City of Delta
Fall is a time to re-focus, reset, and try something new! Try out a course with Yuk Yuk’s University, join Museum Movie Club, or come to one of two open mic sessions. We’ll also be in the community at Barnside Harvest Festival from September 11 - 13 and hosting the provincial launch of BC Culture Days at Hawthorne Grove Park on September 20 from 10 am - 2 pm. We hope to see you there!

In this newsletter, learn about:

Thank You, Summer Students!

Many thanks to our summer students who activated and elevated our operations and programs this year! Over the past few months you’ve likely seen Cassie overseeing our Summer Inspiration Series, Manisha leading summer camps at TAC or NDCA, Simi at Cultural Corner at Ladner Village Park or at the Discovery Centre or Iver diligently working in collections, exhibitions, and research. We appreciate all your hard work and dedication and look forward to seeing how your careers in Culture progress!

Events

BC Culture Days Launch Event

The City of Delta is excited to host the launch event for BC Culture Days this year at Hawthorne Grove Park in Ladner. The event features music, art, and performances celebrating culture in Delta.

Sunday, September 20, 10 am - 2 pm - Hawthorne Grove Park, Free, All ages

Delta Matinee Series – Borealis String Quartet

Enjoy the first of six concerts in our 2026/27 Delta Matinee Series at North Delta Centre for the Arts. Partnering with Vancouver Chamber Music Society, they are one of the leading concert presenters in the Lower Mainland, featuring world-renowned artists in local communities. This performance is Borealis String Quartet. Tickets are $25 plus tax and must be purchased on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, September 22, 1 - 2 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, $28.07

Open Stage

Entertain and be entertained. Share the stage with a variety of singers, musicians, poets, actors and dancers in this intergenerational monthly evening. Performing not your thing? Then sit back and enjoy the show! Doors open at 6:30 pm. Show starts at 7:00 pm. Light refreshments served.

Friday September 25, 7 - 9 pm - Tsawwassen Art Center, $5.00, 15+ yrs

Culture Days Edition: Friday, October 2, 7 - 9 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, Free, 15+ yrs

Family

Wild Delta - Pro D Day Family Drop In

Drop by the museum and make a salmon-themed craft inspired by the current feature exhibition, Honouring Our Grandmothers Healing Journey.

Friday, September 18, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm - Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, All ages, Free

Fall Movie Series - Top Gun: Maverick (PG)

Join us for the first movie in our 2026 Fall Movie Series. Movie: Top Gun: Maverick (PG). Popcorn is included with admission. Tickets must be purchased in advance or at the door. Limited seating is available.

Friday, September 18, 7 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, $5

Children

Discovery Tots

Toddle down to the museum for songs, story time, crafts and sensory play. Care givers and their tots will have fun in a safe, engaging space while making connections with other young families.

Fridays, September 25 - December 18, 9:45 - 10:30am - Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, Registration Required, 18 to 36 months, $96

Build a Walking Robot & Other Machines

Have you ever watched a robot walk and wondered — how does that actually work? Week by week, your young innovator will explore a brand-new machine, uncovering the science behind how things move — gears, motors, pulleys, stored energy — the same ideas that inspire builders and inventors like Mark Rober.

Tuesdays, September 22 - October 20, 3:30-5 pm - Tsawwassen Art Center, 6 - 9 years, $245

Thursdays, September 24 - October 22, 3:30-5:00pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, 6 - 9 years, $245

Bots vs Bots: Ultimate Robot Soccer

Get ready for the most exciting robotics program of the year. In this hands-on course, students design, build, and engineer their very own robot using VEX IQ — then take it onto the field to compete in a real 2v2 robot soccer league.

Tuesdays, September 22 - October 20, 5:15-6:45 pm - Tsawwassen Art Center, 7 - 14 years, $295

Thursdays, September 24 - October 22, 5:15-6:45 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, 7 - 14 years, $295

Adult

Museum Movie Club - We Were Children

This documentary shares the experiences of two residential school survivors and explores the lasting impact of Canada’s residential school system. The movie runs 6 -7:30pm with a short discussion from 7:30 - 8 pm.

Thursday, September 10, 6 - 8 pm - Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, Free, 13+ yrs

Adult Paint Night-Fall Into Motion

Enjoy a fun, casual atmosphere surrounded by like-minded adults, as we dive into the world of paint nights! There will be a new theme every month. Classes will include all the supplies and materials needed. You’ll be led by one of our Visual Arts instructors step by step, and we promise no one will be left behind.

Friday, October 2, 7 - 9 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, 18+ years, $35

Friday, October 2, 7 - 9 pm - Tsawwassen Art Center, 18+ years, $35

New Comedy Class this Fall – Yuk Yuk's University

Yuk Yuk’s University provides an introductory class taught by professional stand-up comedian Brett Martin. This engaging seven-week course culminates in the grand finale Yuk Yuk’s University Showcase at the North Delta Centre of the Arts theatre, where your friends and family can watch you shine on stage in front of a live audience.

Wednesdays, October 14 – December 9, 7 - 9:45 pm - North Delta Centre for the Arts, 18+ years, $375

Seasonal

Halloween Spooktacular

Halloween is almost here, come and create some spooktacular Halloween inspired multi-media art pieces in this 5-week specialty class. Learn how to draw Tim Burton style self-portraits, make plaster wrapped eyeballs, create a Bonus Dia De Muertos painted skeletons and more.

Saturdays, September 26 - October 31, 12:30-1:30pm  Tsawwassen Art Center, 5 - 7 years, $75

Saturdays, September 26 - October 31, 2:-3:15 pm - Tsawwassen Art Center, 8 - 14 years, $75

Fridays, September 25 – October 30, 4 - 5 pm - North Delta Recreation Centre, 5 - 7 years, $75

Fridays, September 25 – October 30, 5:15 - 6:30 pm - North Delta Recreation Centre, 8 - 14 years, $93.75

Pro-D Days

Something's Fishy – Pro-D Day Camp

Join us as we explore the incredible life cycle of salmon and the role they play in the history of Delta. We’ll have a day of hands-on fun with games, arts and crafts, and museum exploration.

Friday, September 18, 9 am – 3:30 pm - Douglas J. Husband Discovery Centre, Registration Required, 6 - 9 years, $46

Archives Update

This summer has been a good one for the Delta Archives' oral history collection. We have recently made connections with members of Sher Pride, a 2SLGBTQIA+ organization based in North Delta. We will be interviewing members of the organization about their involvement in Sher and their personal histories. The first interview was done in mid-August with Amar Sangha and his mother Jaspal Kaur Sangha. More interviews are scheduled for September.

Work has also been done in making archival descriptions for the Reagh Family Fonds. The Reagh's history in Delta started with John Reagh, the owner of Delta's first shoe store. The fonds documents John, his son and daughter-in-law Wallace and Catherine, and their children Jessie and Jack. We have also added more to our Tour de Delta photos and records that cover the history of the community event from its beginnings in 2001 to the mid-2010s. Please check out either of these collections of records on our database if they are of interest to you.

Delta Archives, 2016-012-414. Carte de visite portrait of John Reagh.

Heritage Highlight

DE2002.2.1, Berry Picker, courtesy of the Delta Heritage Society

Chinese Canadian farm workers used berry pickers like this to harvest blueberries or cranberries from low lying bushes at the Honeyman farm in East Delta. The metal prongs would pull berries off the bushes and into the cloth bag attached. The Honeyman family farmed the land from 1903 until 1960. They employed many Chinese Canadian labourers to work in the fields or in and around their home. Ah Lim was one such worker who was paid $20 a month by the Honeyman’s for summer field work in 1903. This specific berry picker is one of many objects recently photographed for interactive fun at the Heritage Pavilion at the Barnside Harvest Festival grounds from September 11 to 13, 2026. Join us at the Pavilion to play games, and learn more about Delta’s Harvest history.

Exhibitions

Honouring our Grandmothers Healing Journey July 3 - September 20, 2026

Join us at the Harris Barn on September 20, 2026, for the closing ceremony as the Chest continues its journey back home.

Closing Reception:

Sunday, September 20, 10 am – 2 pm - Harris Barn

This summer, the Community Elements Chest was on display at the Discovery Centre, Delta’s Museum, as part of Nadine Spence’s Honouring Our Grandmothers Healing Journey project. https://sacredrock.ca/

Nadine is a Naka’pamux and Secwepemc mother, grandmother and artist. Her project brings together generations of Indigenous people along the Fraser and Thompson River watersheds.

Barnside Harvest Festival Booth-Harvesting Delta

Stop by the Douglas J. Husband Discovery Zone at the Barnside Harvest Festival and discover the land, water, tools, people, and pollinators shaping harvests in this interactive exhibition.

Event Hours

  • September 11, 4-8:30 pm
  • September 12, 12-8:30 pm
  • September 13, 12-8:30 pm

We will have lots of Harvest fun and games for the whole family! See you there!

https://www.barnsideharvestfest.com/

Culture Days Community Art Contest

Don’t miss your chance to submit to the Culture Days Community Art Contest! Deadline is September 4, 2026

Calling all Delta artists from budding to professional! It is time to showcase your creativity and passion for Delta's community through our Culture Days Art Contest. This year's theme will be "Exploring Life in a Rural Setting." We are looking for pieces of art inspired by Delta’s natural and cultivated environments. Don’t miss this opportunity to submit your art and showcase your interpretation of Delta’s landscapes, gardens, greenhouses, or farms.

Learn more and submit your masterpiece here! 

Join us at the Culture Days Launch Event at Harris Barn and cast your vote for your favourite submission!

The top 10 submissions will be displayed at the Culture Days Launch Event at Harris Barn on September 20, 2026, from 10am to 2pm.

Cultural Community Spotlight

Delta works with great cultural community partners. Visit their websites to find out what they are up to.

Questions? Email  culturalservices@delta.ca . Learn more at Delta.ca/CulturalServices  or follow the City of Delta on social media: