15th annual Culture Days spotlights creativity and cultural expression in Richmond

80+ free events and activities will unfold across the city over three weeks

The 15th annual edition of Culture Days returns to Richmond from Sept. 20–Oct. 13, 2024. Richmond is consistently recognized as one of the top 10 most engaged cities in the country during Culture Days, an event that provides barrier-free opportunities for the public to participate in arts experiences. The celebration aims to nurture the cultural life of local communities across Canada.

The opening weekend of Sept. 21–22 will kick off with a series of interactive artist-led activities at the Richmond Cultural Centre and Richmond Cultural Centre Annex. Highlights include community quilt-making, clay wheel-throwing demonstrations, a Chinese folk and contemporary dance performance by the Vancouver We Dance Association of Canada, and a photo booth and kids fun zone in celebration of the Gateway Theatre’s 40th anniversary season. The Richmond Museum will mark the public opening of their new Family Treasures exhibit with a treasure hunt and teddy bear repair fair, presented with the Richmond Environmental Program. And the Richmond Art Gallery will offer workshops through their Rooftop Garden Series, in addition to their current exhibition It begins with knowing and not knowing.

The Seniors Centre inside the Minoru Centre for Active Living will be a second major hub throughout Culture Days, offering performing arts demonstrations alongside opportunities to meet local community groups.

This year’s Richmond Culture Days includes:

Community Exhibition: O Zone Photo Documentation Project | City of Richmond Archives at Minoru Hall Gallery | Sept. 20–Oct. 13
Exhibition: It begins with knowing and not knowing | Richmond Art Gallery | Sept. 20–29
Living Together by @leidesigner | Richmond Public Library | Sept. 20–29
Open Art Studio by Marion Webber | Brown Road Studios (MWebber Art Studio) | Multiple dates and times
REGROWTH – Art by Lion Nie | Lipont Gallery | Sept. 20–26
Harvest Culture and Celebration by @leidesigner | Richmond Public Library | Sept. 20
Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration | Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site | Sept. 20–29
Richmond Youth Battle of the Bands | Richmond Media Lab | Sept. 20
Art for Community Garden by Ming Yeung | City Centre Community Centre | Sept. 21
Canada on the Rocks by the Canadian Rock Paintings Association | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21–22
Collaborating: Tying a Quilt by Textile Arts Guild of Richmond | Richmond Arts Centre | Sept. 21
Creating: Sock Buddies for Kids by Textile Arts Guild of Richmond | Richmond Arts Centre | Sept. 21
Free Pet Portraits Service by Chung Ai Photographic Society | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21
Richmond Culture Days Opening Ceremony by City of Richmond | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21
Richmond Potters’ Club Shares Their Love of Clay | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21–22
ROCA At Culture Days Kickoff | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21–22
Rooftop Garden Series: Printmaking with Marlene Yuen by Richmond Art Gallery | Richmond Cultural Centre Rooftop Garden | Sept. 21
Teddy Bear Repair Fair by Richmond Museum | Richmond Cultural Centre Annex | Sept. 21
The Melody of Dances by Vancouver We Dance Association | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21
Timeless Tales: 40th Birthday Celebration by Gateway Theatre | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 21
Camilli String Quartet by Community Arts Council of Richmond | Steveston Town Square Park | Sept. 22
Chinese ink and brush arts by Chinese Ink & Brush Society | Richmond Cultural Centre Annex | Sept. 22
Culture Days Dance Performance by The Minoru Seniors Society | The Seniors Centre at Minoru Centre for Active Living | Sept. 22
Discover Dance Day by Defy Gravity Dance Company | Defy Gravity Dance Company | Sept. 22
Learn With LEGO at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery by Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site | Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site | Sept. 22, Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 13
Rooftop Garden Series: Tatakizome with Fernanda Mascarenhas by Richmond Art Gallery | Richmond Cultural Centre Rooftop Garden | Sept. 22
Visions of Biophilia: Cyanotype Printmaking by City of Richmond in partnership with the Richmond Nature Park Society | Richmond Nature Park | Sept. 22
An Open Rehearsal with The Richmond Community Concert Band | Ivan Franko Ukrainian Hall | Sept. 23, Oct. 7
Indigenous Author Series: An Evening with Jody Wilson-Raybould by Richmond Public Library | Richmond Cultural Centre Sept. 23
Culture Days Platinum Players by The Minoru Seniors Society | The Seniors Centre at Minoru Centre for Active Living | Sept. 24
Culture Days Yuanji Dancing by The Minoru Seniors Society | The Seniors Centre at Minoru Centre for Active Living | Sept. 24, Oct. 10
Weaving and spinning demonstration and participation by visitors by Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild | Richmond Public Library | Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9
Culture Days Joy Singing and Dancing by The Minoru Seniors Society | The Seniors Centre at Minoru Centre for Active Living | Sept. 26
CULTURE DAYS SPANISH SOCIAL by The Minoru Seniors Society | The Seniors Centre at Minoru Centre for Active Living | Sept. 26
Film Screening: Wilfred Buck by City of Richmond | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 26
Richmond Improv Presents: Try it out! | Richmond Improv Theatre Society | Thompson Community Centre | Sept. 26, Oct. 3
Art Exhibition: (Be)coming Home by Peisen Ding, 2024 Branscombe House Artist-in-Residence | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 28–Oct. 6
Express Yourself: Celebratory Gathering by Keely O’Brien | Richmond Public Library | Sept. 28
Fun With Chinese Characters by Ming Yeung | City Centre Community Centre | Sept. 28
We Are All Storytellers by Sophea Heang | Richmond Cultural Centre | Sept. 28
Richmond Carvers Showcase at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site | Murakami Boatworks, Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site | Sept. 29
Koinobori – ‘Carp Streamer’ by Ming Yeung | City Centre Community Centre | Oct. 5
Open choir rehearsal by The Richmond Singers | Broadmoor Baptist Church hall | Oct. 5
Richmond Artists Guild Gestural Life Drawing | Richmond Cultural Centre | Oct. 5
Richmond Arts Coalition’s “Roots Unearthed” Youth Art Exhibition | Richmond Cultural Centre Annex | Oct. 5
Richmond Public Art Walking Tour by Richmond Public Art | Capstan Village | Oct. 5
Visit the 60-Year-Old Transit Museum Bus at the Steveston Tram | Steveston Tram | Oct. 5
HOW NOT TO START A STORY by Annelise Schultz | Richmond Public Library | Oct. 6
The Flame Storytelling Showcase by The Gateway Theatre | Gateway Theatre | Oct. 6
I Love Wildlife by Ming Yeung | City Centre Community Centre | Oct. 12
祭作舍 SSOP Theatre Fest 2024 by Sacrificium Society of Production | Richmond Cultural Centre | Oct. 12

For a complete list of events and descriptions, visit richmond.ca/CultureDays. Advance registration may be required for some activities.

About Richmond Culture Days

Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture that takes place in late September. The event invites the public to get hands-on and go behind-the-scenes of creative communities. Richmond is recognized annually as a Top 10 participating community. In 2023, Richmond ranked third among mid-size cities and fourth overall nationally. In BC, Richmond’s vibrant arts and culture community hosted more Culture Days events than anywhere else in the province. Last year, Culture Days reported participation from a record 4.4 million people, with more than 3,000 events in 300 communities involving 1,275 organizers, making it the most attended in the organization’s history.

Social media

Facebook: @RichmondArtsCentre

Instagram: @HowArtWorks

Media release and image provided by Ines Min. Image courtesy of City of Richmond Archives, Brian Phillips photograph, #2010 22.