Surrey has more free things to do than most people expect, and they are spread across the whole city, from the beaches and forests of South Surrey to the museums and galleries of City Centre and Cloverdale. Every item below is free to enter or take part in, and where something is only partly free, or free with conditions, that is said plainly. A few attractions charge for extras, like the miniature train at Bear Creek Park, but the core experience costs nothing.

At a glance

Museum of Surrey, Cloverdale: free local history museum with an Indigenous Hall and a hands-on kids zone
Surrey Art Gallery, Bear Creek Park: free contemporary art, always free admission and free parking
Historic Stewart Farm, South Surrey: free 1894 farmhouse and heritage park on the Nicomekl River
Crescent Beach: free sandy beach with a 2.7 km beachfront path and free parking
Bear Creek Park: free 152-acre park with trails, gardens, playground, spray park and skate park
Redwood Park: free forested park with the Fairy Forest and the largest redwood stand north of the 49th parallel
Holland Park, City Centre: free urban park with gardens, amphitheatre and festival grounds
Surrey Fusion Festival, Holland Park: free multicultural festival each July
Darts Hill Garden Park: donation-based botanical garden, open April to September only
Surrey Nature Centre and Green Timbers Urban Forest: free nature centre and old-growth forest trails
Surrey Libraries programs: free storytimes, movie nights, classes and events at ten branches

Parks and trails

Bear Creek Park

Bear Creek Park is a 152-acre family park at 13750 88 Avenue, with forest trails, gardens, a large playground, a spray park, a seasonal outdoor pool, sports fields, a running track, a skate park and a dog off-leash area. Entry and parking are free, and the trails, playground, spray park and gardens cost nothing. The miniature train and 18-hole mini golf are paid, about $7 per person each in 2026, or about $10 for a combo, and the train runs seasonally, roughly Easter to early October plus holiday events. Check the City page for current pool hours before you go.

Redwood Park (the Fairy Forest)

Redwood Park, at 17900 20 Avenue in South Surrey, is a forested park with the largest stand of redwood trees north of the 49th parallel, more than 5 km of nature trails, a playground, a replica treehouse and a whimsical fairy forest clearing full of tiny painted fairy houses. Entry and parking are free, and the park is open year-round.

Holland Park

Holland Park, at 13428 Old Yale Road in City Centre, across from Central City and near King George SkyTrain station, is Surrey’s central urban park, with gardens, an amphitheatre, a fountain, sports fields and a playground. Entry is free. It hosts the city’s biggest free festivals, including the Surrey Fusion Festival. Festival food, rides and market stalls cost money, but entry to the park and festivals is free.

Darts Hill Garden Park

Darts Hill Garden Park, at 1633 170 Street in South Surrey, is a 22.5-acre botanical garden with rare plants, magnolias, rhododendrons, a heritage walnut tree, meadows and a summer concert series. Admission is by donation, with a suggested $5, so there is no fixed entry fee, and entry is free for garden members and children 12 and under. This is donation-based rather than strictly free. It is also seasonal and limited: open to the public Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, from early April to late September only, and closed to the public October to March, so it is closed at the time of writing in November.

Surrey Nature Centre and Green Timbers Urban Forest

The Surrey Nature Centre, at 14225 Green Timbers Way, sits beside Green Timbers Urban Forest, a rare remnant of old-growth forest inside the city. General entry to the centre and the forest trails is free, and many programs, including Discovery Days, Story Time in the Park and Family Game Nights, are listed as free. The centre has a nature exhibit, activity backpacks to borrow for self-guided walks, and free fishing rod loans at Green Timbers Lake. Some workshops are ticketed, for example fall fungi walks at $7.95, so check the program list before you go. A BC freshwater fishing licence may be required for adults fishing the lake outside of Family Fishing Weekend, so check the licence rules before fishing.

Water and beaches

Crescent Beach

Crescent Beach is a sandy, village-style public beach on Semiahmoo Bay in South Surrey, with a 2.7 km beachfront path, roped swimming areas in summer, tidal pools at low tide, picnic areas and sunset views across Boundary Bay. Main access points are at Beecher, Sullivan and Target Streets. There is no admission fee, and parking is free, including street parking on Beecher Street and the lot at Blackie Spit Park, which sits beside the beach. Dogs are not allowed on the beach from May 15 to September 15. The beach can be very busy on summer weekends, so parking fills up. Kayak and paddleboard rentals nearby are paid.

Arts, culture and history

Museum of Surrey

The Museum of Surrey, at 17710 56A Avenue in Cloverdale, is Surrey’s community museum, with local history galleries, an Indigenous Hall, a hands-on TD Explore Zone for kids and rotating feature exhibits. Admission is free for all visitors, covered by the Friends of the Museum and Archives Society. Donations by cash or card are welcome. The museum is closed Mondays, and it usually closes for a few weeks over the Christmas holidays. Self-guided school groups pay $45 for two hours.

Surrey Art Gallery

The Surrey Art Gallery, at 13750 88 Avenue in the Surrey Arts Centre at Bear Creek Park, is Metro Vancouver’s second largest public art museum, showing contemporary art by local, national and international artists, with a focus on digital and audio art. Exhibitions change quarterly. Admission is always free, and parking is free. Donations are welcome. The gallery is closed Mondays and holidays. Some courses, workshops and theatre performances at the Arts Centre are ticketed, but gallery admission and many events, including tours, talks and artmaking days, are free.

Historic Stewart Farm

Historic Stewart Farm, at 13723 Crescent Road in South Surrey, is an early 1900s farmstead in Elgin Heritage Park on the Nicomekl River, with a restored 1894 farmhouse, heritage buildings, costumed interpreters and hands-on family activities in summer. Free guided tours run Tuesday to Friday at 1:30 pm in summer. The City of Surrey lists the farmhouse as free, and donations are appreciated. The farmhouse is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 4:30 pm, closed Mondays. The surrounding Elgin Heritage Park is open dawn to dusk. Some special evening programs are ticketed, for example a Christmas program at $29.50 per person, ages 19 and over.

Markets and events

Surrey Fusion Festival

The Surrey Fusion Festival is Western Canada’s largest free multicultural festival, held at Holland Park each July. The 19th edition ran July 18-19, 2026, with more than 50 cultural pavilions, eight stages of live music and dance, an Indigenous Village and family areas. More than 80,000 people attended in 2026. Admission is free, with no tickets and no registration. It is an annual event, one weekend in July only. Food and market purchases cost money.

Indoor and rainy day options

Surrey Libraries programs

Surrey Libraries has ten branches across the city offering free storytimes, family movie nights, book clubs, author events, computer classes, tech help, homework help and newcomer programs, plus free Wi-Fi, computers and study space. The flagship City Centre Branch is at 10350 University Drive. Library programs and services are free, and a library card is free for Surrey residents. Visitors can use the space and Wi-Fi without a card. Some programs ask for registration, and spots can be limited. Printing, replacement cards and overdue items may carry small charges.

The Museum of Surrey and the Surrey Art Gallery, both listed above, are also free indoor options on a rainy day.

Practical notes

Parking is free at most of the parks and attractions listed here, including Bear Creek Park, Redwood Park, the Surrey Art Gallery and Crescent Beach. Holland Park sits across from Central City and near King George SkyTrain station, so transit is the easy option for City Centre. Crescent Beach and the South Surrey parks are best reached by car, and beach parking fills up on summer weekends, so arrive early. Several items are seasonal: Darts Hill Garden Park is closed October to March, the Fusion Festival runs one July weekend a year, and the Bear Creek Park train runs roughly Easter to early October. The museums are closed Mondays, so plan indoor visits for Tuesday to Sunday. Dogs are not allowed on Crescent Beach from May 15 to September 15.