9 things to do in the Fraser Valley this March

March holds the promise of a new season, and the hope that spring is around the corner and sunny days are not far behind.

The potentially warmer weather also a reminder that taxes are due and responsibilities are not far away.

This month, we’ve compiled events from across the valley to help you celebrate the coming arrival of spring, and tackle the more mundane chores of everyday life too.

We’ve also collected a number of spring break camps for school-age kids across the Fraser Valley. You can find those here.

Langley

This month, Langley is getting down to business with tax help for residents, celebrating global cultures through art, and making a pink foray into Broadway musicals.

Tax support

You can’t go out to play until your chores are done. March means the start of tax season, and Langley’s libraries are hosting a variety of workshops to help you get those documents filed on time.

The City of Langley Library has partnered with the Fraser Valley Taiwanese Society to help low-income families file their taxes throughout the month of March and into April. Volunteers will be on site to help navigate the process on Saturdays. Registration is required: you can contact Sandy Shih (604-779-3515 or [email protected]) or Daniel Wei (236-996-8350 or [email protected]) to do so.

The Murrayville Library is also partnering with the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia to share three lectures on taxes and retirement savings. Sessions in the first week of March will cover effective tax strategies, planning for retirement, and the details of filing a tax return.

Celebration of Cultures

The Langley Arts Council is bringing the world to Aldergrove with its musical and artistic Celebration of Cultures. Each Saturday, the arts council will feature live performances, workshops, and artisan markets.

Boris Sichon, who we profiled in our story about Mission’s Recychestra project, will be in Aldergrove on Saturday, March 15 with his collection of instruments from around the world. He’ll be bringing a Ukrainian bagpipe, Eastern European flutes, the Middle Eastern dumbek, the Australian didgeridoo, the Indian tabla, the Turkish gong, Irish bones, and the Ukrainian xylophone. You can read our story about Boris here.

The full list of workshops—which include ones on highland dancing, Caribbean rhythm, and Indigenous plant medicine—is available online. Registration is required, and tickets are by donation.

Mean Girls on Broadway

You can stop trying to make fetch happen—the Broadway version of Mean Girls is coming to Langley’s Chief Sepass Theatre from Thursday, March 20 to Saturday, March 22.

The PLAY Society, a local youth theatre group, will bring the musical to life. Although there are no performances on Wednesdays, audience members are encouraged to wear pink for a night of nostalgia and entertainment. Most shows begin at 7pm, although there is one 2pm matinee on the Saturday.

Details and tickets are available online.

Abbotsford-Mission

In Abbotsford and Mission, this March is a good month to gear up with video games, stretch out with local yoga, and laugh along with a community play.

Spring LAN Gaming Night

Get your computer and get ready to be locked in for a night of community gaming.

Abbotsford’s Red Eye Gaming Lounge hosts a LAN (local area network) party starting at 7:30pm on Friday, March 14 and going until 5am the following morning. The internet-café-style space will have computers gamers can use, or you can bring your own. The in-house computers have more than 150 games installed, and the night will be filled with competition—and post-midnight pizza.

There are no in-and-out privileges, and event attendees under 16 will need to have a parent or guardian sign a waiver. Casual and competitive players are welcome. More details and registration are available online.

Open Space Yoga

Enjoy a midweek reset on Wednesday, March 5 at Abbotsford’s Open Space. Local yoga instructor Jess Hart is offering a yoga class for all abilities at the downtown community space. The classes usually take place every Wednesday, but are only available once in March. If you miss the March class, you can pick up with the yoga sessions again in April.

Hart is donating her time for the class, and the $10 fee will be donated to Archway Community Services. You should bring a water bottle and yoga mat. Registration is available online.

Welcome to Paradise

Mission’s Opening Nite Theatre welcomes you to paradise with its warm, witty, and thought-provoking play about unconventional friendships and generational divides.

Welcome to Paradise runs over two weekends in March: from Friday, March 7 to Sunday, March 9 and from Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 16. The performances will take place at Pekw’xe:yles Chapel on Lougheed Highway in Mission, with tickets available online, via [email protected], or at the door.

The Current wrote about Opening Nite Theatre’s recent challenges in finding performance space last November, and also interviewed the theatre’s president Camille Atebe about being a professional actor based in Mission.

Eastern Fraser Valley

In Chilliwack and beyond, the coming month is a time to take to the mountains, the craft table, and the sky.

Patrol like a Girl

Gear up like a girl. Girls aged eight and up are invited to Manning Park to learn mountain safety skills and first aid knowledge on Saturday, March 8.

The full-day program is offered by the women of Manning Park’s Ski Patrol community who will cover topics like first aid, avalanche basics, toboggan handling, snowmobile safety, and more. Attendees will get to meet peers who love skiing and snowboarding, and find female mentors who share their passion.

The event runs from 8:30am to 3pm, and registration is available online.

Finger Weaving: Weaving Through Time

Take a step back into history and learn the art of finger weaving at the Art Machine in Hope on Saturday, March 22.

Instructor Eloi Homier will be on site to share his knowledge of French Canadian and Metis finger weaving—a skill has mostly been replaced by mechanical looms. Participants will learn how to make a sash, which historically was used to carry heavy packs, haul canoes, and act as a symbol of the French Canadian and Metis People.

Lisa Berry will also attend the workshop to give a brief history of Métis culture. Participants will get to bring home their sash, and get light refreshments during the workshop.

More details about the workshop are available online. Registration is required, and tickets are just under $60 a person.

Free admission to the HR MacMillan Space Centre

If you are willing and able to make the drive out to Vancouver, you could have the chance to enjoy the planetarium for free. The HR MacMillan Space Centre is hosting a free community day for residents of Agassiz and Hope on Saturday, March 29. Residents can sign up for their free ticket online, and will need to show proof of residence at the door. (If you want to go, sign up soon. Free tickets for Chilliwack and Abbotsford residents sold out quickly.)

Unfortunately, if you don’t have a car, taking transit to the space centre will take you more than three hours. So if you still want to embrace the night sky, but can’t get all the way to Vancouver, the HR MacMillan Space Centre is visiting the valley’s libraries several days this month. Science educators from the planetarium will be at the Mission Library on Tuesday, March 18, at the Murrayville and City of Langley libraries on Friday, March 21, at the Abbotsford and Clearbrook libraries on Saturday, March 22, at the Agassiz and Chilliwack libraries on Tuesday, March 25, at the Sardis and Yarrow libraries on Wednesday, March 26, and at the Aldergrove Library on Thursday, March 27.

Registration is required for all of those events, which you can find in the links above. (You can also borrow a telescope from the Fraser Valley Regional Library, if you can’t make it to the workshop but still want to enjoy the night sky.)

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