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People can visit Britannia Shipyards in-person as part of this year’s Doors Open Richmond event in early June.

Photo courtesy Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site

Doors Open Richmond returns this spring as an in-person event

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 12:07 PDT, Tue May 3, 2022

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Doors Open Richmond returns in June for its 15th year, bringing both in-person and online event options to locals.

All in-person activities will take place on June 4 and 5, and will be complemented by virtual content available from June 2 to 5. This year’s edition features 35 sites representing the city’s cultural diversity and rich heritage, including 21 that will welcome visitors in-person. Five sites are participating for the first time.

“Richmond is one of the most diverse cities in Canada, with more than 60 per cent of residents born outside of the country,” says Jaeden Dela Torre, vice-chair of the Richmond Museum Society. “Doors Open Richmond is a chance to celebrate this diversity and a way to bring together the many communities that comprise the city. The event offers the public an inclusive platform to become more familiar with our local businesses, organizations, museums, places of worship, and more. Doors Open Richmond celebrates the very essence that makes this city a welcoming place to live.”

The in-person program offers visitors a wide range of activities. Saint Germain Bakery, one of this year’s new sites, will give tours of its central facility where cakes and pastries are produced. Tours will conclude with sample tastings.

Richmond Media Lab will show how to bring drawings and figurines to life using the magic of stop-motion technology. Visitors can experience a day in the life of a firefighter at Fire Hall #1, Richmond’s largest and busiest fire hall, with hands-on activities and demonstrations. Family-run restaurant Anar Persian Cuisine will offer an introduction to Persian food, customs, and traditions.

A special shuttle tour will be available on June 4 taking visitors to various places of worship along No. 5 Road, also known as the “Highway to Heaven.” The tour will stop at the Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre, Lingyen Mountain Temple, and the Richmond Jamia Mosque.

Most in-person programs require advance registration, with a select number of sites offering drop-in activities. Visitors can plan their weekend in advance by visiting richmondmuseum.ca/doors-open for more information.

The online component of Doors Open Richmond will be available from June 2 on the Richmond Museum’s website, richmondmuseum.ca/doors-open. Highlights include new videos that offer an inside look at the important work of Immigrant Services Society of BC and The Kehila Society, a partnership of Jewish communal organizations.

“We’ve been in operation since 1999, but this will be our first ever Doors Open Richmond,” says Lynne Fader, co-executive director of The Kehila Society. “We can’t wait to connect with the broader public, and showcase the relationships we’ve built across the city with those in the Jewish community and beyond.”

Doors Open Richmond 2022 sites

In-Person

• Anar Persian Cuisine

• Artefact Storage Facility for City of Richmond

• Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre (drop-in programming)

• Branscombe House

• Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site

• Fire Hall #1 (drop-in programming)

• Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site

• Lingyen Mountain Temple (Canada)

• Richmond Art Gallery (drop-in programming)

• Richmond City Hall

• Richmond Eastern Catholic Church

• Richmond Jamia Mosque (Sunni Muslim Congregation)

• Richmond Media Lab (drop-in programming)

• Richmond Museum (drop-in programming)

• Richmond Public Art

• Richmond Public Library (drop-in programming)

• Richmond RCMP - City Centre Community Police Office (drop-in programming)

• Saint Germain Bakery Central Facility [NEW]

• Steveston Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (drop-in programming)

• The Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency [NEW]

• Vancouver International Buddhist Progress Society

Online

• Fairchild Radio AM1470 & FM96.1

• Fairchild TV & Talentvision

• Immigrant Services Society of BC [NEW]

• London Farm Heritage Site

• Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple

• Richmond Caring Place Society

• Richmond Family Place Society

• Richmond Olympic Experience

• Scotch Pond Heritage Site

• Sea Island Heritage Society

• Steveston Japanese Buddhist Temple

• Steveston Tram

• S.U.C.C.E.S.S Richmond Service Centre [NEW]

• The Kehila Society of Richmond [NEW]

Established in 2008, Doors Open Richmond is the longest-running Doors Open event in British Columbia. The local event is part of the Doors Open Canada program supported by the City of Richmond, Public Art Richmond, Richmond Heritage Commission, the BC Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada. The event is organized by the Richmond Museum Society.