The Tsawwassen Sun Festival — one of Delta’s most popular and longest-running summer events — will be returning for its 53rd edition from Saturday, Aug. 3, to Monday, Aug. 5.
Each year, thousands of families, couples and individuals from across the Lower Mainland come to Tsawwassen to enjoy the festival’s diverse roster of attractions, from long-running cornerstones like the Rotary Parade and Slo-Pitch Tournament, to newer additions including the classic car show, skateboard competition and pickleball tournament.
Most of the festival’s attractions take place in and around Winskill Park, on 56 St. between 8 and 12 Aves.
Steve Scott, Treasurer for the Tsawwassen Sun Festival Committee, knows the festival and its history better than most. He first became involved with the committee in the 1990s, then returned in 2010 and has been a part of it every year since. (He also lives a stone’s throw from Winskill Park. “It’s basically our backyard,” he says.)
Scott has taken great pride in watching the festival grow throughout many decades, adding new attractions and drawing larger crowds seemingly every year. It also returned triumphantly from the pandemic, having been cancelled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021. This year’s festival is primed to be the biggest and best yet.
Brand new this year is a drone show, taking place Aug. 4 next to the South Delta Recreation Centre, beginning at 10 p.m. A modern, exciting and more environmentally friendly alternative to fireworks, it features, Scott says, “200 drones that act simultaneously. Each of them is programmed individually, but they rise as a unit 400 feet into the air and change colour and direction. It’s a great addition to the festival.”
Meanwhile, the always popular Outdoor Movie Night (Aug. 3, beginning at dusk) returns this year in a new location: Southlands Grange. People of all ages are invited to gather under the night sky and enjoy the animated blockbuster, Trolls.
True to its name, the Sun Festival tends to always be blessed with clear blue skies and warm temperatures, which is why attendees appreciate being able to unwind and cool down at the shaded Beer Garden (ages 19 and over) and the Children’s Midway. Plus, Winskill Park is home to plenty of old-growth trees that provide a perfect retreat from the heat.
For more information about the Tsawwassen Sun Festival, visit sunfestival.ca.
