Earth Day Celebration includes Community Parade and Festival on Commercial Drive

Image courtesy of Earth Day Parade Facebook page

On Saturday, April 21, 2018, Commercial Drive is hosting its annual Earth Day Parade. Celebrated by more than a billion people each year, Earth Day was first introduced in 1970 as a way to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

While Earth Day officially falls on Sunday, April 22, 2018, the Vancouver Earth Day Parade will be held on Saturday. A tradition since 2011, the parade was first initiated by a local high school’s climate justice group. The event has attracted international attention and was even featured in an online article that listed the “17 Cities around the world that do Earth Day Right”.

The Earth Day Parade is a fun, family-friendly tradition that encourages everyone to come together to celebrate the planet.

The 2018 Earth Day Parade will officially start at 1pm at Commercial and Broadway and will wind its way down to Grandview Park for community based festivities. The free event will include music, speakers, food, a kids’ zone and much, much more.

Photo credit: Earth Day Parade

For those thinking of attending the festival on Saturday, here are a few pieces of advice from the organizers of the Vancouver Earth Day parade:

TIP #1: If planning to drive somewhere in the area between just before 1 pm and around 2 pm, don’t plan to go north on Commercial between Grandview Highway and William Street. The entire two lanes of northbound traffic will be full of people marching. It’s not a long parade, but traffic is completely blocked in the one direction for the duration of the parade.

TIP #2: Don’t drive to the Earth Day Parade. It’s Earth Day after all. Take public transit, walk or ride your bike!

TIP #3: Don’t forget to take your reusable water bottle, environmentally-friendly costume and your camera!

TIP #4: While you’re in the area, explore Commercial Drive. It’s a fabulous street with all kinds of interesting shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s also a great place for people watching.