A festival by the community,
for the community.
Where folks in our community come forward to share their knowledge, voices, traditions, and truths, honouring the land we’re on as our “classroom”, honouring the places we’re from for the wisdom they’ve given us.
Well, that was fun!
This year’s Festival felt different (in a good way). Yes, we had a name change, but there was also something that just landed better this year. When it comes to great experiences, sometimes you don’t want to mess with them by trying to understand them better (e.g. does it really matter why that cookie was the best cookie you’ve ever tasted?). But sometimes, reflecting on magical experiences is an important way to learn how to respect them and, if appropriate, sustain them.
We want Connect Fest to be special every time it happens, so: here are my top three guesses about why this year’s Connect Fest was special:
- It was the first year we were fully back to all (but one) in-person events. And some of these events were huge, involving hundreds of people. People loved these—many of our visitors and event partners have now told us that we should focus on more large-scale, multi-vendor events. I think this is a great direction, what about you?
- After nine years, we have a solid and consistent team of community-engaged advisors, event producers, and academics who are personally and professionally engaged in making the world a better place. These folks (some of whom are pictured below) deserve all the props (and more)!
- And my personal favourite: we featured way more food and culture this year. Burnaby is super diverse—it is such a gift to learn about our neighbourhoods by going to them and being welcomed by those who live there. I hope our festival can root even more deeply in the Burnaby community next year!
Speaking of next year, I am already collecting feedback and reflections in anticipation. Please add your voice to the upcoming plan by sharing your experiences with us. Tell us what you want more of or less of, or what you would love to see, by emailing me directly: tara_flynn@sfu.ca
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Tara Flynn, Festival Director
Event gallery
Photo credits: Sarah Race Photography & Janet Yan
Event highlights
Connect Fest event recap: Lamenting for Ukraine w/ Pickle Underground was simply amazing! It included dialogue, performance art and live music at the Shadbolt Theatre on Sunday April 28th. pic.twitter.com/BtQghjlaVd
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 2, 2024
Connect Fest event recap: Lisa Codd, Daniel Chen, Donna Wong and Jeff Wong shared their stories at this film screening. @cityofburnaby made this inspiring, moving and informative film possible.@sfucentral #chinesehistory pic.twitter.com/LKmA5VoTA3
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 2, 2024
Connect Fest event recap: @cityhivevan engaged in sharing climate action stories on Sunday, April 28th. @sfucentral pic.twitter.com/gJwhODN0fv
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 1, 2024
Connect Fest event recap: @stillmoonarts hosted a lovely afternoon event on Sunday 28th where they shared stories about our relationship to water followed with a natural dye workshop. pic.twitter.com/MxNSzD4d6o
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 1, 2024
Connect Fest event recap: @osnvancouver teamed up with @scienceworldca, Ocean Networks Canada and @geneskool to host a Science Event at Byrne Creek School on Saturday 27th. pic.twitter.com/dTCBswVaov
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 1, 2024
That’s a wrap on @connectfestbby! Thanks to @SFU, our community members & volunteers who shared their knowledge & skills with us over the last 5 days. Thanks to today’s presenting sponsor - @BurnabyBOT & @daiyafoods - & all the other sponsors for such a successful festival!🥳🫶⭐️ pic.twitter.com/cclRccWxDE
— Burnaby Mayor's Office (@MayorofBurnaby) May 1, 2024
Connect Fest event recap: The Daybreak Climate Game was held at BCIT and hosted by Abhirami Senthilkumaran. @bcitlib @sfucentral pic.twitter.com/YLMPTWTrES
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 1, 2024
Edmonds Community Connector brought 7 events together in 1! @SocialPurposeIn @CityofBurnaby @burnabyschools pic.twitter.com/BypiQsQqNp
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) May 1, 2024
The rain didn't stop the crowd of people who showed up to assist in painting the Pursue Peace mural. Such a fun day organized by Natalie @makersandmurals as part of the Edmonds Community Connector. Special thanks to @unitedway_bc@cityofburnaby pic.twitter.com/FkXggJElpd
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) April 30, 2024
This incredible event started with a tour of @vanfoodbank then a cooking class in their beautiful kitchen! So much to learn about what goes into running this organization and the hard work all the volunteers do to assist families in our community. @embarksustain @cityofburnaby pic.twitter.com/bh8Zf6Ws8o
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) April 30, 2024
Finishing the #walk30challenge strong with @stoneycreekcs this morning . The @connectfestbby Poetry in Motion was a great addition to our nature walk! @burnabyschools @Walk30Challenge #bced #burnaby pic.twitter.com/NbPpVz8hPH
— Kristin Schnider (she/her) (@KristinSchnider) April 30, 2024
Pok and Khoa put together a meaningful presentation that told the stories of the Boat People. Their event was held on Sunday at the @burnabyvillage Carousel room.@sfucentral @cityofburnaby pic.twitter.com/93pVRsUEOi
— Connect Fest (@connectfestbby) April 30, 2024