(By YuLe)
With another scorching weekend coming up in Vancouver, local residents are invited to cool off this Sunday, July 29, at the 10th annual Vancouver Water Splashing Festival and the 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival. Held at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the outdoor family-friendly event celebrates Chinese cultural heritage and aims to strengthen the cultural and economic relationship between Canada and China.
Supported by the City of Burnaby, the annual festival is organized by the Canadian Community Service Association (CCSA), sponsored by Aim Force Development Group, and hosted by the Chinese Construction and Renovation Association of Canada (CCRAC) and HelloButler.com.
Activities throughout the day will fall under five main themes:
• Connecting The Past will feature traditional Chinese games, including hoop rolling, skipping rope, tug-of-war, and others;
• Folk Artists will see unique creations from candy artists crafting beautiful sculpture from sugar, paper cutting artists, and Chinese calligraphers;
• Traditional Arts will include seven hours of non-stop live entertainment on the main stage, which includes singing, dancing, poetry, and more;
• A Taste of China will entice festival goers with mouth-watering classic food from China, available throughout the day;
• Water Splashing will cap off the day-long festivities, as attendees get to cool off in the fun-filled tradition of getting soaked!
At a press conference on July 10, 2018, City of Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan officially announced that the Chinese Cultural Heritage Week will run from July 23 to 29, presenting a certificate to CCSA President Harris Niu. Along with a formal plaque ceremony on Sunday, the festival will further enhance the co-operation between ethnic groups and communities, and promote the development of Canadian multiculturalism.
The 2016 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 8th annual Vancouver Water Splashing Festival attracted 14,000 participants, while the 2017 event reached more than 20,000 participants.