Home show builds on its strengths
Mainstage lineup new twist to trade exhibition later this month at B.C. Place Stadium
Clear your calendar: The B.C. Home + Garden Show is returning next week, showcasing everything you need for your home, both indoors and out.
This year marks the 47th annual running of the show, which takes place Feb. 21 to 25 at B.C. Place Stadium.
While the event prides itself on having something for everyone, every year there is something new to be excited about, says Tyson Kidd, show manager for Marketplace Events. In 2018, that includes the lineup of mainstage speakers, several of whom are taking part for the first time.
“Brian McCourt and Sarah Keenleyside, they have this cool, young, fresh energy and they work together so well — you see it on their show (HGTV’s Backyard Builds),” Kidd says. “Then there’s Danielle Bryk, who has such a unique skill set as both a designer and a contractor — we’re very lucky to have her.”
This year’s show promises to be the biggest one yet, featuring more than 425 exhibitors, as well as the Portobello West marketplace, popular Ask an Expert booth, a Tiny Home Village and a lineup of speakers that includes local designers Sarah Gallop and Jamie Bamfield.
The show also gets social-media buzz through design challenges for local media and celebrities. This year, the Great Crate Challenge asks participants to re-imagine the purpose of the humble wooden crate with touches that speak to their own personalities and design esthetics. The finished projects will be auctioned off to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
In this year’s feature gardens, container and small-space gardening get special attention with additional thought paid to conservation and drought prevention. Meanwhile, expert and rookie gardeners alike can seek advice directly from green thumbs like master gardener Brian Minter of Chilliwack’s Minter Country Garden, landscaping expert Carson Arthur of HGTV’s Home to Win and Leanne Johnson of GardenWorks.
As for Kidd, he has his eye on a new product from Patch Planters: A self-watering planter made out of Tyvek that’s small enough to pop on a windowsill or even a desk.
“I grew up on an acreage in Alberta and my parents had a 5,000-squarefoot garden with every vegetable you can imagine,” Kidd says with a laugh. “I used to grab carrots and peas out of there — it would be nice to have something like that again!”
For tickets and information, visit bchomeandgardenshow.com.