Abbotsford celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday with a host of activities this weekend.
The festivities kick off tonight (Friday) with a special evening of entertainment at Exhibition Park.
Producer Calvin Dyck has put together an entertaining lineup, including three choirs, an orchestra, dancers, skippers, drummers and more, starting at 6 p.m.
Among the performers are the Pacific Mennonite Children’s Choir, the Abbotsford Skipping Sensations, the Sionnaine Irish Dancers, the Valley Festival Singers, the Korean Drummers and the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.
Canada Day celebrations on Saturday get started at 8 a.m., when the community of Mt. Lehman serves complimentary coffee and tea at Mt. Lehman Community Hall (6418 Mt. Lehman Rd.).
A parade follows at 9:30 a.m. from the Mt. Lehman Credit Union (5889 Mt. Lehman Rd.).
Mt. Lehman Road will be closed to traffic from 9 to 10 a.m. between Harris and Taylor roads (north/south) and from Ross and Taylor roads (east/west).
Cake and festivities follow at Mt. Lehman United Church.
Sevenoaks Shopping Centre holds a special event at 10 a.m., when a time capsule that was buried 25 years ago will be opened in the front parking lot across from Chatters.
The main City of Abbosford parade follows at 11 a.m. along South Fraser Way, starting from Ware Street and ending in the area of Trethewey and Maclure.
A family festival then runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at Abbotsford Exhibition Park (32470 Haida Drive) and includes an artisan market hosted by Abbotsford Arts Council, community displays, mini golf, hayrides, pony rides and several interactive play zones.
Afternoon entertainment from 1 to 5 p.m. will consist of several community and cultural performances, including singing, First Nations drumming, and dancing styles from ballroom to bhangra.
Also on the agenda is the Fraser Valley Food Truck Festival from 1 to 10 p.m.
Mainstage entertainment gets underway at 6 p.m.
Featured performers are Kassandra Clack, Her Brothers, Saint Soldier, Thistle Dew, Sisters Say, and headliners The Ballantynes at 9 p.m.
The day’s festivities conclude with a fireworks show starting at 10 p.m. at Exhibition Park.