The City of Surrey welcomes residents and visitors to 21 venues across the city for the 5th annual Surrey Doors Open event this Saturday June 18.
Offering a behind-the-scenes experience of Surrey’s culture, history, art, and architecture, this free community event ‘opens the doors’ to exhibitions, family activities and community venues, including parks, public works facilities, museums, and recreation centres.
“Surrey enjoys a rich, diverse cultural fabric that makes our city unique,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “Surrey Doors Open celebrates this diversity and fosters an appreciation for the people and places that make Surrey a great place to live.”
Participating venues are offering a variety of free activities including guided tours, demonstrations, food, live entertainment and children’s activities. ‘Community Hub’ locations, which are venues that comprise multiple exhibitors and activities, include Surrey Operations Centre, Veterans Square and Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre. City Hall and City Centre Library will also be opening their doors.
“I hope residents and visitors will take the opportunity to attend Surrey Doors Open,” said Councillor Judy Villeneuve, Chair of the Culture Development Advisory Committee. “It represents a wonderful community effort; one that brings people together to explore and share history and experiences.”
The inspiration for Surrey Doors Open stems from origins in France where the first Doors Open event (La Journee Portes Ouvertes) took place in 1984. The idea soon spread to neighbouring countries and has since expanded around the globe.
Surrey Doors Open runs from 10am to 3pm (opening ceremony at 12:30pm at the Surrey Operations Centre). Free hop-on, hop-off trolleys are available on routes through Cloverdale, Grandview Heights and Newton. Event-goers can take part in two contests; contest details and event information can be found by visiting the Doors Open website at www.surrey.ca/doorsopen