikhs across the province. Organized, in BC, by Sikh Heritage BC (SHBC), events are taking place across the province and online. On April 8, in Surrey, visit True Home, or “Sacha Ghar”, an installation inspired by the words Sikh Gurus sung in praise of the Oneness. Visitors are invited to explore a “typical” Sikh-Punjabi home to discover and reflect on the significance of home and physical place. The experience features a series of five rooms and prompts curated and produced by five local artists.
Honeybee Centre – Drop-In Saturdays
April 9, 16 & 23
Stop by The Honeybee Centre Classroom for exploration and play on April 9, 16 and 23 from 10am to 1pm. Check out bee-themed puzzles, games, a super-cool science station and all sorts of other honey and bee-themed things to see and do. And if you have a honeybee question, be sure to find Hanna, their fabulous new volunteer and honeybee educator. She has the scoop on all things bee. Drop-ins are free, but donations to the Community Bee Garden Initiative are encouraged.
Rajesh Vora: Everyday Monuments Exhibit
April 9 – May 29
Surrey Art Gallery
Visit the Surrey Art Gallery this April and explore the stunning images from Mumbai-based photographer Rajesh Vora. Vora’s photographs document domestic sculptures mounted on rooftops in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab that tell a story of identity, diaspora, family, and culture. Made from rebar, wire mesh, cement, and paint, many of these intriguing objects serve as functional water tanks. Celebrate the opening of the Surrey Art Gallery’s spring exhibitions on April 8, with a special talk by Rajesh Vora moderated by guest curator Keith Wallace, and accompanied by music by Aanam from Tala Collective.
Get Growing at Darts Hill Garden Park
April 23
16th Ave at 170th St
One of Surrey’s most beautiful gardens, Darts Hill Garden, has thrown open the garden gates for the 2022 season and are celebrating spring with a family-friendly event on April 23. Activities include garden workshops, plant sale, storytime & nature walk, live music, and more! The culmination of 70 years of work by Francisca Darts and her husband Edwin, and gifted to the City of Surrey in 1994, the garden is a magnificent oasis of perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs, planted and groomed specifically to flourish during all four seasons. Enjoy mossy pathways, magical tree tunnels and all the colours, sounds and smells of the garden, and keep your eyes peeled for woodland creatures! Guided tours are available. Darts Hill Garden is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 10 am to 4 pm until July 31.
Métis: Children of the Fur Trade
April 23
Museum of Surrey
Head to the Museum of Surrey and explore the unique and enriching Métis heritage by learning about current and historical traditions with performances, speakers and makers. The event will feature performances by V’ni Dansi, a Vancouver-based traditional Métis and contemporary dance company dedicated to sharing the dances, stories and culture of the Métis. Indigenous artisans will be displaying and selling their items, information booths from Metis Nation BC, Waceya Metis Society and the Surrey/Delta Metis Association will be set up. And, the Bannock Queen food truck will be onsite serving up tasty treats like bannockcheese bread and apple-and-cinnamon bannock fritters!
Covid in the House of Old
April 1 – 28
KPU’s Surrey campus, 12666 72 Avenue
Entrance to the library
COVID in the House of Old is a poignant multimedia installation created by York University professor Megan J. Davies and features original music by Toronto-based musician and composer, Hiroki Tanaka. Using multiple chairs, sound and speakers, the exhibit tells the story of seven individuals from B.C. and Ontario whose lives were altered by the rapid spread of COVID through long term care facilities. Members of the community are welcome to visit the exhibit for free in the Arbutus atrium at the entrance to the library on KPU’s Surrey campus, during opening hours.
Los Hermanos/The Brothers
Friday, April 29 | 8pm
Centre Stage at Surrey City Hall
One Family. Two virtuosos. Divided by geography and politics. Reunited by music. Come watch a film that will uplift, inspire, and make you feel all the feels. Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and momentous first performances together, the film Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family.
Party for the Planet
April 30
Surrey Civic Plaza
Party for the Planet celebrates Earth Day and is the City of Surrey’s premier environmental event. Entering its 11th year in 2022, the event will be hosted in person on Saturday, April 30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Surrey Civic Plaza. The event will include a Surrey Parks plant sale, environmental workshops, live music, free plants, educational speaker series, a clothing swap and plant-based food trucks, along with activities for all ages to learn about ways they can live more sustainably.