Hi friends!
I asked my husband to dress our one year old.
The 5-year-old overheard and intercepted: "She wants me to do it." The baby's body language backed her up, so my husband handed over the clothes and happily turned to leave.
5-year-old: Can you stay?
Husband desperately wanting to leave: No. If I stay, I'll step in.
5-year-old: Even more reason to stay. Don't you want to learn not to intervene?
I'm already terrified about this weekend's Easter chocolate negotiations.
The Weather: ☀️ is out, a bit cold and low chance of rain both days.
Layers and sunscreen.
Saturday: Cambie Village Easter Hunt (free, right on Cambie) or UBC's age-staggered egg hunt
Sunday: Granville Island egg hunt → pay-what-you-can museums at Vanier Park
⏳ Holiday Hours Heads Up
VPL branches are closed Good Friday and Easter Monday, with Carnegie the exception.
Costco warehouses are on shorter Good Friday hours and closed Easter Sunday..
Option 1: The Main Event
🥚 The Easter Sunday Plan
The Gist: Two-stop Easter Sunday that covers all ages and costs whatever you want: Start at the Kids Market Easter Egg Hunt on Granville Island at 10AM. Bring a basket, hunt for chocolate eggs throughout the market, and let the under-6 crowd enjoy their 5-minute head start. Then walk the seawall to Vanier Park (about 25 minutes) or grab the False Creek Ferry for a quick hop to the Maritime Museum dock. Once you're there, it's Pay-What-You-Can Sunday at the Space Centre, Museum of Vancouver, and Maritime Museum.
Why It Wins: Your entire Easter Sunday, one plan, two stops. The egg hunt is free. The museums are pay-what-you-can. Three museums in one park means you can pick one or hit all three depending on energy levels. You'll be home by 3 and it'll feel like you did a full day.
The Parent Specs:
⏰ When: Sunday April 5. Egg hunt at 10AM. Museums open 10AM-3PM.
👶 Ages: Egg hunt best for 2-8 (under 6 get a head start). Museums: all ages. The planetarium show alone is worth it for the 5+ crowd.
🚽 Potty: Easy at both. Kids Market has accessible washrooms with change tables inside the main entrance. Museums have full facilities.
💸 Cost: Egg hunt: free (while supplies last). Museums: pay what you can.
Option 2: The "Low Drag" Play
The Gist: The Cambie Village BIA's annual Easter egg hunt, right at W 18th and Cambie. Free community event with face painting, crafts, chocolate treats, and the general joyful chaos of a neighbourhood egg hunt. Show up. That's the whole plan.
Why It Wins: It's free. There's nothing to register for and nothing to plan. Face painting, crafts, and chocolate. That's the whole pitch.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: W 18th at Cambie Street
⏰ When: Saturday April 4, 12:00 PM
👶 Ages: 2-10
🚽 Potty: You'll be relying on the kindness of nearby cafés. Plan accordingly.
💸 Cost: Free
The Move: The Park Theatre was screening Flow at 10:30AM for free, but tickets are sold out. Walk-ins may get lucky if unclaimed RSVPs free up by 10AM.
Option 3: The Wildcard
The Gist: Free Easter morning at Old Barn Community Centre on UBC campus. The standout: age-specific egg hunts running every 10 minutes, so your toddler isn't body-checked by a determined 11-year-old. Plus cookie decorating, hot cocoa, a plant workshop from UBC Farms, and costume prizes.
Why It Wins: The hunts run by age group, so your toddler actually gets a shot at finding an egg before the big kids vacuum everything up. Hot cocoa and cookie decorating keep everyone busy between rounds. It's done by 11:30, so your whole day is still wide open. And if the weather turns, they move it all indoors.
What's actually there:
🥚 Egg hunts every 10 minutes (ages 0-2, 3-5, 6-12, then all ages at 11AM)
🍪 Cookie decorating station
☕ Hot cocoa for kids and adults
🌱 Free plant workshop (UBC Farms)
🐰 Costume prizes for best-dressed bunnies
The Parent Specs:
⏰ When: Saturday April 4, 9:30-11:30AM
👶 Ages: All ages. Hunts staggered by age group with multiple rounds:
0-2: starts 9:30 (two rounds)
6-12: starts 9:40 (five rounds)
3-5: starts 9:50 (two rounds)
All ages finale at 11:00
🚽 Potty: Easy. Community centre facilities.
💸 Cost: Free
The Move: Check the hunt times for your kid's age and arrive 10 minutes early. If you have a mixed-age crew, aim for 9:20. The 0-2 group starts first at 9:30, the 6-12 group is right behind at 9:40, and the 3-5 group follows at 9:50. Older kids get five rounds throughout the morning, so don't stress if you miss the first one.
P.S. If this saved you 20 minutes of Googling this week, forward it to a parent who could use the same.
We’ve got this!
Saba Yazdani
The Cambie Memo
