Hi friends!
Three-day weekend energy hits different when you're a parent. Monday off is a gift. But it's also an extra day to fill.
So I went looking for the kind of weekend where the planning is already done. Big events, small backups, and one outing where Monday does the heavy lifting for us.
The Weather: 🌦️ Friday/Saturday wetter, Sunday/Monday better. Monday is the warmest day at around 18°C. Save your outdoor energy for the back half.
Friday → Monday: 🏇 Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair (kids 12 & under free)
Sunday: 🎨 Vancouver Art Gallery + hands-on art
Monday: 🎺 Fort Langley May Day Parade + Festival
🏆 Option 1: The Main Event
The Gist: One of Western Canada's biggest country fairs, running all four days of the long weekend. Pro rodeo, carnival rides, 40+ food trucks, live music, an Indigenous Village, a Buckaroo Kids Corral, and a Farm Friendz petting zone. It's a whole day in one place.
Why It Wins: Kids 12 and under are completely free. Four days means you can dodge the rainy ones and pick Sunday or Monday. One ticket buys an entire day of stuff so there's no "what's next" planning.
What's actually there:
🎡 30+ midway rides (all-day ride pass available)
🤠 Pro rodeo — bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, barrel racing
🎶 Live music on 7 stages (k-os, The Strumbellas, Gord Bamford + 100 more acts)
🌽 50+ food options — rib trucks, food trucks, Indigenous foods, classic fair eats
🪓 Lumberjack shows, pro wrestling, roller disco, drone show
👧 Buckaroo Kids Corral — dedicated family zone
The Parent Specs:
⏰ When: Thursday May 14 → Monday May 18. For the family-friendly long-weekend run: Friday 4–11pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am–11pm, Monday 10am–6pm. Rodeo performances run Friday evening, Saturday afternoon/evening, Sunday afternoon, and Monday finals at 2pm. Full schedule here.
👶 Ages: All ages, but really sings for the 4–12 crowd. Strollers welcome, terrain is a mix of pavement and packed dirt.
🚽 Potty: Okay — portable washrooms throughout the fairgrounds. Not glamorous but plentiful.
💸 Cost: Fairgrounds admission from $18 adult, kids 12 and under FREE. Rodeo and ride passes extra. The Full Weekend Pass gets all four days plus Thursday for the price of two single-day tickets.
🅿️ Parking: $20 on-site. Fills up fast on Saturday.
The Move: If you're going for the rodeo, Monday is the day — it's the finals, the most exciting show, and the fairgrounds close at 6 PM so it's a more contained day. Buy rodeo tickets in advance; they sell out.
🪶 Option 2: The "Low Drag" Play
The Gist: Free drop-in art-making at the VAG every Sunday, included with admission. This Sunday's activities are hard-edge painting and Jim Lambie-inspired bookmarks. While you're there, the new "Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change" exhibition opens that same weekend.
Why It Wins: It's indoors. The kids actually make something instead of just looking at art. Sundays at the gallery are quieter than Saturdays. And you can stretch it into a real outing — gallery, then lunch, then a walk back to the car.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St — Room 4East for The Making Place
⏰ When: Sunday May 17, 11am–4pm (drop in anytime)
👶 Ages: Best for 4 and up. Toddlers can join but expect a short visit.
🚽 Potty: Easy. Clean gallery washrooms on multiple floors.
💸 Cost: Regular VAG admission ($29 adult, kids 6 and under free, youth pricing for 7–18). The art-making itself is included.
Why It Matters: This is the "Sunday is sorted" pick. Low planning effort, the kids leave with something they made, and you get to see a brand new exhibition that just opened. One stop, two payoffs.
🎪 Option 3: The Wildcard
The Gist: The 104th annual May Day in Fort Langley. A community parade through historic Fort Langley starting at 11am, followed by a free family festival in the park until 4pm — May Pole dancing, live music, food trucks, vendors, free face painting. And on Monday only, Fort Langley National Historic Site is free for anyone under 18, with hands-on activities, blacksmithing demos, and a kids' scavenger hunt.
Why It Wins: Monday is forecasted to be the warmest, sunniest day of the weekend. You get 3 activities in one location: parade, then festival, then fort. And once you're there, Fort Langley is small and walkable, so you're not driving all over the place to fill the day.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: Parade ends at Fort Langley Community Park (corner of St. Andrews & Nash). Fort entrance at 23433 Mavis Avenue.
⏰ When: Monday May 18. Pancake breakfast 8–10:30am at Lions Hall ($8 cash). Parade 11am–12:30pm. Festival in the Park noon–4pm. Fort activities all day.
👶 Ages: All ages. Genuinely toddler-to-tween friendly. Stroller-doable but the parade gets crowded. Carrier might be easier with babies.
🚽 Potty: Okay. Park has public washrooms, the fort has good facilities. Expect lines at peak parade time.
💸 Cost: Parade and festival are free. Fort admission is free for under 18 on May 18 (adults pay regular admission). Pancake breakfast $8. Some kids’ activities require a $10 wristband.
The Move: Aim to arrive 10:30am to grab parking before the parade traffic builds. Watch the parade, eat at the festival food trucks, then walk over to the fort in the afternoon when the parade crowd thins.
🐐 Bonus: Don't Want to Drive to Langley?
If Fort Langley feels too far but you still want a Monday outing, UU Family Farm in Richmond is doing a Victoria Day special with face painting (11 AM–1 PM) and an Ice Princess meet & greet (3 PM–4 PM). The rest of the day is the usual — petting goats, feeding alpacas, meeting ostriches, and generally letting your kids lose their minds over baby animals.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: 9660 Sidaway Rd, Richmond
⏰ When: Monday May 18, 10am–5pm. Face painting 11am–1pm. Ice Princess meet & greet 3pm–4pm.
👶 Ages: Best for 2–8. Toddler heaven, frankly.
🚽 Potty: Okay. Farm has washrooms but they're basic.
💸 Cost: Approx $28 adult, $18 kid (under 3 free). Bring extra cash for animal feed cups.
The Move: Go early morning (10 AM) or later afternoon (after 3 PM for the Ice Princess) to dodge mid-day crowds. The farm recommends this themselves.
📌 Also Worth Knowing
If your weekend plans include Granville Island (and given the long weekend, they might), the free, attended, secure bike valet is back as of Saturday. Behind Granville Island Brewing, off Old Bridge Street. 10am–7pm, daily. No locks required — they store your bike, scooter, or cargo trailer.
Got a parent friend still staring at a blank calendar for the long weekend? Forward this to them and save them an hour of doom-scrolling "things to do Victoria Day weekend Vancouver."
We’ve got this!
Saba Yazdani
The Cambie Memo
