Metro Vancouver events this weekend bid farewell to summer and hello to fall

A previous year's Shipyards Festival is seen in this photo from the event's website. (theshipyardsdistrict.ca)

The autumnal equinox is fast approaching, and events scheduled in Metro Vancouver this weekend offer both a last hurrah for summer and a celebration of fall. Here are some you may want to check out.

Culture Days

Less of an event than a country-wide public participation campaign for the arts, Culture Days involved 685 events in 65 communities across B.C. last year, and more than 700,000 people attended.

This year, in Metro Vancouver alone, there are more than 250 Culture Days events scheduled from Friday through Oct. 12, with organizers promising “free and pay-what-you-may music events, arts workshops, open studios, exhibitions, and more” across the region.

Information on B.C.-based events can be found on the Culture Days website.

Shipyards Festival and Car Free Day

North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale Business Improvement Association is hosting its annual Shipyards Festival on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.

In conjunction with Car Free Day North Vancouver, the festival will take over both the Shipyards District and a section of First Street with multiple stages of live music, food trucks, a site-wide beer garden, the Marine Careers Expo and more.

Fire Dragon Festival

Friday and Saturday evenings will see a traditional custom of China’s Hakka ethnic group recreated in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

After months of pre-event activities and workshops, the Fire Dragon Festival will begin Friday at 6 p.m., when the public is invited to meet the artists and add incense to the dragon at 8East, located at 8 E. Pender St.

Then, on Saturday at 7 p.m., the fire dragon and its glowing embers will snake their way through the streets. The parade begins at 578 Carrall St.

Come Toward the Fire Festival

The fourth annual ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire) Festival will take place at UBC this Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The family friendly festival celebrating Indigenous culture, creativity and community will feature music, dance, film, food trucks, an artisan market, children’s authors, storytellers, DJs, workshops and more, according to the organizers, UBC’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation.

Daytime admission is free, but the finale concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday is a ticketed event.

Fall Foodie Pop-up

Also taking place at UBC this weekend is the "Fall Foodie Pop-up," organized by the people behind the Vancouver Croissant Crawl.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, the UBC Farm will play host to food trucks, artisans, games, live music and more.

Mount Pleasant Block Party

Elsewhere in Vancouver, the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association is hosting an end-of-summer block party at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Kingsway on Saturday.

From noon to 5 p.m., local businesses will be offering food, drinks, activities and shopping as local DJs perform. Admission is free.

Orpheum tours

Saturday is also an opportunity to tour one of the most beautiful concert halls in North America.

Vancouver Civic Theatres is hosting two tours of the Orpheum on Saturday, one at 11 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. Additional tours are planned for October and November.

The tours are led by the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and last 90 minutes. Tickets can be purchased online.

Spark Animation

Touted by organizers as “Western Canada’s largest celebration of animation,” Spark Animation is taking place at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown this weekend, with film screenings happening Thursday through Sunday.

In addition to short and feature-length films, the event includes talks and master classes by industry experts, as well as community events and an artist alley. A schedule of events and ticket information can be found on the festival’s website.

Surrey harvest events

A pair of fall harvest events – one ongoing and one taking on place Saturday only – will be held in Surrey this weekend.

On Saturday, Historic Stewart Farm and Totest Aleng: Indigenous Learning House will host a free Harvest Fair from noon to 4 p.m. at the farm in Elgin Heritage Park.

On the other side of the city in Port Kells, Saturday also marks the start of Art’s Nursery’s 11th annual Scarecrow Festival, which runs through Halloween. The fundraising event benefits local charities and features more than 60 handcrafted scarecrow displays.

For the sports fans

The start of the NHL season is still a few weeks away, but the Vancouver Giants are back in action already. The WHL club will host the Penticton Vees in its home opener at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Vancouver’s NSL and CPL soccer teams are also in action this weekend. Vancouver Rise FC will host Ottawa at Swanguard Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday. The club’s final home match of the regular season is fan appreciation day.

On Sunday, Vancouver FC will host York United at 3 p.m. at Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre.

The B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps are on the road this weekend.

With files from MOVE 103.5’s Leanne McLaren