The Vancouver Water Splashing Festival is set to return to Burnaby after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A staff report to the City of Burnaby’s executive committee said the event is set for July 28 event at Swangard Stadium and will feature the same core themes as years past: connecting to the past, unique folk artists, song and dance, Chinese food and the water splashing tradition.
The event organizers were looking for a grant of $25,000 from the city to stage the event, up from the $15,000 the city gave it in 2019.
The 2019 event included 100 booths, including a kids zone, health-care zone, home-building materials zone and a dining zone, she said. It drew more than 18,000 people.
There was also a tug-of-war competition that pitted 12-person teams against one another, with winning female and male teams each winning a $1,000 prize.
Bunaby Mayor Mike Hurley spoke about the event in 2019, praising the work of organizers from the Canadian Community Service Association and the Chinese Construction and Renovation Association of Canada.
The mayor said Burnaby is proud of its diversity and the importance of the Chinese-Canadian community.
“The Chinese community plays a tremendous role within our community and we are greatly enriched by your presence in our community,” he said.
