Day of Play: New Courts, New Energy at Willingdon Park

Saturday, June 27th brought a full day of basketball, food trucks, and community to Burnaby, marking the opening of new sport courts through a partnership between the City of Burnaby and Buckets & Borders. The transformation is hard to miss — bold, colourful court surfacing that turned an ordinary rec space into something kids were drawn to from across the park.

The day started at 11am with basketball camps, art and recreation activities, and the wading pool opening, with free Rocky Point ice cream while it lasted. By early afternoon, the courts were full — camps running, tournament games underway, and a steady mix of families moving between the food trucks and the sidelines.

At 1pm, an official welcome brought together Knowledge Keeper Edward Hall of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Nation, Buckets & Borders CEO Justin Lee, and local representatives, before the basketball tournament finals kicked off at 1:30. The event wrapped at 4pm, but the courts will keep getting used long after — that’s really the point of a project like this.

Projects like this are what a stronger Burnaby looks like: new public space, built with community partners, actually being used the day it opens.