Pitt Meadows Day will look quite different to those attending on June 1, as the annual celebration has undergone quite a few changes this year.
Perhaps the biggest change coming to the 83rd annual Pitt Meadows Day is the complete relocation of the parade and other festivities.
READ MORE: Changes coming to Pitt Meadows Day celebration
Although most of the celebration has taken place at Harris Road Park during past years, the ongoing construction of the new autonomous RCMP detachment has forced the event to move to the Pitt Meadows Athletic Park.
According to the City of Pitt Meadows, this new venue offers even more event space and parking to help accommodate the thousands of people expected to attend.
The parade will also follow a completely new route this year, with floats starting at Pitt Meadows City Hall, turning down Hammond Road, and then following Bonson Road, and finishing at Pitt Meadows Athletic Park.
Between 60 and 80 floats are typically involved in the parade each year, with the first floats departing at 11 a.m. and the last of them wrapping up at approximately 12:30 p.m.
READ ALSO: 100-year-old tractors brought back to life for Pitt Meadows parade
In order to prepare for the parade, there will be a series of road closures from 10 a.m. until the end of the parade:
• Harris Road (from Ford Road to Hammond Road)
• Hammond Road (from Harris Road to Bonson Road)
• Bonson Road (from Hammond Road to Aljumaili Avenue)
But before the parade begins, the festivities will kick off at Pitt Meadows Athletic Park at 7 a.m. with the traditional Pitt Meadows Lion’s Club pancake breakfast.
The breakfast will take place in the lobby of the Pitt Meadows Arena Complex until 10 a.m., with admission costing $6 for adults and $4 for children.
After the parade has wrapped up, even more activities will proceed throughout the park, including some free family ice skating sessions from 1 to 2 p.m., 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and 4 to 5 p.m.
The kid’s zone, and artisans and exhibitors area will also be available to check out from 1 to 7 p.m., offering a wide range of entertainment and local shopping for people of all ages.
There will be plenty of meal, snack, and drink options on hand, with both the food truck area and family-friendly beverage garden being open from 1 to 7 p.m.
Attendees can also try some barbecued salmon or chicken from 5 to 7 p.m. at the special dinner event, which costs $15 per person.
Throughout the day, there will be a variety of live entertainment on the main stage:
• Maple Ridge Secondary School Choir (12:30 to 1 p.m.)
• Opening ceremony (1 to 1:30 p.m.)
• Danielle Ryan (2 to 3 p.m.)
• Almost Famous (3:30 to 4:30 p.m.)
• The Valley Band (4:45 to 5:45 p.m.)
• Simon Clow (6 to 7 p.m.)
• Sound Machine (7:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
• Playlist (8:45 to 9:45 p.m.)
As part of the opening ceremony, the latest Youth Ambassadors will be honoured.
Replacing what was previously known as the Miss Pitt Meadows competition, this new program was unveiled last year and awards Youth Ambassador titles to Pitt Meadows children between the ages of six and 12 years old who demonstrate admirable qualities and dedication to their community.
READ ALSO: Pitt Meadows Day Youth Ambassador announced
The evening will wrap up with a brand new drone show set to music at 10 p.m., which replaces the fireworks show that had been absent from the last few iterations of Pitt Meadows Day due to the increasingly frequent fire bans.
Pitt Meadows Mayor Nicole MacDonald said that this annual celebration is incredibly important to the community and is the result of countless hours of dedication from Pitt Meadows residents.
“People are what makes our community truly special, and this is an opportunity to bring all of our neighbours together – those from Pitt Meadows and those visiting from other cities,” said Mayor MacDonald.
“Additionally, this special event is a showcase of our shared values, traditions, and accomplishments. It is a time to be Pitt Meadows Proud.”
There are several different ways to get to the festivities at Pitt Meadows Athletic Park, with free shuttles being offered between 1 and 8 p.m.
These shuttles will have stops located at CEFA Early Learning at Meadowtown Shopping Centre, Pitt Meadows Athletic Park, Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre, and Harris Road Park.
There will also be a free bike valet at Pitt Meadows Athletic Park, where people can ride their bikes to the park and have them safely stored at the Jay McBride Sport Court from 12:30 to 7 p.m.
The 83rd annual Pitt Meadows Day celebration will take place on Saturday, June 1, with more information available at www.pittmeadows.ca.
