Province funds free, family-focused Family Day activities

THE Province is supporting free, family-friendly activities as people celebrate BC Family Day.

“I really hope that you get to celebrate this Family Day long weekend with your loved ones in person! No matter how you define your family, family is most important. Taking time to celebrate with loved ones and making memories together is priceless,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, on Wednesday. “Now that the restrictions on gatherings have been lifted, I encourage you to check out the links below for free family-friendly activities happening in your community this weekend.”

The B.C. government has invested annually to support free community activities in recognition of this provincial holiday. In 2022, the B.C. government is providing $229,000 to support online and physically distanced in-person activities hosted by recreation centres, parks, cultural centres and museums February 18-21.

A list of activity options by community can be found on the BC Recreation and Parks Association and the BC Museums Association websites. Choices range in each community from sledding and skating to crafting and scavenger hunts. Coquitlam Heritage at Mackin House is also hosting its third annual Black History Month celebration.

In addition, the Royal BC Museum has slated a day full of family-friendly digital programs, including a behind-the-scenes museum tower tour, museum trivia, a Brazilian cooking tutorial and an Imax movie screening that can be viewed from the comfort of home. This month, the new Chinese Canadian Museum offered Family Day activities to highlight the Lunar New Year, and on February 18, the museum plans to open the Victoria Chinatown Fan Tan Alley temporary exhibition for its first Family Day weekend.

For in-person events, refer to each organization’s website to confirm reservation requirements and safety protocols.

Quick Facts

* For Family Day 2022, funding was provided to BC Recreation and Parks Association ($141,000) and the BC Museums Association ($60,000) to administer grants on behalf of the Province to local museums, art galleries, historic places, cultural heritage institutions and Indigenous communities in support of hosting free community activities.

* In addition, the Province provided funding to the Royal BC Museum ($25,000) and the Chinese Canadian Museum ($3,000) to support free activities.

Learn More:

BC Family Day: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/bc-family-day

BC Recreation and Parks Association: https://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/everything-else/bc-family-day/2022-activity-listings/

BC Museums Association: https://museum.bc.ca/conferences-and-events/family-day-activities-region/

Royal BC Museum: https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/family-day

Chinese Canadian Museum: https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/

Read the latest COVID-19 public health orders and provincial restrictions: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19