There are a myriad of community events in Ladner to keep locals and visitors entertained throughout the year.

The Ladner Business Association gets things started early in the year with the annual Easter Parade and Egg Hunt.

The family event takes place every Easter Sunday. The parade gives youngsters a chance to dress up and decorate their bikes, scooters, wagons, or any other mode of transportation, for the procession down Delta Street from the museum to Memorial Park.

This year, the Delta Police Pipe Band led the parade to the park where children are let loose for an egg hunt.

Next up is the longest running local event - Ladner Pioneer May Days. This year's festivities, which ran May 25 to 27, marked the 116th year for the event, making it the second longest running May Days celebration in the province.

The three days are always filled with lots of activities and entertainment, including the traditional May Pole dance, the crowning of the May Queen and the parade.

May Days kicks off a busy season of festivals and events in Ladner, including the Ladner Village Market, which has become a staple of summer.

Now in its 16th season, the open-air market runs every other Sunday from early June to September.

A popular event that draws tens of thousands of people to Ladner Village every year, the market regularly features more than 150 vendors offering food, produce and a plethora of artisan items.

Many local merchants in Ladner Village are also open for business and there is always free live entertainment.

Ladner Village Market runs rain or shine, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., along 48th Avenue.

Upcoming dates are: June 24, July 8 and 22, Aug. 12 and 26, and Sept. 9.

Ladner's Memorial Park was alive with the sound of music for two days on the weekend of June 9 and 10 with the annual Ladner Bandfest.

The award-winning free event keeps getting bigger and better every year and featured a record 21 adult community bands this year.

The two-day event annually draws bands from around the Lower Mainland and Washington state. Now in its eighth year, Ladner Bandfest has become one of the largest gatherings of adult musicians in Western Canada.

Once again this year, Ladner Village will play host to one leg of the 12th annual Tour de Delta with the popular Brenco Criterium on the evening of Saturday, July 7.

A criterium has been described as being "like NASCAR on wheels, but [with] more passing" as riders battle over a onekilometre circuit, reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometres an hour.

Before the experienced racers take to the streets, the Ladner Business Association hosts its annual wheelbarrow races at 4 p.m. followed by the Kids Crit events.

The LBA, in conjunction with The Quilted Bear, wraps up the summer season with the Quilt Walk and Classic Car Show.

The annual event, which is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 19 this year, draws thousands of visitors every summer eager to take in the festivities, which include hundreds of classic cars and handmade quilts.

The show usually runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and also includes a pancake breakfast, entertainment and other refreshments.

In the fall and winter, the LBA sponsors a number of events to celebrate the season.

In October, things get a little spooky with Family Fright Fest. The festival, which was born after the business association came together with the Corporation of Delta to create a bigger and better event, is aimed at getting Ladnerites in the Halloween spirit.

It is usually scheduled for the days leading up to All Hallows Eve and includes events for all ages.

And as the year winds to a close, the LBA brings back several Christmas events that have become a holiday tradition for many local families.

The yearly tree lighting ceremony, children's parade and carol ships night, which is usually followed the next morning by the annual Breakfast with Santa, mark the beginning of the Christmas season for many locals.