From cleanup parties to plant sales: Here are some fun Earth Day events to check out in Metro Vancouver

Earth Day is globally celebrated, and it’s coming up this week on Wednesday, April 22. So before you make those weekend plans or enjoy basking in this beautiful spring sun, let’s take a moment to give back to the planet. Vancouver is a pretty green city already, but it takes all of our efforts to keep it that way. We’re talking beach cleanups, tree planting, and events that promote environmental awareness, sustainability, and Indigenous sovereignty.

Here are just a handful of ways to celebrate Earth Day in and around Vancouver in 2026.

UBC’s Chan Centre is transforming for Earth Day with a night among leaders in ecology, Indigenous stewardship, and music. UBC Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship Professor Suzanne Simard is launching her newest book, When the Forest Breathes, and will conduct an immersive panel conversation exploring the future of forests and our relationship to them. But first, Métis composer and UBC Professor T. Patrick Carrabré will kick off the evening with Mother Tree, performed by the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and soprano Mireille Asselin. Next, Tande Cook, Kwakwaka’wakw artist and hereditary chief of the Ma’amtagila people, will bring Fungi Kingdom Dance to the stage.

Finally, CBC’s What On Earth host Laura Lunch will moderate a live discussion featuring multiple speakers. This includes Suzanne Simard, Cree author and Governor General’s Literary Award–winning writer Michelle Good, legal scholar and advocate for Rights of Nature, Christopher Rusnak, and UBC Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship scholar Dr. Teresa Ryan.

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: 6265 Crescent Rd.
Cost: $30 to $59 

Third Space Vancouver is hosting a walk and talk to one of the OG third spaces: the park. Specifically, Hadden Park along the False Creek seawall.

Starting at 6 p.m. on Earth Day, you can gather for an ideal sunset walk with friends old and new, then finish off the evening with a community picnic. It’s an inclusive, free event, and all are welcome to attend and connect with others in nature.

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: Along the sea wall, ending at Hadden Park (1905 Ogden Ave.) 
Cost: Free

Nature-based art club, anyone? Drawn Outdoors is designed to connect people with nature and community through art, and there’s a special Earth Day session coming up that will teach budding artists to capture leaves, flowers, and other foliage in incredible detail. For the first half of the event, attendees will roam Stanley Park together and get the creative juices flowing. Next, they’ll draw the natural world around them, explore their own artistic style, and most importantly, have loads of fun.

All skill levels are welcome to attend this event. Tickets are $30 to $40 per person, depending on whether or not you bring your own art supplies.

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: 8501 Stanley Park Dr.
Cost: $30 to $40 per person

B.C.’s largest Earth Day celebration is back for its 15th year this weekend! Party for the Planet has become a beloved Surrey tradition that brings together environmental activities, food trucks, native plant sales, and much more for one day only. Visitors can shop for environmentally friendly artisan products made by local businesses from Surrey and across the Lower Mainland.

You can also enter a tomato plant giveaway and hop on a blender bike to pedal hard and make yourself a smoothie.

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: 13450 104th Ave., Surrey
Cost: Free admission

This free community event at Trout Lake will feature tons of interactive games and family-friendly programming. This includes a drumming circle at the Indigenous Medicine Wheel Garden, an environmental puppet show, a kids parade, a hands-on family cooking workshop, free bike repair, creative stamp-making, seed potting and seed swaps, and so much more.

When: Sunday, April 26, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 3360 Victoria Dr. 
Cost: Free admission

Vancouver has a couple of local cleanups on the roster, including one in Chinatown on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon. Hosted by the Chinatown BIA, the event starts inside the Chinatown Plaza Mall, where participants will receive cleanup equipment like gloves, litter pickers, and garbage bags, though they’re welcome to bring their own from home as well. As a reward for your efforts (apart from the satisfaction of cleaning up a local neighbourhood), light refreshments will be provided.

When: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Where: 180 Keefer St.
Cost: Free

A week later, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, Riley Park will transform for its own cleanup party. It’ll be shorter than your typical two-hour litter cleanup event, but you can also check out the Seeding Stewardship Fair during your visit. Attendees can look for the tent setup at th e park with cleanup equipment to help keep this beloved park pristine.

When: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Where: 50 East 30th Ave. 
Cost: Free

We know that every day is Earth Day, but checking out a couple of these events never hurts!

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