Birthday Parties

May to September: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturdays or Sundays.
October to April: 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturdays or Sundays.

Join an Ecology Centre naturalist for an exciting birthday program in Lynn Canyon Park. Discover the temperate rainforest on a guided nature walk and then take a closer look at what we find under our special magnifier. After the program you will have use of the outdoor covered picnic table for food that you provide. Alternatively, you can add on the option to use the indoor party room. Birthday parties run for one hour with a naturalist, and one hour for your own food and cake.

Birthday themes are best suited for children ages 4 to 9. Maximum 10 children.

Schedule

October to April

12:30 pm Birthday Family Arrives

12:45 pm Guests Arrive

1:00 pm Indoor Introduction

1:15 pm Outdoor Guided Nature Walk

1:45 pm Indoor Conclusion

2:00 – 3:00 pm Your own Food/Cake/Games at the outdoor undercover picnic table

  • Optional add on: indoor party room from 2:00 – 3:00 pm instead of the outdoor picnic table (+$60 plus tax)

Schedule

May to September

10:00 am Birthday Family Arrives

10:15 am Guests Arrive

10:30 am Indoor Introduction

10:45 am Outdoor Guided Nature Walk

11:15 am Indoor Conclusion

11:30 – 12:30 pm Your own Food/Cake/Games at the outdoor undercover picnic table

  • Optional add on: indoor party room from 11:30 – 12:30 pm instead of the outdoor picnic table (+$60 plus tax)

Schedule

May to September

10:00 am Birthday Family Arrives

10:15 am Guests Arrive

10:30 am Indoor Introduction

10:45 am Outdoor Guided Nature Walk

11:15 am Indoor Conclusion

11:30 – 12:30 pm Your own Food/Cake/Games at the outdoor undercover picnic table

Schedule

October to April

12:30 pm Birthday Family Arrives

12:45 pm Guests Arrive

1:00 pm Indoor Introduction

1:15 pm Outdoor Guided Nature Walk

1:45 pm Indoor Conclusion

2:00 – 3:00 pm Your own Food/Cake/Games

  • Nov-March: upstairs room at the cafe
  • April-Oct: outdoor undercover picnic table

Payment Details

  • 2024 Fees: $195.00 plus tax. Optional add on: indoor party room: +$60.00 plus tax.
  • Cancellation: we require two weeks notice for a full refund less a $30 administration fee.
  • Family Membership holders get 15% off birthday parties, please use the code sent to you by email.

Themes

Dino Adventure

For ages 4 to 6. Are you Dino-crazy!? Go on a hunt for dinosaur fossils, search for ancient plants and then view what you’ve found under our magnifier.

Dino Adventure

For ages 4 to 6. Are you Dino-crazy!? Go on a hunt for dinosaur fossils, search for ancient plants and then view what you’ve found under our magnifier.

Rainforest Ramble

For ages 4 to 9. Learn about the plants and animals living in the temperate rainforest. On our nature walk, your nature guide we will show you how to find your favourite forest animals and plants to view up close!

Rainforest Ramble

For ages 4 to 9. Learn about the plants and animals living in the temperate rainforest. On our nature walk, your nature guide we will show you how to find your favourite forest animals and plants to view up close!

Insectimania!

For ages 4 to 9. Learn about insects living in the temperate rainforest. Search for these tiny inhabitants with your nature guide in Lynn Canyon Park and see them super close with our magnifier!

Insectimania!

For ages 4 to 9. Learn about insects living in the temperate rainforest. Search for these tiny inhabitants with your nature guide in Lynn Canyon Park and see them super close with our magnifier!

Creatures of the Creek

For ages 4 to 9. March to October only. Discover the big and small creatures that live in our local creeks. Join your nature guide in Lynn Canyon Park and then view the small creatures up close using our powerful magnifier!

*This program is not stroller accessible and requires participants to go down many stairs to access the creek.

Creatures of the Creek

For ages 4 to 9. March to October only. Discover the big and small creatures that live in our local creeks. Join your nature guide in Lynn Canyon Park and then view the small creatures up close using our powerful magnifier!

Birthday Party FAQ

You can check-in at the Ecology Centre 30 minutes before the birthday party begins. The outdoor undercover picnic area will be reserved for your use. If you have paid extra for the indoor party room, that space will be available to set up 30 minutes before the party.

We recommend asking guests to arrive 15 minutes early, to ensure they find parking and meet at the Ecology Centre. The party begins at 1:00 pm from October to April and 10:30 am from May to September. The program segment with our naturalist runs for 1 hour. After that, the party space (either picnic tables or indoor room) is available for 1 hour for cake, food, present-opening, etc.

Food is not allowed to be eaten inside the Ecology Centre during the first hour of the programming.

The second hour of the party is for your own food/presents. We do not supply birthday items (food, cutlery, plates, knife for cutting the cake, napkins, or cups, etc.). There is no access to a refrigerator or freezer. We strive to minimize waste – if you can, please bring reusable or compostable plates and cutlery.

As an Ecology Centre, we aim to minimize waste. Please consider bringing reusable or upcycled decorations such as banners or bunting.

For use of the indoor room, you cannot use any adhesives or pins on the walls besides painter’s tape.

Please do not bring balloons into the park.

The party is for a maximum of 10 children, including the birthday child and any siblings, during the one hour of programming. At least one adult must be present during the program and we recommend no more than 10 adults join in the programming as the group gets too large. Attending adults are responsible for child supervision.

For the second hour of the party, the undercover picnic area booked for you can seat 10 children. There is a larger picnic area which you can book separately with the NVRC if you wish to have more people after our programming. If you have added on the indoor party room it can hold a maximum of 25 people seated.

There is pay parking from March 1 to October 31 and it costs $3 per hour for a maximum of 4 hours. It is payable by credit card at the outside kiosks or on the HangTag app. 

From March 1 to October 31, the birthday family may park one vehicle in our staff parking area, located at the North end of the upper parking lot.  Please come into the Ecology Centre when you arrive to get your one complimentary parking pass to display on your vehicle dashboard.

Guests may park in the upper or lower parking lots. Guests can also pick up and drop off in the 5 min drop-off area at the North end of the upper parking lot.

Read our accessibility statement, to learn more about the accessibility of our programs, building and Lynn Canyon Park. Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns or feedback.

Part of our birthday programs include a nature hike. Programs run rain or shine. In case of severe weather (lightning, high winds), we will adapt the program to be more indoors for the naturalist’s part. Please dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate layers. The forest is often cooler than you might expect.

Outdoor Picnic Tables:

Please leave the picnic area clean and tidy. There are garbage bins in the park, but we suggest you bring your recycling and green waste home.

Indoor Party Room:

We ask that you do a quick clean-up after your birthday. A broom, dust pan, garbage bin and recycling bin is provided in the upper room at the cafe. Please consider bringing your green waste home with you to compost.

The upper room is booked for a set amount of time, and this time includes clean-up. If you would like to extend this time, it costs $30 per hour.

If you need to cancel your birthday party booking, we require two weeks notice for a full refund less $30 administration fee.

Alternate Options

Self-Guided Programs

Looking for a party option that can accommodate more children? We have our Eye Spy and Eco Quest self-guided programs which include a scavenger hunt inside the Ecology Centre and our Forest Quest self-guided program that leads your group out in the park on the Twin Falls Loop trail. Our self-guided programs can have a maximum of 30 children plus adults. Cost is $3 per child.

Eye Spy

Suitable for ages 3 to 6 – 30 minute self-guided Ecology Centre tour

Go on a scavenger hunt to discover nature pictures hidden in the Ecology Centre displays.

Optional: enjoy a short nature film in our theatre.

Eco Quest

Suitable for ages 7 to 12 –
45 minute self-guided Ecology Centre tour

Go on a quest for nature knowledge! The Eco Quest takes your students through the Ecology Centre’s displays. Get interactive with our displays as you find the answers to the scavenger hunt questions and decode the secret message.

Optional: enjoy a short nature film in our theatre.

Forest Quest

Suitable for ages 7 to 12 –
1.5 hour self-guided rainforest tour

Take your group on an adventure along the Twin Falls Loop Trail that combines a treasure hunt and ecology knowledge! Led by clues and a forest map, your group will decode the mysteries of temperate rainforest plants and animals, searching for the secret of life in the rainforest. You’ll also have a chance to view forest life up close with our amazing projector!

Please go to our Group Programs for Children page for more information and fill out the inquiry form if you are interested in booking.

Room Rental

Want to host your own birthday party, but need an indoor space to do so? We rent out the upper room in the Lynn Canyon Cafe. This room can hold 40 people classroom/theatre style or 25 people around tables. Please go to our Room Rental page for more information and fill out the inquiry form if you are interested in booking.

Our guided birthday parties include the option to add on this indoor room rental instead of using the picnic shelter.

Picnic Shelter Booking

Alternatively, you can book the undercover picnic tables located in Lynn Canyon Park through the North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission (NVRC). The picnic shelters are located between the upper and lower parking lots. The larger picnic shelter can accommodate up to 60 people and the smaller picnic shelter can accommodate up to 20 people.

Our guided birthday parties include the use of smaller picnic shelter, unless you add on the option for our indoor party room.