Vancouver Fringe Festival, Car Free Day among weekend events

The second weekend of September, and the second-to-last before the autumnal equinox officially begins fall, offers a range of events across Metro Vancouver while it is still technically summer.

The Vancouver Fringe Festival opened Thursday for its 41st year, promising “every kind of every thing.” More than 80 shows, including theatre, comedy, dance, drag and music, are scheduled through Sept. 20. Schedule and ticket information is available on the festival’s website.

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival also began Thursday and runs through Sept. 20. It features 87 films, parties, special events and industry workshops, then continues online from Sept. 21 to 27. Full program and ticket information is available online.

Car Free Day comes to Mount Pleasant on Sunday, closing Main Street between East 10th and King Edward avenues from noon to 7 p.m. The route will include dozens of food and community booths and vendors, along with six stages for local musicians, DJs and other performers. The free street festival is the final Car Free Day of the summer in Metro Vancouver.

Picklefest Vancouver returns to the City Centre Artists Lodge for its second year on Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event includes more than 40 vendors, a home-pickling contest and gift bags for all ticket holders. Tickets start at $25 and are available online.

Recovery Day BC will bring a free street festival to New Westminster’s Uptown neighbourhood on Saturday. Organizers describe it as “the world’s largest mental health and addiction recovery health information fair.” The 14th annual event celebrates mental health and addiction recovery and is expected to draw tens of thousands to the intersection of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue, where the main stage will be located. It runs from noon to 6 p.m.

The Museum of Surrey hosts Filipino Fest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers say the free celebration of Filipino culture will include food, live performances, vendors, textile displays, and Tagalog and English storytelling sessions.

Polish Festival Vancouver takes place at The Shipyards in North Vancouver on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The free event features Polish food, music and dance performances, children’s activities and more.

Richmond Farm Fest is scheduled for Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Farm at Garden City Lands. Located in the 136.5-acre Garden City Lands park, the festival aims to celebrate agriculture’s distinctive role in Richmond’s cultural and economic story. The city has more than 200 active farms, and the event includes garden tours, culinary demonstrations and live music.

The B.C. Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps and Vancouver Rise all have home games this weekend. The CFL’s B.C. Lions play the Montreal Alouettes at B.C. Place at 7 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, Vancouver Rise FC hosts Ottawa Rapid at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby at 1 p.m., while the Whitecaps host Austin FC at B.C. Place at 3:30 p.m.