Symphony in the Park is a free outdoor evening concert with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra offers a free outdoor performance at Deer Lake Park. It usually takes place in either late June or mid-July.
In 2024 Symphony in the Park is on July 13th. Also taking place that weekend are some other great events like the Harrison Festival of the Arts and the Surrey Latin Festival (both of which have free outdoor music).
Where and When
Symphony in the Park happens on the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park which is located at 6450 Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby. The lawn is in front of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. A special outdoor stage is normally set up for the day at the far end of the field, not far from the water. It’s a beautiful venue.
This year the event is on Saturday, July 13th from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. On the following day there is Opera in the Park, also running from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
What to Expect
Weather permitting, at the Symphony in the Park event you can expect a beautiful evening of classical music outdoors in the fresh air. At the event you’ll see several thousand orchestra-lovers in lawn chairs or sitting on the grass spread out over the field at Deer Lake Park.
SYMPHONY IN THE PARK IN ABBOTSFORD
The event at Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park isn’t the only one in the Lower Mainland that involves classical symphony music at a beautiful outdoor venue. It’s also not an event with a completely unique name. Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford is also a fabulous event, and it’s also free to attend. In 2024 the Fraser Valley event takes place at Mill Lake Park on Friday, August 16th.
The Repertoire
2024’s repertoire showcases a variety of well-known pieces from movies and productions from the past, along with classical pieces. It includes songs from the movies Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Interstellar.
Here is the full program for the 2024 Symphony in the Park Concert:
- Carnival Overture, Op. 92 (Dvorak)
- Concerto, Horn, No. 4, K. 495 III. Rondo (by Mozart)
- Finlandia, Op. 26 (by Sibelius)
- Carmen: Suite No. 2 (by Bizet)
- Bartered Bride, The: Dance of the Comedians (by Smetana)
- Candide: Overture (by Bernstein)
- The Magnificent Seven Symphonic Suite (by Bernstein)
- Hoe-Down from Rodeo (by Copland)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone I. Hedwig’s Theme (by John Williams)
- Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra (by John Williams)
- Interstellar Suite (by Hans Zimmer)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark: Raiders March (by John Williams)
- Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra: I. Main Title (by John Williams)
Tips & Advice
Below are some suggestions and important things to know to help make your experience at Symphony in the Park as enjoyable as possible.
TIP #1: Take a lawn chair, blanket and your picnic or other (non-alcoholic) refreshments.
TIP #2: Arrive early! If you hope to get parking anywhere remotely near the venue, get to Deer Lake Park at least a couple of hours before the show. There will be thousands of people and parking is limited.
TIP #3: If you can’t arrive early then get someone to drop you and your friends off at the park and then have them go find parking. Wish the driver luck, remind them in advance to wear good walking shoes, and then hope that if they do find parking somewhere that you’ll be able to find them later among the crowds. If the driver has a car with a bike rack, then taking a bicycle for the ride back to the park can be a good idea.
TIP #4: If you do arrive early, then explore the park! It’s a beautiful place!
TIP #5: If you’re ever in the City of Victoria on the BC Day long weekend, you might want to check out Victoria’s Summer Symphony Festival (which used to be called Symphony Splash). It’s a similar event, but with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra performing in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. That event is also highly recommended and includes a short display of fireworks at the end.
Other Things to Do
While at Deer Lake Park there are plenty of other things to do before the concert begins.
There are some beautiful gardens between the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and the Burnaby Art Gallery just steps from the concert venue.
The walk around Deer Lake itself is exceptional. You can stroll along the trails and wooden boardwalks for as long as you like in one direction and then turn back when you’re done, or walk the whole way round. At the east end of the lake there’s a small sandy beach.
The Burnaby Art Gallery houses a small collection of art in a beautiful heritage building. It’s usually open from around noon until 5:00 pm on Sundays (or at least it was the last time we checked).
Burnaby Village Museum is just a 10-minute or so walk from the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake. It’s an exceptional museum with free admission and open from 11:00 am until 4:30 pm.
Other Information
To learn more about the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra‘s free outdoor concert (when it happens), click City of Burnaby Events.
Another similar event to this is Symphony in the Park in Abbotsford. It’s also a free event in the summer, but at a different location and with a different orchestra. In 2022, Opera in the Park also took place for the first time. The same as the VSO’s Symphony in the Park event, the event with the Vancouver Opera happened at Deer Lake Park in mid-July. Yet another free event hosted by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is VSO Day of Music which usually happens in early June.
For details about the City of Burnaby, click Burnaby.
For a list of other free concerts taking place in the Lower Mainland, click Free Summer Concerts.
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